Hay steamers, cost to run, and are you allowed them on your DIY yard?

chocolategirl

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Hi all, just wondering as per title, what are the implications of running costs, safety concerns, insurance etc of having hay steamers on a DIY yard?
 
My diy one is about 40p per hour apparently. I wouldn’t routinely let my liveries have one unless there was a medical need. There’s not enough profit in diy livery to cover the cost of running that so prices would have to go up if people wanted to use them.
 
I have a haygain. One yard did not charge as it stopped the mess from soaking and one yard ran it as an honesty box so for each hour running I paid 50 pence
Thank for that. Do you know if there were any insurance implications, as in, what if it set on fire etc. Did the yard have to inform their insurers?
 
I am at a DIY Livery Yard and I use a home made steamer. The owner of the yard has not mentioned to me about insurance when using the steamer and there are times when she uses it as well. We own a horse that has a breathing problem so we bed him on pellets & his hay is steamed to keep dust down to a minimum. We worked out how much the steamer costs to run & I pay the YO that on top of normal livery. I can't see that it would make the insurance cost more but who really knows. My YO charges £2.50p per week which I think is fair.
 
We did have one until the livery moved yards. She only had it on for an hour each day and it took 2 nets (homemade) - it was only ever on while she was there and mucking out so risk was minimised.

It was basically a bit plastic tool chest and a wallpaper strimmer but I couldn't tell you how it was put together!
 
Thank for that. Do you know if there were any insurance implications, as in, what if it set on fire etc. Did the yard have to inform their insurers?
I had to have it pat tested. It had to be on a timer at the plug and I was only allowed to use it when I was actually doing stable chores. I was not allowed to ride or go off yard when it was plugged in. It worked for me.
 
I had to have it pat tested. It had to be on a timer at the plug and I was only allowed to use it when I was actually doing stable chores. I was not allowed to ride or go off yard when it was plugged in. It worked for me.
Sounds sensible. It would be particularly the home made ones which would be of concern to me. But I guess if they were passed off by an electrician, that should suffice with my insurance company. ?
 
I am at a DIY Livery Yard and I use a home made steamer. The owner of the yard has not mentioned to me about insurance when using the steamer and there are times when she uses it as well. We own a horse that has a breathing problem so we bed him on pellets & his hay is steamed to keep dust down to a minimum. We worked out how much the steamer costs to run & I pay the YO that on top of normal livery. I can't see that it would make the insurance cost more but who really knows. My YO charges £2.50p per week which I think is fair.
When I added a theraplate onto my yard for my own use, I was asked by some of the liveries if they would be able to use it. I checked with my insurer, and it added over £100 to my annual premium. I guess most YO’s aren’t paranoid about being sued like me!?? people only consider insurance implications if there’s an incident most likely, whereas I prefer to keep that stable door firmly closed before the horse gets a chance to bolt ?‍♀️
 
I’ve got the smallest Haygain, the HGOne. It costs around 25/27p per 60 mins cycle.

The above advice about requiring the livery to be present on the yard while it is running is excellent, plus the addition of a timer which is not fitted as standard. I check every time that I run it that the steamer has the required amount of water in it to start with, but it is possible to switch them on without enough water to last the cycle which results in it boiling dry - not recommended.
 
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