I thought I would show you my DIY solarium I made :)

Vickijay

Vickijay

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18 November 2004
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Hi,

As everyone on here was so helpful when I was asking about this last week I thought I would show you the finished result!

I was going to get stand up patio heaters but then decided to get the fixed ones like people on the thread had suggested!

One of my baby horses helped my step dad with the work #helpful

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Dottie had a go with one but sadly the tube in the other was broken when we got it out of the box :( so the other one didn't work. It was still pretty warm though with just one working!

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We had a big public fireworks display right next door one evening so went up to check the ponies (with wine) and kept snuggly warm!!

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I clipped her out under it and it was already a massive improvement!

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Got my replacement bulb today so after we did this....

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She did this...

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We even turned the main lights off but it looked a bit red light districty!!

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So thanks everyone that helped on the first thread my snuggly ponies appreciate it :)
 
Cedars said:
Ooooh, very nice! I visited a yard the other day that had one and I've been umming and ahhing ever since....
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I am sold on mine so far :)

elliefiz said:
Looks really good! I am going to ask YO if I can mount 2 in my horse's stable. Which ones did you use? Did they come from eBay?
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I used the ones that were suggested on the other thread :)

Ferdinase514 said:
WOW!! Where did you get them? :)
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From the internet, you cant get them from actual shops (as I found out when I rang about a zillion companies to try and get a replacement bulb!!)

Tr0uble said:
How much power do they use?
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1.2kw but there were other ones...

kezimac said:
how much do they cost to run?
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The website said that the 2kw ones ran at 49p per hour per light and mine are only 1.2kw so less than that per light. I thought about getting 4 but decided against it because they are pretty hot, it would of doubled the cost again and I couldn't of run them off one socket because it would of been overloaded. I had to buy special heavy duty cables for them so they would be safe too
 
I needed more specific pre-ride spine heating and these are poultry lights at 250 watts each, so no special wiring needed. From eBay £20 each. Cost to run 10p an hour for 4, and I have 4 up now. The have completely solved a nasty cold-back problem that was making my horse buck badly. He's a different animal altogether once he's had 20 minutes of this before I ride.

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Such a good idea!
Is it ok to put them up in stables? as dont have a seperate wash box space but would love some have some to keep my ponies toasty in the winter when tacking up/ un tacking/ drying/ clipping etc.
 
Sorry I can't quote as I'm on my phone now.

Your ones look really good cptrayes. It's interesting how much they are improving your horse. Mine arnt specific like yours though because mostly I wanted them so I could wash her in the winter!

I don't know about a normal stable rowy. I guess it depends how high your roof is? Mine is pretty high. I don't know that I would want them it a timber box either in case it got too hot...
 
Rowy I have mine up in a stable, but wouldnt do it if they couldnt be mounted nice and high out of horse's reach. Electrician reckons they'd be perfectly safe anyway (when off) as plastic cover front on bulb and all wires boxed in. But still just out of precaution, and wouldnt want them to be able to bash their heads on them. I have 3 1.3kw lamps mounted which work a treat; dry horse really fast and great for pre and post exercise :).
 
They are fab! Perfect Christmas holiday project for OH who is a teacher ;)

Now I have a grey I was wondering how I'd bath him in the winter without him getting cold and now I know. Thanks :)
 
The lights were around £55 each, a couple of pounds for plugs/cable tidy things and about £25 for the heavy duty cable to run them. Luckily my step dad is very handy with stuff like that so he put them up for me :)
 
Oh that is brilliant! I am very lucky that my family business is air conditioning & electrical so will nab one of them to install & will get materials at trade... maybe i wont be get my actual solarium kit i have found this is WAY cheaper!
 
ace, aren't they?
Vickijay, really really hope you don't mind me saying... I saw that the bars on that stable have been forced wider apart, PLEASE think about putting up some mesh, because those gaps are big enough to get a hoof through, and someone on here lost a horse after it did that (not the first time I've heard of that happening either). I had a horse get his teeth stuck between too-wide bars of a let-down anti-weave grid, and nearly break his neck before we freed him, so this really is first-hand experience. Sorry, not trying to be a busybody, but I hate to see things that look like they could cause a horrible accident in future... and until you see it happen you don't believe it could. A close mesh panel, cable-tied on, does the job and isn't expensive. Sorry for poking my nose in, really hope you don't mind...
 
Of course I don't mind. Both of those things sound dreadful. I remember the girl on here who lost her horse.

The bars arnt actually that sturdy. I broke one tying a haynet to it the other day (that's why one looks a bit bent in the picture!)

I'll look into making them safer though :)
 
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