"Earth Heat" Keeps Water From Freezing

"Earth Heat" Keeps Water From Freezing LIVESTOCK Feeding Equipment 27-1-11 Frozen livestock waterers haven't been a problem for Deerfield Colony, Louistown, Montana since the Hutterite Community started using the Thermo-Sink Livestock Watering System. The waterers use only heat from the earth to keep waterers from freezing. Deerfield Colony was one of the first cattle operations to install the waterers after they were developed several years ago. They worked so well the colony began selling them for the manufacturer. Eli Stahl, who oversees waterer sales for Deerfield Colony, says that even in the coldest winter in recent years, waterers sold to cattlemen in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, North Dakota and Montana remained ice-free. Since the Thermo-Sink waterer uses no electricity or other power, most people find they save hundreds of dollars a year in energy costs. The waterer consists of two lengths of heavy polyethylene pipe buried side-by-side vertically at a depth of 7 ft. Both pipes, which act as reservoirs, are well insulated with urethane. One is topped with a removable drinking bowl. The other is plumbed to the water pressure line and contains a float valve to control water flow into the system. Both vertical pipes are plumbed together at the bottom. Each holds 61 gallons as shipped. Warmer water rises to the surface while cooler water settles back to the bottom of the pipe, where it is warmed again. This creates enough circulation to keep water temperatures at the surface above freezing. The single bowl system handles up to 100 cattle. A double bowl waterer, with three vertical pipes in the ground, will easily handle 200 cattle. Stahl says the waterers work for cattle, sheep, horses, hogs, buffalo and any type of poultry. For areas with a warmer climate than the northern plains (and thus where frost doesn't go as deep during the winter), a Thermo-Sink waterer with shorter pipes is available. "To install the waterer, all you need is a backhoe and a waterline," Stahl says. "If the waterline is in and the hole is dug, it only takes about an hour to install the waterer." Price for the cold climate single waterer is about $900. The cold weather double waterer sells for $1,200. The warmer climate version is available as a double waterer only. It sells for $1,000. Stahl says volume discounts are available. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Thermo Sink Watering Systems, Eli Stahl, Deerfield Colony, Rt. 3, Box 140, Louistown, Montana 59457 (ph 406 538-7824).

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