Winter's coming :( and I've been wondering

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

what costs more, heating and keeping the ice off of a large tub of water or a smaller tub? I have a 100 gallon (or there about) black rubber tank that I've always used in winter with a heater but I also have a smaller half barrel that I use in the summer (smaller tank,gets emptied more often and so is cleaner- less algae growth) that I can use. I'm trying to decide which is the most cost/energy efficient. What do you think?

 

[shorthorsemom]

do you have a big herd? I have two smaller buckets, and I switch the plug back and forth between the two. More efficient than heating both, takes awhile for the heated one to get cold and freeze again, nicer on the electric only to have one bucket at a time being plugged in. The one year I ran two cords it was more expensive. Now I just heat one, switch and thaw heat the other one, back and forth. Unplug when above freezing. I have one of those pirit hoses too, hope it works again this winter, loved it last winter.

 

[Tremor]

I have a herd of seven and two steers that drink out of a bath tub in te winter time. We always have a heater in it that is plugged into the barn electrical system.

Cost me $25.

 

[Kim~Crayonboxminiatures]

If the smaller one provides enough water, I would use the smaller one. I use heated buckets, so not sure how it compares to putting a heater in the tub. I always worried the heater would short and shock the horses so they wouldn't drink. Also easier with my set up to do heated buckets. Does the heater shut off when the water is heated sufficiently or does it stay on all the time? If on all the time, probably the larger tub would be better.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

Thanks for the input everyone. Kim, it is a thermostatically controlled heater so once the water reaches a certain temperature it shuts of until that temperature drops again. I should have said we get very cold temperatures and it stays below freezing (well below) for months. Open water unheated will begin to freeze over in about 20 minutes so not heating the tank is not an option here. Shorthorsemom, your method would require either packing a fresh bucket each time or thawing already frozen water which I suspect would use more energy than keeping it thawed to start with. I only have 6 horses now so the smaller tub would last about 2 days before it had to be refilled. I'm thinking I might have to go with the larger one and use styrofoam insulation to help it hold the heat better so the heater doesn't need to activate so often. I've always believed the larger body of water was less of an energy hog because it held the heat longer (?) but I am not sure of that.

Tremor, your system is not that much different than mine, I'm not sure what the climate differences are, colder hear I think but maybe less wind which would make it seem colder there. The biggest difference would be cost for hydro.. I think you pay less per kw used than we do here altho honestly I have never figured out what the cost per month in winter is. The bill goes up in winter from plugging in block heaters on vehicles/equipment and turning on lights so we don't live in the dark and many other winter necessities so sorting just the cost of heating water is pretty hard. I'm just looking to cut usage where I can without suffering undue hardship in the process.

 

[shorthorsemom]

i always wanted one of those heated muck bucket type but for now I have the regular water bucket type heating buckets with plugs and I fill twice daily. My guys drink better when it is very fresh and I am scared of colic. Gotta figure out how to heat one for my goats, they are separate from the horses and farther distance from my plugs. Might have to bring the goats closer to the house for the winter so I can monitor their water. never had goats before this year and not in winter, so much to think about. thanks for bringing up for topic, I never gave the water a thought yet for this year and I have made a change and now have to rethink my system.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

We had our first hard frost last night and even with the fall colors and lovely day today it reminded me that most dreaded of seasons is not too far off now.

 

[2minis4us]

Eeeek ! Don't talk about hard frost !! LOL I dred winter.

 

[Lovememinis]

It seems to me that the larger the size, the more surface area. The larger surface area would allow heat to escape and the thermostat would turn on the heater more frequently to maintain the water temperature. I would gues that the smaller the surface area, the more efficient and the lest coss to heat.

Sounds like we need a scientist to chime in on this one!

 

[Jill]

How many horses (all minis?) are you giving water to?

In the winter, we keep our short stock tanks out, but we also use these 16 gallon "muck bucket" looking large heated buckets. They have thermostats built in and only turn on when needed. I do not think it makes our bill go up by very much, and we have six of them out plus one 5 gallon bucket for our dwarf goats............. but I may not be the best judge, as I keep the house very cool in the summer but in winter, also keep it very cool (so am not using probably near the heat a normal home would).

Here is our winter bucket go-to:

Source: http://www.tractorsupply.com/allied-precision-heated-bucket-16-gal--2170851

Our stock tanks are short (50 gallon long?) and some of our horses have stepped on the "in the drain" stock tank de-icers we have tried, plus they always seem to leak. The floating kind quickly seem to become the paddock toy and the horses flip them around. Having these large heated buckets with cords we can conceal from the horses and also a source of unheated water should they want it seems to work well for us. Our smallest paddocs have only 1 horse each in winter, and the largest one has 8. All minis.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

Jill, I have only six minis now (we've downsized from 16 last year) No saddle horses but if there were they would stay at the corral with the auto waterers, with the minis I worry more about predators so they get stalled at night and stay up nearer the house during the day. I would say your climate is MUCH milder than ours. We have months without break of -10 down to -40 at times, up to 3 feet of snow is normal and wind is not uncommon. Heating bills here climb pretty noticeably from Oct thro April (altho we have natural gas heat and a wood pellet furnace as support for it) Hydro bills also climb since we have lights on a great deal and if cars/trucks/equipment isn't plugged in (block heaters are a given) they will not start most of the time - plus its very hard on them to be started when the engine oil is very cold. The stock tank (heavy black plastic/rubber) I use is overkill for my horses for sure but they can reach the water and I situate it against a fence so the floating heater can be out of there reach on the fence side of the tank so that isn't an issue. Offering unheated water is not really an option unless I choose to carry fresh water to them daily altho I do have buckets in their stalls that I fill just before bedtime and they are not heated (so freeze solid before morning) Most don't bother with them at all, they wait to drink warmer water in the morning.

Lovememinis, It seems like your premise about surface area could be correct but the larger body of water should hold the heat longer...hmmm, some people build a insulated lid for the tank which would decrease the space open to the cold air and recently it was suggested to put hot water tank insulation around the body of the tank. I wonder tho how I would keep my wretched little blighters from gnawing on that and possibly eating some foil/insulation from it

That would be a recipe for disaster I think. The lid is very doable but I am not impressed with the wrap idea.