How Livestock Waterers Work Without Electricity to Heat the Water
How livestock waterers work from Bar-Bar-A is like a frost-free hydrant but designed for animals. Pushing on the paddle the animal receives and drinks water. After finishing drinking the remaining water drains back into the ground leaving an empty bowl. This means that there is no water left behind to freeze in the winter, get hot in the summer, and grow algae or mosquito eggs. With no mosquito attraction, West Nile Virus and Zika Virus can be limited and the standing water which becomes the breeding ground for rodents, birds, and disease is not an issue.
How Livestock Waterers work as they are Self-Cleaning
With no standing water the opportunity for algae to grow is non-existent. This means there is no weekly cleaning associated with this product.
Water Temperature Just Right- All Year Long
In the summer the water comes up cooler and in the winter it is warmer because the water in the waterline is buried in the ground. Clean water at the right temperature is pleasing for animals to drink. This means more water consumption and results in healthier animals.
How Many Animals Need to Drink to Keep it From Freezing?
Unlike similar products the Bar-Bar-A does not need any animals drinking from it to keep it from freezing. The unit can handle just 1 animal or up to 25 head enjoying the fresh clean drinking water.
Physical Properties
All units are 5 feet in length and buried in the ground 3-3 ½ feet. At the base of the unit a water source is connected with the drinker’s waterline (1/2 inch polypipe). This is the coiled line that you see in the diagram below. The reason for the coiled line is so the inner workings can be pulled up to ground level for maintenance. The unit does not need to be dug up for service.
Training Animals to Drink
Training horses to drink from the livestock waterer is easy. After installation remove all other water sources. Lead your horse over to the unit and push on the paddle. Rub some water on the nose and then get out of the way. Horses are typically curious and it takes about an hour for them to figure it out. For cattle and other animals place a bucket of water next to the livestock waterer. This trains the animal to go to the drinker for water. After a few days remove the bucket from the area. It generally takes 6-12 hours for cattle and other animals to learn to use the drinker. For animals needing extra help the unit has a training mode that can be implemented for training purposes (in the warmer months). In training mode the water can be temporarily stopped from draining so there is always water in the bowl.
