The beautiful sight of liquid water for the horses greeted us this morning after days of sub-zero temperatures and one ominous GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) outlet repeatedly tripping off. (GFCI outlets prevent death by electrocution.) We had called for help when the GFCI acted up just days before the cold hit, but the cause was a mystery. We are so thankful for the repeated visits from Jerry at Gregory Electric, and a good idea from Gregg Doster to separate the fence charger from the water-heater supply. We don’t know why this worked, but it did. On the list: Replace this fence charger.
The worst temperatures came last night, but we stayed liquid! This waterer’s heat supply is my nemesis. The waterer itself (Ritchie) works like a champ, if everything stays liquid. If the waterer freezes, it can take hours in the cold with a heat gun or a week via nature and warmer temperatures to thaw.
One year, prairie dogs that had been displaced by the nearby new housing development moved over here and proceeded to eat through this waterer’s underground-rated electrical supply line. We replaced the line, the second time inside conduit, which was a big trenching, hand-digging job.
Also, the water lines to this waterer, which has no nearby windbreaks, are susceptible to freezing. We learned from the school of hard knocks to wrap all the farm’s outdoor supply pipes, faucets, and float-valve mechanisms (very carefully so the float isn’t weighed down) in heat tape.
Tip #1: The 500w water heaters sold for this purpose, above, only last about a year before they start shorting out and causing the GFCI outlet to trip off. True story: One woman walked into the local farm store recently carrying a tank heater she complained was shocking the horses. What she had in her hands was a potential electrocution device, not powered by a working GFCI outlet. If you put off replacement until the tank heater fails, plan on working with bare hands in sub-freezing weather. In winter, stores sell out of the most efficient tank heaters. Always keep at least one backup heater on hand.
Tip #2: Avoid filling 100-gallon tanks full when temperatures are in single digits. The 500w heater may not keep up. Plan ahead and top off tanks a few days before any major cold snap.
There are tank heaters that produce more than 500w, but we are just trying to keep the water liquid here, not warm. The higher the heat production, the more electricity you pay for. Also, avoid maxing out your electrical infrastructure with big new draws. We do not recommend this type of heater. Note to self: Monitor prices for solar inverter-generators as backups and a phased move away from traditional, high-priced energy suppliers.