Keeping your horses hydrated and encouraging them to drink water all the time should be your top and foremost priority, especially during the winter season. Heated water troughs for horses and water buckets are some of the easiest and go-to solutions around farms, but these products are risky and overlooked by the owners. Hence, if you have been using the heated water trough for years now, you should make a few changes to the routine to keep your horses safer.
Heated water trough for horses are broad and are solidly placed in the field. A 10-liter scale is given to keep track of the amount of water that the horses have consumed. It is generally made of hard plastic with a design that is specially curated for the purpose.
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ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR USING HORSE TROUGH HEATER
Are you using a horse water tank heater on your farm? If you are, definitely take a few minutes to check if you’re following the below-stated procedures.
- Start With An Electrician
Before you plug in the trough water heater and buckets, make sure you have an electrician by your side to inspect the Baron’s electrical system and safety. Most of the old barns gave non GFCI outlets that are required to be updated before you can safely use the troughs. Hence, it’s always a great idea to have all the wirings and connections inspected. Also, make sure that the electrical systems are capable of handling the high power that is needed by the heater.
- Read The Manufacturer Instructions
It is very essential to follow the installation guide regarding the positioning of the heater trough. Whenever installing a plastic heater, it needs to be caged, or else, it can melt and even set the trough on fire sometimes. This cage protection also helps the equine noses to get burnt. Protecting your trough may help in keeping the horses from getting shocked while drinking water. The majority of the manufacturers recommend installing a rod and then connect a copper wire to the rod.
- Protect All The Electrical Cords
While installing a water trough for your horse, ensure that the position of the cord is kept away from the horses and is inaccessible by the horses. If your horse can reach the horse, encase it in PVC and anti-chew springs to keep your horse safe.
- Use The Right Outlets
Plug a heater water trough until a ground-fault Circuit interrupter outlet. This outlet monitors the amount of electricity that is being used by the heater. It also analyzes the energy that flows back through this outlet. In case there’s any flaw in the heater, the outlet will cut down the power, which can reduce the risk of your horse getting shocked.
If you are powering through heaters outdoors, a great option would be to have an electrician run an electric conduit to your paddocks. Ask the person to install a GFCI outlet in a covered outdoor electric box. Then, plug the heater directly into the outlet, and now you don’t need to worry about running extension cords through the years every now and then.
- Frequently Inspect & Change Heaters
Water through heaters and buckets can wear and tear due to regular use. Hence, before installing them every year, check if there are any signs of damage present. If yes, replace it with a new trough.
FINAL NOTE
Trough heaters and buckets for horses are very essential to take of your horses during winters. It’s important to ensure that you’re keeping your horse as safe as possible. Also, by implementing these steps every year, you can highly protect your horses while keeping water available to them even in the coldest days.
