Earth-Heated Livestock Waterer

Earth-Heated Livestock Waterer LIVESTOCK Beef 23-5-18 "Our new livestock waterer requires no outside heat but stays open all winter," say Richard and Jean Winebrenner about their "earth-heated" Cobett waterer. It consists of a plastic watering bucket that's partially buried below ground and is housed inside a 4-in. thick insulated donut-shaped housing that extends farther down into the ground. The housing rests on top of a ground heat tube that's located below the frost line. "It's simple to install and requires no concrete, no outside heat source, no covering over the water, and no minimum number of livestock to keep it working," says Richard. "We designed it for our own farm in 1993 and began to test market it in 1996. Farmers really like its design and performance. Since the water basket is suspended within the ground heat chamber, it's constantly warmed or cooled by underground temperatures. In the coldest weather, a layer of ice may develop on the water surface but you can quickly chip it open if needed. All the plumbing components will still be safe because they're within the ground heat chamber and protected from frigid air. "The system is easy to service. To clean the basket just lift it out, swish around some water, and empty it out." The waterer includes the ground heat tube and is available with a 5 or 18 gal. basket capacity. The 5-gal. model serves 30 to 35 beef cows and sells for $450 plus S&H. The 18-gal. model serves up to 100 beef cows and sells for $630 plus S&H. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Cobett Co., 2651 265th St., E. Peru, Iowa 50222 (ph 888 699-4722 or 515 728-4722; fax 4327).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.