automatic waterer

[deerhunter]

how big of a pvc pipe do you need to run a water line up through for a automatic waterer to keep it from freezing? Also how well does this work.

 

[Jalopy]

Do you mean the outside riser pipe? the one that allows warm earth air up? Usually I use a minimum 12" with 3/4 inch water line. and it is at least 6 foot deep. But if it is not insulated the last foot coming from the ground it could still freeze also if you only have one or two head drinking it will freeze as you need the ground temperature water of about 38-40 degrees to keep it thawed. I am in central Iowa so your conditions may be even more severe. Good luck. Hope this helps.

 

[jfont]

Do you mean the outside riser pipe? the one that allows warm earth air up? Usually I use a minimum 12" with 3/4 inch water line. and it is at least 6 foot deep. But if it is not insulated the last foot coming from the ground it could still freeze also if you only have one or two head drinking it will freeze as you need the ground temperature water of about 38-40 degrees to keep it thawed. I am in central Iowa so your conditions may be even more severe. Good luck. Hope this helps.

Don't have much need for this down here, but I'm curious as to why you have to go that deep in the ground ?

 

[SRBeef]

Sorry I did not see your post sooner, hope it is not too late to help.

Also being in WI below is a picture of what I did and it went thru a very dificult winter (we hit about 30 below zero F as you may have also) without a freeze up.

There is a plastic culvert about 16 inch dia going down about 6 ft. The water line is 6-8 ft deep itself. and comes up a pc of 4" PVC. the vertical portion is wrapped also in a heat tape and insulation put in the top of the PVC. waterline and valve are also wrapped in insulation tape. The waterer is placed over it and sealed to the concrete base with a very good grade of roof flashing cement, lots of it to seal all air gaps. In the winter I also caulked around the access door.

This arrangement seals in heat from the ground 6 ft deep and also holds in heat from the underside of the concrete waterer. So far it seems to work very well all winter.

I will also attach a photo of the final installation. I hope this helps. In Wisconsin or further north, belt and suspenders is the best approach to installing a waterer. jmho.View attachment 1

 

[randiliana]

Do you mean the outside riser pipe? the one that allows warm earth air up? Usually I use a minimum 12" with 3/4 inch water line. and it is at least 6 foot deep. But if it is not insulated the last foot coming from the ground it could still freeze also if you only have one or two head drinking it will freeze as you need the ground temperature water of about 38-40 degrees to keep it thawed. I am in central Iowa so your conditions may be even more severe. Good luck. Hope this helps.

Don't have much need for this down here, but I'm curious as to why you have to go that deep in the ground ?

We have to go that deep or our underground water lines could freeze over the winter. The ground can freeze almost that deep. For us, we have to go 8 feet down.

 

[spoon]

Do you mean the outside riser pipe? the one that allows warm earth air up? Usually I use a minimum 12" with 3/4 inch water line. and it is at least 6 foot deep. But if it is not insulated the last foot coming from the ground it could still freeze also if you only have one or two head drinking it will freeze as you need the ground temperature water of about 38-40 degrees to keep it thawed. I am in central Iowa so your conditions may be even more severe. Good luck. Hope this helps.

Don't have much need for this down here, but I'm curious as to why you have to go that deep in the ground ?

We have to go that deep or our underground water lines could freeze over the winter. The ground can freeze almost that deep. For us, we have to go 8 feet down.

Wow, my water meter and line to my house are only 18 inches deep. Never had a freeze up problem. I never realized it got that cold that deep down up north. Explain to me again why y'all live there? J/K.

 

[Aaron]

Wow, my water meter and line to my house are only 18 inches deep. Never had a freeze up problem. I never realized it got that cold that deep down up north. Explain to me again why y'all live there? J/K.

It gives us a little shorter mosquito season. :cboy: Actually, we are into about day 2 of our mosquito season here. I imagine you have had them in Kentucky for a while now.

 

[1982vett]

It gives us a little shorter mosquito season. :cboy: Actually, we are into about day 2 of our mosquito season here. I imagine you have had them in Kentucky for a while now.

Now that you mentiond mosqiutos, I haven't really noticed a problem with them this year. If one could navigate the 10 - 30 mph winds, I don't think it could land and hold on. Might be keeping the fly, grasshopper and other creepy crawling bugs down low. Or maybe they are riding a tailwind north.

Most of my waterlines around here are about 12 inches deep. Some have been in the ground about 50 years. Try to get the new ones at least 18 - 24 just to keep from damaging them when it get muddy. The final run from a faucet to a waterer is a garden hose.

 

[spoon]

Wow, my water meter and line to my house are only 18 inches deep. Never had a freeze up problem. I never realized it got that cold that deep down up north. Explain to me again why y'all live there? J/K.

It gives us a little shorter mosquito season. :cboy: Actually, we are into about day 2 of our mosquito season here. I imagine you have had them in Kentucky for a while now.

Oh yeah. Plenty of little creeping, crawling and flying things around to annoy and bite you. But it's better than being frost bit.

 

[kerley]

Talking about creepy crawly bugs. Free range chickens will clean most of them out in a hurry. Tom :cboy:

 

[DiamondSCattleCo]

We have to go that deep or our underground water lines could freeze over the winter. The ground can freeze almost that deep. For us, we have to go 8 feet down.

Yep, most of the ground heat waterers around here go down at least 8 feet, if not 10. In a cold winter our frost line can go down 8 feet. I haven't put one in yet, but will be soon and I was told to use 24 inch pipe down 10 feet and a water line at least 1 inch in diameter.

Rod

 

[codymccue]

it's only cold in Sk. if you stop movin... ;-)