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No-Freeze Waterer Uses No Energy
Frank Frodsham was shocked to find out why his horses wouldn't drink from his electrically heated waterer.
"I had the veterinarian out to try to figure out why my horses wouldn't drink. Neither of us could figure out a solution. While we were talking, the veterinarian's assistant stuck his finger in the drinker
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No-Freeze Waterer Uses No Energy LIVESTOCK Feeding Equipment 28-1-40 Frank Frodsham was shocked to find out why his horses wouldn't drink from his electrically heated waterer.
"I had the veterinarian out to try to figure out why my horses wouldn't drink. Neither of us could figure out a solution. While we were talking, the veterinarian's assistant stuck his finger in the drinker water and he got shocked," says the Farmington, Utah rancher. "Our horses had been getting a shock every time they tried to drink."
Once he realized that the problem was the electricity, Frodsham pulled the plug and went to his workshop to come up with a freeze-proof waterer his horses would drink from. He came up with what he calls the "Bar-Bar-A Drinker" which uses no outside energy source.
The Bar-Bar-A Drinker uses a 12-in. PVC well casing, with the lower end set below the frost line. There is no reservoir. Rather, a flexible coiled hose rests in the bottom of the casing atop a gravel drainfield. This hose connects to a valve that is opened by a paddle in the drinker. When an animal presses its nose against the paddle, the valve opens and water is delivered to the drinking bowl. Once the pressure on the paddle is released, the valve closes and any water remaining in the drinking bowl drains back down the supply pipe and into the drain field through a separate drain valve that opens after the water supply valve closes.
Since the water drains out of the cup immediately, ice doesn't form in the bowl, so there's no ice to deal with. There's also no algae or dirt to clean out. The water washes any sediment out of the drinking cup each time it empties.
The reason for the coiled water supply hose is it allows the entire drinker assembly to be removed from the PCV pipe without taking the hose loose. This makes maintenance easy. The Bar-Bar-A Drinker sells for around $400. Call the company for information about local dealers or check their website.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dave Anderson, Bar-Bar-A Horse & Cattle Drinker, 230 East 1700 South, Farmington, Utah 84025 (ph 800 451-2230; website: www.horsedrinker.com).
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