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OT: Automatic waterer electric question

A

Anonymous-0

Well-known Member
I am trying to finish the last few things on installing my automatic livestock waterer. The electrical is hardwired up to the where the waterer is going to sit. Before I hook up to the electric, I would like to install a light socket inside the waterer to keep the pipes from freezing in the harsh winters here. I was just curious to see how I should do the wiring to hook up? Do I hard wire to the waterer first & then run to the light socket?
 
I assume you are trying to keep the stand pipe frost free with that lite bulb.

I do not like lite bulbs under there cause they do not hold up to moisture very well.

I would use a heat tape ,drop it down the stand tube and wire it in with the heat elements under the waterer. That way it will go on and off with the thermostat.

I would wire in the bulb with the thermostat as well if you are stuck on useing a lite bulb.

Gary
 
Gary is right .Lite bulb will break as soon as a drop of condensation hits it .Heat tape is the only way to go.
 
Yep, you want heat tape wrapped around the pipe with some insulation over it.

Depending on where you are, you may want to wire the heat tape so it is on all the time. I know when it gets to -30 in ND ours will freeze up if the heat tape isn't on all the time.

If your temps don't get below zero, you're probably OK wiring the tape to come on with the heating elements.

Light bulb/heat lamp may have been the best thing available 25 years ago, but heat tape will probably use less power and be safer.
 
Gary,
I am supposed to wrap the pipe coming up from the ground? If so, it is too late, I have already backfilled the trench & poured a concrete foundation. OR....
Did you mean that I can just drop the heat tape down the PVC casing & just wiring into my waterer so that the heat tape will kick on when the thermostat on the waterer at the same time?
Where can I find some heat tape?
 
As a veteran on many of those -30 ND days I would suggest a looking at a frostless water system. We replaced several that had propane heaters with energy free systems from Behlen Country. If I had electricity at the waterer I would definately install a waterproof outlet receptical. If you are going to use a light bulb try one of those heavy duty ones for a trouble light, they can stand all kinds of abuse. However, nothing is as much fun as the ax method for keeping water clear on those cold windy mornings.
 
Back in the 80's we replaced an electric waterer with a Mirafont that didn't require electricity. The stand pipe was 12" which allowed the ground heat to rise up the pipe and keep the waterer from freezing. The waterer was a hard plastic and insulated well. That was in southwest Wisconsin and the waterer never froze up. It worked well for many years with about 60 head drinking out of it. If your climate is colder, that type of waterer may not work.
 
You just let it drape down in the opening between your casing and the water pipe.

The casing is what we call the stand pipe.

Some heat tapes have a built in thermostat, like the one in the link below. They can be hooked in ahead of the thermostat on the waterer.

You would hook your hot lead to this tape and your hot on the waterer. Then hook your nuetral to the waterer nuetral along with the tape nuetral.

I sell Richie but you can get them from your local dealer.

You can also buy them in most hardware stores. They are used under trailer homes to keep the supply line from freezing.

Gary
One like these.
 
In the past 36 years I've installed at least a half dozen electric waterers, all Ritchie, both hog and cattle. You don't say where 'here' is in regard to harsh winters, but here in central MN, it's not unusual to hit 30 below, and I remember Jan '94, maxed out at -44. Used to use a six foot 4 inch standpipe for hog waterers, but using an 8 inch, like on cattle waterers, will still fit under the unit, and let more warm air up from below. That might be a moot point, like others suggesting using different systems, since it sounds like you already have the hardware installed,. On hog waterers, I wired extra vertical units into the system, dropped down the tube, but on cattle units, I simply wired a pigtail light bulb into the incoming, not controlled by a thermostat. Put in a new 50/60 watt bulb each fall, it burned til spring, and kept the above-ground housing thawed out. Also glued in 4 inch thick styrofoam into the unit sidewalls. Number of cattle being served is a big issue, as well as converting (if it is a Ritchie) to the new style covers with foam floats. That eliminates any water exposed to the elements.
 
Best thing I ever did on the farm was to put in an electric-free waterer, uses the insulated standpipe down 8 feet. I figure I save $15 a month for 5 months a year on the electric bill here in Minnesota, so it's about free to me now. :)

Wouldn't want to mess with electric again.

If you really are in a cold climate (you didn't say where you are, people call themselves in cold weather when it gets down to 20 degrees once in a long while - here if it gets up to 20 degrees durning the cold 3 months we are having a heat wave!) you need to get some heat on your pipe coming up from the ground and that heat needs to be about as deep as the normal frost line. Hope you didn't concrete in the actual water pipe; the concrete will carry the cold right to your pipe & you will never get that to work.

--->Paul
 
Since so many people have brought up the electric-free waterers, I'd like to share our experience with one...

We had one of those black plastic ones with the plastic balls that seal it off so the water doesn't freeze. The pipe going down is about 16" across and goes down at least 6 feet (maybe 8). It worked great down to about zero, after that it would freeze... but part of the problem with ours was having too many waterers in use at one time and the water pressure/volume got too low for the electric free waterer. The problem was the cattle would drink it down and the balls drop - allowing cold air in and it would freeze.

So, if you are going to use one of those, make sure you have enough pressure and volume of water so the inside isn't exposed for too long.

We replaced it with a Ritchie plastic body unit with stainless steel pans and it has never froze up yet (about six years now).
 
Steven f/AZ, I am a little confused by your response. You said it was your experience with one, then later you said you that part of the problem was to many waterers in use at one time. Our farms are only about 30 miles south of yours and we never had any freeze. Nor have the neighbors. I have one unit 1/2 mile from the well/pressure tank, fed by buried 1 1/4 inch plastic pipe. The cost of running electricity out there would have been spendy indeed. No EQIP cost share on that. I wonder if you didn't have a water supply problem, I don't remember what it was but the units we installed had a pressure and flow minimum. Slope Electric Cooperatives rates are low now, but if you look at the increase of price of coal over the last few years I think it is only reasonable Basin is going to pass the cost along to us consumers.
 
Scott,

Yes, the problem was with pressure and flow - we don't have the capacity when all the cattle are drinking to fill one of the electric-free waterers fast enough.

We have one well/pressure system that feeds two houses and all the waterers (there are five of them). Just not enough to fill them quickly when they are all in use.

The Ritchie has heated pans, we haven't had to put any heat tape on the pipe coming up due to the large supply hole providing heat from down below.
 
Steven, how does the harvest look this year ? I can't get back till pheasant opener next month and everyone seems to busy to call me back. I know they had good rains in my part of Adams county.
 
(quoted from post at 12:30:54 08/10/08) Steven, how does the harvest look this year ? I can't get back till pheasant opener next month and everyone seems to busy to call me back. I know they had good rains in my part of Adams county.
Click to expand...

Total drought in our area, Dad is harvesting wheat that is making between 5 and 15 bushels to the acre. Luckily enough his is good enough quality to sell (58 pounds, 17.5 protein). The neighbors are getting sent home by the semi-load with light weight wheat the elevators won't accept.

Shoot me an email at smgussey AT yahoo DOT com and I'll forward ya some pics if you like.
 
Sorry to hear that. When the elevator rejects the load in makes a guy wish that the field was fenced in and that sheep or cows were sent and not the combine. Right now I have a 8 year old telling me it is time to get off the computer and take her on a hike. I will contact you later.
 
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