Fresh Water for Less Money (11/17/08)
We all recognize the need to keep our horses hydrated in the winter. This is made easier with electric stock tank water heaters, but they use quite a bit of electricity. My three hundred gallon tank has used a 1500 watt heater for several years. I kept a foam insulated cover over it to reduce radiation. It has a cutout for the horse to put his mouth through.

I heard that a hot tub cover works really well, so last year I tried one only to find out that my horses thought I'd given them a new toy. In a few days it was shredded. $35 was gone before I really knew if it was better than the foam cover.

This year the old 1500 watt heater failed, and a new one was not available right away, so I tried a 250 watt heater. It worked only to about 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Then I remembered the hot tub cover, but thinking of how to get it for less made me check Home Depot for something similar. There I found the silver Mylar bubble material in a roll 4 X 25 feet for $45. It was enough to make five covers.

This time around I put some scrap plywood over the bubble sheet to protect it from inquisitive horses. Then came the test, would it insulate well enough to keep the water thawed as the temperature dropped? So far at 10 below, the coldest so far this winter, it has succeeded. At 250 watts vs. 1500 watts, at $0.11 per kilowatt hour, it has already paid for its self. It would only take 23 days of continuous operation to pay back the $45. I’m not ready to guarantee it for 40 below, but so far its a good deal. Return to Bernie's Photos