Part 1 DIY - Create an insulated horse/livestock water trough - Share with your rancher friends.
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- Опубликовано: 8 окт 2024
- DIY - I've been frustrated because there is not an economical insulated horse trough. It's simple science. You need insulation. But manufacturers don't make these. So do it yourself. A few tubs, some wire, expandable foam and some poly, a sheet of plywood and 2 inch foam board and your done.
Hi Fod, I developed a similar idea years ago for our ranch in CO. I incorporated a copper coil in the bottom of the trough, between the two tanks, and connected that to a 4'x8' solar thermal panel with antifreeze/water running through it. It worked really well. These days, i'm looking at connecting a few solar electric panels to a DC heater. Costs have come down to the point that it should pay for itself in a couple years.
One change I'd consider is using insulated balls on the surface of the water, so as the water level goes down as they drink the water, the "lid" goes down. too. That way they don't have to dunk their head below the plywood.
If you build this you should add a rubber baffle that hangs down several inches into the water. It will make a big difference in keeping the heat inside. Also you can add a round hollow or insulated plastic disc that is made to float on the surface of the water to add additional insulation. The livestock push this disc down when they drink.
Thanks for the great ideas!
Re:spray foam. What was your application method? Did you do the bottom, then put in the smaller tank and then fill up the sides?
Hi, thanks for the DIY video, very helpful. I'm in Michigan, and have similar issues with freezing water. Can you please give some update on if this setup has helped you lower your electricity usage? Also, did the heat tape in the walls seem to help?
Hi Jason, I added some comments in my 2nd video about this project. It's been about 3 years and this insulated tub has worked awesome!!! It's held up well. A few things I've learned: 1) The heat tape in the was was a no-go. It started to burn/melt the expandable foam, so I cut the end off and don't use it. We use the heater types you insert into the water trough that sink to the bottom. Good results with them. 2) The foam covering attached to the plywood works great and has held up over the years.. The horses have no issue drinking water out of the hole we cut in the top for them. 3) having the 2x4 base is great for holding the weight and keeping it structurally solid. As for heat value and heating costs. I can't put a number to it, but all I can say is that this thing does wonders to keep the water from freezing. We live in a -20 t0 -30 C winter environment here in the mountains in Canada, which is about -4 to -22 F. This insulated trough handles these cold temps with no problem. If we didn't use this we'd have a heater running non-stop and likely still have ice. We have the heater on a timer and only run the heater/s 1-2 times a day for 2 hours. When it's colder we have 2 heaters in the bottom of the trough. Hope this helps and answers your questions. To me, it's a no-brainer. The cost of materials for building this insulated trough is far less than the electricity you'll pay to heat water all winter long. Plus if you own horses or livestock, A) you care about their welfare and want them to have access to water, and B) you're busy enough with chores, etc that you don't have loads of free time on your hands to chisel ice all day and night. Hope this info helps. All the best, and thanks for your questions. If you do build one please post some thoughts with what you did and how you improved on my design. Would love to see links to some pictures if you could. Thanks!
@@fod4250 Hey Fod, I finally finished the first part of the video of my version of an insulated water trough surround:
ruclips.net/video/7AYJpDn62WE/видео.html
I like your style better than mine, but the spray foam was cost prohibitive. Plus we didn't want to buy another set of smaller troughs, which hold less water. Since we have 4 different fields/water troughs, refilling more often in the winter becomes a pain.
I'm still learning how to edit video and all that nifty stuff, so the video kinda sucks. I'll hopefully upload Part 2 in the next few days as I finish the build.
Thanks again and leave a comment on the video with any feedback or suggestions on the designs.
Thanks for the update. I also posted a comment with a couple of suggestions for upgrades that I will re-post here: If you build this you should add a rubber baffle that hangs down several inches into the water. It will make a big difference in keeping the heat inside. Also you can add a round hollow or insulated plastic disc that is made to float on the surface of the water to add additional insulation. The livestock push this disc down when they drink.@@fod4250
Could you please copy and post this update to the top of the comments? I know it can be locked to the top of the comments, although a search would be able to tell you how to do it better than I can. I think it would help a lot of people. @@fod4250