Mirafount 3465

[pricefarm]

Looking at putting in a auto waterer in a my parents place where I have a few cows. I have a jug waterer at my other place and like it but they are pretty expensive. Southern states sells the mirafount water that are about half the price of the jugs. They keep in stock the mirafount 3465. They do not have heaters in them but the tell me that I want have to worry about them freezing up that they will be fine. I read the info about them online and they said that u must have a min of 20 cows drinking from them when the temp drops below 0 for multiple days in a row. I will only have around 10 cows some fall born calves drinking from it and might not have that many. So do y'all think that it will be ok or will it freeze up? We usaly don't get any multiple days of below 0 temps around here but have had several days where it hasn't got out of the teens.
I have around 30 or so cows drinking from my jug water and it has never froze but it also has a heater in but don't know if it really needs it.

 

[pricefarm]

Also can I add a heater to this model if I need to later? I could go ahead and run the electric line

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Also can I add a heater to this model if I need to later? I could go ahead and run the electric line

If you're gonna go to the trouble and expense to run the electric I'd go ahead and hook up a heater.

In answer to your question, I don't think it'll freeze anyway.

 

[muleskinner]

Mirafount waters with out heaters will freeze. We ran 50 head of yearlings on a Mirafount and it would still freeze up at least here in WV. We changed out to a Ritchie Water with a heater.

 

[AllForage]

Run electric and use a drop in heater. You should be fine.

 

[hoss_ross]

If you properly install the Miraco with a heat tube, you shouldn't need a heater unless you're in high elevations or farther north (SW VA is not high elevation). They come with instructions and, if followed, won't freeze if you have animals drinking out of them. 10 head should be fine, I know a guy in Kentucky that only had 10 drinking on a 3465 last winter when it was below 0 and his didn't freeze - BUT his are installed exactly how the instructions say.

 

[gwece]

I have had one of the 3465's for several years here in southern Illinois. If you put in the heat tube like they recommend, you shouldn't have any problems with the water freezing inside the tank in a moderate climate. They only problem I have had is the balls freezing to the top of tank from the cows standing there and letting the water drip from their mouths onto the balls when it is below zero and with strong winds. This doesn't happen often, but you still need to check on the waterer daily during prolonged weather of this type. I normally have around fifty head of cows & calves using my waterer.

 

[EJCB]

A little off topic but since you're looking at putting one in, I had trouble with one of mine overflowing at times because of grit from the well water getting in the little rubber stopper at the float valve. Once I put a water filter in, the problem was gone.