water bucket heaters

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Have always ran cold water for my livestock, or carried hot from the house to take the chill off water pails in the barn. Water left in buckets will freeze between chore times in my barn, so I encourage at least a couple good drinks while the chill is off. This year I thought I'd try a bucket heater. (put it in the pail and let it heat while I start the rest of chores, then use the hot water to warm up the cold water). Trouble is---I've read so many reviews on different brands that my brain is tired. The reviews are a roller coaster of ups and downs(this one is well liked from 3 years ago,but nothing good recently, or it either heats fast,or very slow). Can anybody recommend a brand they've used and liked in the last year? Can't really use the continuosly plugged-in style because it would mean extension cords from the main outlet. Any suggestions on brands of bucket heaters? Thanks
 
I will have to look at the brand on mine I don't have it out yet, was 74 today in Va!! But I debated in my own mind the first 2 yrs I had my minis then last year I decided I would try one. I bought the kind that has the heating element built into the bottom of the bucket and it worked great all last winter!! Even when the temps dipped down below 0 which only happend one night the water stayed warm. The cord is wrapped in a metal coil and is pretty long. I have an outlet between my stall door and the barn door so during the day when my 2 girls are out they can have access to the warm water and then at night when they are in their stall they can have it too!! I was worried about a heated bucket and carried warm water from my house for 2 winters. The second winter was historically cold with many days right at 0 or below and I was going back and forth a LOT!! My barn is only 4 yrs old and since I didn't have electricity the first yr my wiring and breaker box is only 3 yrs old. The electrition said if there was a problem with the bucket it would trip the circuit breaker off for safety. Hope some of this helps and I'll take a look at what brand it is and come back and post it. I did get it at my local farm co op.
 
...snip.... Can't really use the continuosly plugged-in style because it would mean extension cords from the main outlet. Any suggestions on brands of bucket heaters? Thanks
If you don't want to / or can't run an extension cord, I'm thinking your options are limited to battery-powered or solar? I've not researched that. It's too gloomy here for solar in the winter, and battery-powered isn't appealing to me because it's so wet/humid here. We run extension cords.

They do make waterproof extension cords. ...just a thought.

I've been using (for a couple years) the immersible type for Nicky's water and for the girls' one of those buckets that have the coils built into the bucket. I vaguely remember reading somewhere on-line that the immersible types can develop an electrical short, which could shock your horse, and cause him/her/it to stop drinking. That lit me up, for sure, and I was out there troubleshooting and doing resistance checks. I'm thinking that was one of those flukes you read about on the internet, and to date, I have not been able to confirm it.
 
Seems to be slight misunderstanding. I was talking about the immersion style, but only planned on using it long enough to heat the water, then unplug and remove, then use the water to warm up the other buckets. My winter watering is done 2xaday inside the barn. Somehow using electric to keep a bucket warm all the time is only practical if nobody craps in it..My barn is cold, especially with no large animals providing natural heat (My current beef steer goes in the freezer in 2 weeks.) I empty water buckets when the goats and mini are done drinking, I leave the bucket with the chickens, but on the coldest days I have to alternate and bring the frozen one to the house to thaw.
 
This is the type I use - they are at least 5 years old and stil going strong. There are "feet" on the bottom that keeps it from melting a bucket - and you leave it in there all the time, never take it out except to clean the pail. In fact, I use one in my 55 gallon water tank and it keeps one end of it open, even at 20 below zero!

http://www.unitedvetequine.com/Automatic-Horse-Waterer/Submersible-Bucket-De-Icer.asp

I do double check ever year and several times throughout the winter that it is still "sealed" and not shocking the water/horse by putting my hand in the water.
 
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Seems to be slight misunderstanding. I was talking about the immersion style, but only planned on using it long enough to heat the water, then unplug and remove, then use the water to warm up the other buckets. My winter watering is done 2xaday inside the barn. Somehow using electric to keep a bucket warm all the time is only practical if nobody craps in it..My barn is cold, especially with no large animals providing natural heat (My current beef steer goes in the freezer in 2 weeks.) I empty water buckets when the goats and mini are done drinking, I leave the bucket with the chickens, but on the coldest days I have to alternate and bring the frozen one to the house to thaw.
I misunderstood, since you said: "Can't really use the continuosly plugged-in style because it would mean extension cords from the main outlet."

And perhaps I'm misunderstanding further, but it seems that you want to heat water (plugged into an outlet using an extension cord) while you do chores and then use that "warm" water to thaw other water buckets?

The problem I sense with that idea is that the type of water "heaters" I've seen only heat the water enough to prevent ice from forming, vice heating enough so that you could thaw out other buckets.

Our barn is also unheated. I don't "do" water in the barn. Even a 5-gallon is too heavy for me to lift (40 lbs or so?) and haul out of there, sloshing it all over myself. So our horse water is kept outside.

