# Automatic water drinkers - advice needed!!



## PuddingandPie (5 January 2012)

Have finally decided to take the plunge and change from two water buckets each to 12 horses, on metered water, to automatic drinkers but don't know where to start!

Can anybody advise on them?  I need to know whether to buy metal or double skin plastic ones, where to site the pipework, size of bowl, where to get them from, overhead water tanks or into mains, plastic or copper piping, how to stop the pipework being chewed, benefits, problems to consider, price to pay, plumber needed?... etc.

Anything at all!   Including pics of installions would be really gratefully appreciated.

Thank you and Happy New Year to you all!!


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## smiffyimp (5 January 2012)

Hi
We use these
http://www.molevalleyfarmers.com/mvf/store/products/galvanised-self-fill-drinking-bowl-25ltr

which are fine size wise and robust, but they are a pain to clean as there is no drain/plug at the bottom

Dont use metal piping its expensive and freezes quicker. Use plastic something like this
http://www.molevalleyfarmers.com/mv...e-medium-density-polyethylene-water-pipe-25mm

Keep pipework high so it cant be chewed run it down the corner of the stable to the bowl - ours have never been chewed and lagged where possible to prevent freezing (it will freeze in really cold temps, its inevitable). Ours run off the mains.

Cant comment on costs as my yards were done and my hubby would do anyway - its not really hard if you have a DIY other half. Your local hardware store will do all the piping and any equestrian supplier will do the bowls - but look for everything online, cheaper!


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## snoopyinfrance (5 January 2012)

I want to swap to automatic feeders and we've already got the pipework (its in the concrete and won't freeze either) but I've been told by people not to use it as you can't measure how much a horse drinks.  They're worried about colic.

Personally I don't think this is an issue as ours are mostly out and only come in for injury or overnight in the colder weather, but I thought I'd say it so that you can take it into account. 

Good luck...


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## kathantoinette (5 January 2012)

I have automatic drinkers.  I would suggest to get a big enough trough in the event that if something happens to the mains overnight it would ensure they have enough water until you get there in the morning.  My drinking troughs hold roughly the same amount of water as a large bucket.
Its a big difference in time not having to fill buckets.


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## eggs (5 January 2012)

We have large rectangular drinkers that hold approx 3 buckets of water. They also have a drain plug to make cleaning easy. Like others have said, we have plastic piping running down in a corner. When it is very cold they do freeze. We had a stopcock fitted to the pipe that feeds the drinkers so that in an emergency - burst pipe, etc - the water can be turned off. This proved very useful last year!

We've used automatic waterers for years nd never had a problem with colic.


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## PuddingandPie (5 January 2012)

Thanks for advice.  I looked up the mole valley link and noticed they have to be plumbed into a header tank which I don't have.  Mine would be into the mains.  Are double skinned plastic better or worse than galvanised/ enamelled?   Would it be better to get some with bungs screwed in underneath?  Cannot find any like this though!  

Sorry to keep asking!


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## KatieLovesJames (11 January 2012)

Sorry no help as I'm just about to install mine. I've bought the plastic ones with plug hole. 
Just wondered how often people clean theirs as I have been told they should be cleaned out every day. If this is the case I think it will be easier to have buckets! :-(


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## flyingfeet (11 January 2012)

I had both, but now I would always go for the small "push to drink" waterers. They are much cleaner and use less water. 

The only downside is that they do freeze, but I can cope with a bucket for a few weeks

You cannot make a horse drink more or less, so monitoring is not often that useful and you can normally spot an out of sorts horse before they stop drinking.


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## Baydale (11 January 2012)

We have auto drinkers and it always makes me do this  when people say about not being able to monitor how much they're drinking: I can tell by their droppings and by pinching their skin if they're at all dehydrated, so it's not rocket science. 

Ours did freeze last winter and it made me appreciate how labour-saving they are when I was refilling buckets for 11 horses last thing at night.  We have the old type metal bowls, cleaned out every day by a quick sponge of whatever's in there into a bucket - a two minute job. We have a "switch" (can't think of a more descriptive word for the bit of plastic that turns through 90 degrees to turn them on and off) on the pipe that feeds them. Ours are fed by a header tank. Hope that helps.


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## ofcourseyoucan (11 January 2012)

fantastic things! saves hours of time and water. i have the plastic bowl type. plastic pipes onto the mains which are lagged and covered in drainpipe to prevent any chewing. yes they will freeze if it stays below -4 for a good lenghth of time. mine are in a loop around the stable yard (yard is rectangular with stables on all 4 sides, so providing they keep slurping at regular intervals then the water keeps moving so doesnt freeze, BUT if i was installing again i would get the pipes fitted with electric tracing cable, then they would never freeze. last winter was exceptional, and lugging buckets for several weeks was a labour. you will get the odd horse that flatly refuses to drink out of them though. i have 1 that still needs to have a bucket!


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## kathantoinette (11 January 2012)

PuddingandPie said:



			Are double skinned plastic better or worse than galvanised/ enamelled?
		
Click to expand...

I presume the plastic will be alot cheaper than the galv/enamelled and will be just as hard wearing.  I think the one in my stable has been there for many years (for my OH's daughter's horses) before my horses moved in.


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