Made my own hay steamer!

[Cragrat]

And it's fantastic

I followed hints and tips from threads on here, and added a mod of my own. Result is gorgeous, VERY hot, steamy hay, much appreciated by The Sensitive One, and he has completely stopped coughing

so here's my method, if anyone is interested:

Bought a new wheelie bin, 360litre (normal household is 240litre) for £76.
Bought a new wallpaper steamer from Aldi. 5 litre, 2300 watt, 3 year guarantee. £24.
Drilled a hole in the front centre, an inch from the ground of the bin, to poke the steam pipe through. Drilled another smaller hole in the bottom corner as a drain.
Chopped the steam pipe in half, poked it through the hole, and coiled it twice around the bottom of the bin. Tried holding it in place with silicon sealer, but that didn't last. I have now used cable ties. I then used a soldering iron to poke some holes in the pipe, roughly every 6".
Connected the steam pipe back to the steamer.
I had a huge, very fine holed but strong net for putting over my cabbages. I bought it on ebay last year, about £10 I think.
I draped this inside the bin, and it holds the hay a few inches off the pipes. It also makes it easier to lift the hay out, and means the bottom doesn't get clogged. I then transfer the steamed hay easily to a trug to take to his stable.
I use a bungee to hold the lid tight to keep the steam in.


warning- do not turn off steamer then lift the lid and dive your hands into the middle-it's blooming hot!

 

[nix123]

Now thats a fantastic idea. I could never make one as 1. i dont have the paticence 2. i'm rubbish at doing stuff like that 3. i'd be in hospital with 3rd degree burns 4. would have burnt the stables down with it been electrical. SO if your offering....

 

[YasandCrystal]

I made one just like this, but I placed an upside down milk bottle crate in the bottom to hold the hay off the floor and used to put 2 big haynets in - then they were ready to hang when done. I had mine on a timer switch so it would be ready for breakfast or tea feeding. You need to remember to fill the steamer up with water though - I forgot that on a couple of occasions.

I feed haylage now to the one that needed hay steamed- so I converted this bin and bought 3 more to make hay field feeders by cutting a big plate sized hole in the bottom front and securing the lid with a latch.

 

[Cortez]

Yup, I've also done a variant of this, with very useful advice from on here. Lidded plastic water tank with TWO wallpaper steamers on timer switches piped in, welded mesh grate on the bottom and steams three haynets perfectly. Total cost: £52.