I've used this: http://www.miraco.com/accessories/heaters/(the 250 watt) in a 15 gallon black rubber tub: http://www.qcsupply.com/duraflex-rubber-pan.html?utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=productfeeds&gclid=CNDKxOKO9cgCFQaOaQodQBMOKA

We use outdoor type extension cords. (I tried to find one, so I could find a photo on the internet; but couldn't, because husband out of town on the job and hid them) but the cords are blue and yellow in color. We leave the extension cords out there all winter (at the point they plug into the outlet is protected and we keep the de-icer end up off the ground, strapped to a fence post, because I don't trust the water-tight fitting enough to leave it on the ground in our rainy climate.)

We've been using those immersibles for 3 winters now.

The other one I've used is this heated bucket type: http://www.amazon.com/API-Gallon-Heated-Bucket-20FB/dp/B000HHQLHM

I think this might be similar to the one misty'smom mentioned. We've used one of those for 2 winters. The electrical cord is wrapped in "coiled wire", which doesn't look too sturdy. We considered replacing it with armored cable, but decided it was too much trouble. We just strap the cord to the outside of the fence.

We haven't put out the de-icers yet. Just out of curiosity (because this topic roused my interest) I measured the temperature of Nicky's water this afternoon. It was 50F just filled, off our well. Several hours later, when I put them to bed, his water had dropped to 47F. I was sitting on the porch, and after he ate his hay he came out and drank it (at 47F.)
 
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Angc---thanks for the link, I'll check it closer later. I have water in the barn, but it's spring fed and comes from the faucet pretty cold, which is nice in the summer, but the animals drink more in winter if the chill is off. Goats even like it a bit warmer. I was carrying a 2 gallon pail(I do have a lid) of very hot water out to warm the spring water as I filled buckets twice a day. No fun when it's blowing and snowing.
 
What about a hot pot, if you can still get them, to boil some water in while you are at the barn, and top off with that really hot water.
 
I agree that a submersible heating element would not get the water hot enough for what you wish to do. We use an electric kettle -- the kind where the kettle is separate from the heating element. We thaw troughs frequently enough that they aren't frozen solid, so a kettle-full of boiling water is just right to melt the crust of ice on the top of a plastic muck bucket trough without making it too warm. You'd have to experiment to see how much to use in individual buckets to have the water drinkable.

Whatever method you use to warm their water, you might also consider an insulated bucket (purchased or DIY) to keep water thawed a bit longer. One way to do this is to nest the water bucket into a larger bucket, using styrofoam or straw as insulation in between the two.
 
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...snip... I have water in the barn, but it's spring fed and comes from the faucet pretty cold, which is nice in the summer, but the animals drink more in winter if the chill is off. Goats even like it a bit warmer. I was carrying a 2 gallon pail(I do have a lid) of very hot water out to warm the spring water as I filled buckets twice a day. No fun when it's blowing and snowing.
After Baby had laminitis, I ended up with one tub into which I could not (rather did not want) to put a de-icer. I use two plastic gallon-size milk cartons; I boil up some water in the microwave while I have coffee; then run some hot water into the milk cartons from the tap, then pour in the boiling water (being careful not to melt the milk cartons) and top off with hot tap water. Usually, on their 15 gallon tub, I can just pour that in, even if there's a thin sheet of ice formed overnight, it will bring it to a temperature that they will drink.

This topic fascinates me because I recollect reading some studies about horses drinking cold water (the Kentucky equine facility maybe?... I forget.) Ours eat hay, and when they get dry and thirsty they drink. I try not to have this happen, but both Baby and Coco have "busted" through the ice to drink. ...probably 3 or 4 times. If it was a thin sheet they just pop their noses through. ...but once I really screwed up my overnight temperature predictions and somebody used their hoof to bust through the ice.
 
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Our prissy boys wouldn't dream of sticking their feet into icy water, so Scarlett does it for them. We check often enough that it's never more than a thin layer, but there is almost always a dainty hoofprint through the crust. I think it's her way of making us feel guilty!
 
I used to just bust the ice on the tub and lead the ponies and cattle (less than 10 total), and take a " drink if you're thirsty" attitude. They usually drank a lot of that cold water, but only if they already had their grain, otherwise they were too distracted waiting for grain to drink. Then I got a cow that might drink once every other day, and she would drink that cold water until you'd think she'd burst. It didn't seem to have any ill effects but her calf didn't like it(from the kick activity). Of course, if they were in the wild, they might go to water once a day in winter, but they;d have snow available.
 
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In addition to making certain the water in their troughs is drinkable, I also provide extra soupy beet pulp to make certain they are well-hydrated. It can be difficult to know who is drinking what, but if everyone finishes their buckets of porridge, I can relax a bit.
 

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