Automatic waterers in Minnesota?

I am looking for some feedback on automatic waterers in Minnesota. It gets well below zero where I live. 20 below for week or two is typical.

Will the waterer freeze up? I have a heat tube for a Miraco waterer in the ground 8 feet deep (but I have not bought the waterer yet).

Are waterers more expensive to run than a tank heater in an old freezer? I certainly like the idea of cleaning a 2 gallon area instead of the whole stocktank.

Thanks,

Eagle Eye 1

I live in central Mn. And put Ritchie waters in last year 4 total with cups on both sides so a total of 8 pens can use them. I've never had one freeze yet but my lines are 12 feet deep. 8 feet should work as long as you don't drive over the line alot and theres snow to insulate it. My light bill wasn't affected more then a few dollars a month running 4 of them.

12 feet deep? Yikes! Was that to stay below the frost, or to have 4 more feet of warmth in the heat tube?

Do yours include a heater of some sort? I remember the local Miraco guy saying that you could use something like heat tape in the heat tube. I believe the theory was to keep the heat tube warm and thereby keep the waterer warm as well. The problem with him though was that one day a heater was required and the next day it was not - he didn't seem like he knew exactly how to install one of these.

Do you have the waterers sheltered or are they out in the open?

If they work for you they should work for me since you are about 40 miles or so Northwest of me.

Did you get snow yet?

Thanks,

Eagle Eye 1

Got a dusting of snow that's all. The reason I went that deep was I have alot of machinery driving over the water lines and it pushes the frost down deeper. Could be overkill but I have my own backhoe so when I dug them it wasn't any more work or cost really to dig deeper.

All mine include a heater to be honest in this climate the ones that don't and are in the open freeze. I'm not saying your will for sure but the few I know that tryed them did. You can buy heaters that sit right in the water and plug in to an outlet under the bowl. If you ever want to come see how I set mine up you sure can I live 19 miles west and north of Little Falls.

When I put my Ritchies in I looked at them Nelsons, Jugs, and Miraco. I liked the heat system best with the Ritchies that's why I went with them.

BTW I used to run 300 feet of hoses and fill 8 different tanks each day in the winter for 15 years. Damn did that suck!!!!!

I have automatic waters and they never feeze and I'm in bitter cold Alberta, Canada

gotta love draining those!!! We used to have beef cattle and horses and that's what we had to do as well. If we didnt drain them twice then we were asking for it to freeze!!!!

Tiffany,

What brand do you use?

Eagle Eye 1

County,

I might just take you up on that offer. What type of set up do you have? Sounds like you raise, board, or do something with that many horses. The tall fences sound similar to another farm in your area where they raises elk.

Eagle Eye 1

I breed QH's and beef cattle and board a few horses County Line Farm specializing in cutting and reining lines. Theres three places within 7 miles of here with Elk and one with Bison.