Heated water buckets?

[MagicMelon]

At my stables I have an outdoor water tap which I fill tub trugs daily. It was -12 last night and -7 all day, forecast for very cold basically until Xmas now. My tap is frozen solid despite me wrapping it in insulation and wrapping a rug over it every night. Now my indoor shed tap has frozen solid today too so Ive had to messily lug buckets in and out of my house filling up their tubs along with going out several times during the day to break the ice. Overnight they're not getting enough water I feel as its just freezing solid, Ive tried adding a bottle of salted water to the tubs but does nothing. Ive tried keeping a tub in one of their open stables but still freezes. My OH has a fish tank heater (which you drape in the water) however I feel this would be dangerous around horses who might bite the cable and wont be designed for outdoors / cold temps anyway etc. I do have power in my stables so could use something safe. In the UK we dont seem to be equipped for these temps despite it often getting like this in Scottish winters! I have very little money but is there any type of heating element that is safe for horses to even just keep one big tub unfrozen overnight? What do horse owners do in much colder countries who are used to this?

 

[ycbm]

My OH put kettle elements in big trugs and ran them transformed down to a power which was safe around the horses. You can buy heating wire to wrap around pipes. I think it would maybe be feasible to use that around the buckets and then cover it over with something so the horses don't pick at it.
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[Winters100]

My OH put kettle elements in big trugs and ran them transformed down to a power which was safe around the horses. You can buy heating wire to wrap around pipes. I think it would maybe be feasible to use that around the buckets and then cover it over with something so the horses don't pick at it.
.

Hi, do you maybe have more info on this? I have now taken the mains power out to my paddock, but I am at a loss as to how to safely use it for water. Thanks!

 

[Winters100]

What do horse owners do in much colder countries who are used to this?

Truthfully my experience is that in the much colder countries they are not so often out overnight in winter. For ours the grooms break the ice, or bring new buckets when they go out at 6am. Lunchtime is 'bring in time' for those horses whose owners want them out for only half a day, the others get the ice broken again. Then dusk is about 3-30pm and they are fetched in to the boxes. Not ideal, but it works.

 

[ycbm]

Hi, do you maybe have more info on this? I have now taken the mains power out to my paddock, but I am at a loss as to how to safely use it for water. Thanks!

I can get it for you, I'll ask him when he's awake tomorrow. They were standard replacement kettle elements which he screwed into a 60 litre bucket, the wire came out the side and plugged into a socket in the wall. Outside the stable, in the loft, was a transformer plugged into a standard socket, which reduced the voltage from 220 volts to 24 volts, which is safe. He might have made the transformer himself. It worked fantastically for years, until I moved the horses to a barn where I ran the water into a drain all night to stop it freezing.

For the pipe heater, Google pipe heater cable and pipe heater tape and you'll find it.
..

 

[dixie]

Is it Worth trying sitting the trugs on a microwave heat pad ? Something like this?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SnuggleSaf...17&hvtargid=pla-400508809656&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

 

[ycbm]

Look what I found.

https://horseyhooves.com/heated-water-buckets-for-horses/

There are others if you Google"heated water buckets".

 

[tyner]

Back home they had immersion heaters that had a float and were purpose built for horse waterers. I've looked for something similar here for a long time I couldn't find something like that.

We have frozen taps too right now and what is saving me is one of those restaurant/catering tea servers, that keep liquids hot. It's about 5 l and you can use it nearly to boiling and just a little bit helps you break the ice on the top of the buckets. It wasn't that expensive I got it on eBay for the intention of having it for mulled wine at Christmas but then my horse decided to get cellulitis ? and needs warm compresses everyday.

It's a great thing to have on hand no matter the weather.

 

[BimboMare]

For the last few years I have used a floating pond heater I bought from Amazon for under £30. Wired it on to a long outdoor electric cable from B&Q for cold weather. I use it in our concrete field water trough. It's a complete godsend at the moment.

I tie it to the side away from the horses with a bit of baler twine to keep it safe. Not sure I'd be happy using it in a plastic trough though...

A couple of years ago I installed heat tape along all the outdoor water pipes. It kept blowing fuses so I'm not convinced it's safe although it seemed a good idea at the time.

 

[J&S]

I float apples in the water buckets. I take flasks of hot water out morning and night and carry water in a big container. They are drinking and pooing quite normally, touch wood!!

 

[Highmileagecob]

We pull the water buckets to the back of the stable, stand on a thick pad of shavings, and stuff feed bags with hay or straw and tie them round the bucket. Horse gives them a wide berth for a short time until they realise there is water there. No success with the outdoor supply though....

 

[ROMANY 1959]

We used to use insulation builders use. Wrap it round with electric ties, and stick buckets or tubs in a tyre. Make sure insulation all round buckets including floor.

 

[HBB]

I use an old clay hot water bottle and put it in a huge trug water bucket, it keeps the water ice free for a good few hours outside in the current -12c temps.

 

[Highmileagecob]

I read somewhere that putting one or two eight hour nightlights in a biscuit tin with holes punched in the lid will make a basic heat source. Probably not much use floating in the water trough if you have an inquisitive beast like mine.