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Post by horsefeed on Jan 4, 2009 11:53:21 GMT 1
Help, I need some ideas urgently.
It must have been -10 last night but my water trough has frozen solid, the tap is frozen so I can't empty ice out and refill it.
I have no electric so can't use heat lamps or anything like that.
I have 1 25l water container which I've filled but isn't going to go very far.
Any ideas how I can dethraw it?
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Post by mandal on Jan 4, 2009 12:00:47 GMT 1
Oh heck...is it solid to the base? I've no idea I'm afraid except more tempory containers.  |
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Post by julz on Jan 4, 2009 12:01:12 GMT 1
pour boiling water in it?
incase it gets low again (temp i mean) keep your taps/hoses on trickle all night, running water doesnt freeze (unless it;s really low) ice in a hosepipe can cause it to crack, as water expands as it freezes, so if you have a hosepipe, either keep the tap on, or take the hose off, and still keep the tap on... make sure the tap/hose is directed to a drain, otherwise you may end up with an unwanted ice rink.
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Post by donnalex on Jan 4, 2009 12:05:00 GMT 1
Gas camping rings?
You can buy them quite cheaply.
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Post by Zoe RA on Jan 4, 2009 12:10:17 GMT 1
In my years as a shepherd and cowman, we used to light a small fire under water pipe at the back of the frozen troughs that were up on the hills. But this obviously only works if you have no plastic components in the trough, and I accept no liability if you try it and it blows up or something  ;D
The other thing that I have done very regularly is to pour boiling water over a tap, but that will obviously only work if you are close enough to home to keep the water hot in a Thermos for long enough.
It's a nightmare isn't it 
Edited to add that is is vital to clear all the ice from the ball "%£@^" once you have thawed the water pipe. Otherwise the ice will hold the ball "%£@^" down and you will flood big time!
Stupid censor  The word is Ball C0CK, alright  Nowplease alow me to use the English language Lol 
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Post by mandal on Jan 4, 2009 12:11:31 GMT 1
At one place we had a huge trough which never froze solid but the horses used to keep a couple of holes open...it seemed by putting their muzzles on the ice and letting the warmth from them melt the ice. Awwwww.
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Post by horsefeed on Jan 4, 2009 12:30:47 GMT 1
The trough is just a metal trough and the I have a hose and tape separate so the plan is to build a fire next to trough I think and hopefully it will melt enough. I will then have to container enough water up there to fill it up.
BF is in the middle of trying to make someway of dropping a glow plug in the water running of a car battery to stop it doing it again tonight.
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Post by jill on Jan 4, 2009 12:40:50 GMT 1
Get a plastic bag full of muck out of the centre of the muck heap where it is steaming and use it like one of those wheat bags you heat in the microwave. Pack it around the pipes to warm and insulate, and wrap the taps in bubblewrap (thanks Barbararob, works well). Keep a container like a plastic dustbin filled up once you have thatwed it all out so that in the event you can't thaw them, you do have water.
All this takes me back years, we haven't had conditions like this for this long for many a year. My field troughs have dried up, the pipes must be frozen, so I concentrate on one tap in the yard and fill a tub for the field horses, then one for each stabled horse. I do have elctric so keep the kettle full just to give the bubblewrap a helping hand, I did wonder about taking a hairdryer there?
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Post by marianne on Jan 4, 2009 12:45:54 GMT 1
You have my sympathies ... I PRAY the temperature goes above freezing long enough each day for the pipes to thaw and for me to refill water buckets (well, ok, dustbins). Otherwise it's 10-12 trips up and down with the wheelbarrow and water jerricans :-(
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Post by horsefeed on Jan 4, 2009 13:01:00 GMT 1
I did have dustbin full of water but my tape has been frozen for over a week so all has been used up, the trough is full of ice of hoping a fire next to it will thraw it out.
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Post by Furiey on Jan 4, 2009 13:36:42 GMT 1
I keep a football in the trough and Bailey knows to move it to get a place to drink. If you use an open flame be careful, don't emulate the man in the US who used a blow torch to melt the ice on his porch and burnt his house down...
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Post by Karon on Jan 4, 2009 14:29:55 GMT 1
Buy more water containers and take it from home - that's what I'm doing  The only problem with this weather - I love it like this apart from the solid water in the troughs! |
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Post by jill on Jan 4, 2009 14:57:08 GMT 1
And don't forget to leave a shallow container of water for the birds!
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HFM
Olympic Poster
Posts: 853
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Post by HFM on Jan 4, 2009 18:57:39 GMT 1
have you managed to get it thawed? i Have just spent what feels like hours boiling our (very small, slow and decrepit) kettle enough to thaw the pipes and lag them with bubble wrap and old towels. We then had to defrost some 'No-Bite' as my friends shetland was doing his best to unravel it all!  The Joys of winter! |
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Post by barbararob on Jan 4, 2009 19:12:18 GMT 1
A blow torch from a diy shop may be handy, be careful though
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;D 
The only problem with this weather - I love it like this apart from the solid water in the troughs!
