I need advice on unfrezing my water trough in Alabama

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Alabama - the heat tapes work great - if you have electricity & if your cattle won't be eating them.
We use a propane torch to thaw out metal pipes. Also, you can use the exhaust from your truck, rig up a flexible hose onto your exhaust & blow it on the frozen pipes.
If possible, everything needs to be drained after filling tanks.
Of course, we up North have all lines 4' underground, with frost free hydrants, or MiraFount type waterers, or intank heaters (we prefer the ones that you put in near the bottom of the tanks thru the drain holes.) Heaters are thermastatically controlled, so they don't run 24/7.
Not fun when you are not set up for COLD.

 

[alabama]

Alabama - the heat tapes work great - if you have electricity & if your cattle won't be eating them.
We use a propane torch to thaw out metal pipes. Also, you can use the exhaust from your truck, rig up a flexible hose onto your exhaust & blow it on the frozen pipes.
If possible, everything needs to be drained after filling tanks.
Of course, we up North have all lines 4' underground, with frost free hydrants, or MiraFount type waterers, or intank heaters (we prefer the ones that you put in near the bottom of the tanks thru the drain holes.) Heaters are thermastatically controlled, so they don't run 24/7.
Not fun when you are not set up for COLD.

Hay thanks for the help. I had not thought about the truck exhaust I will give it a try and I think I have a pice of dryer hose in the barn.
I did use a propane heater the last two days. It just attaches to the top of a 20 pound tank. It melted the pipes enough to get the water running again. We don't have any electricity close to the pin so all the heat tape stuff won't work.
I have been dipping out the ice with a yard broom that seems to work if the pices are small enough.
The cattle seem to like the cold dry weather.

 

[1982vett]

Noontime: We just dropped to 30f. Guess it is downhill from here. No precipitation (I wasn't expecting any) but the wind is still blowing 20 mph.