(Equine Portable Washing system?)
just looking for feedback from those who have bought one/have experience using one?
TIA
bump…(because, wow…really? no one?)
TIA
I actually have one and never used it.I’ve had it a few yrs.It’s in my basement…I guess I should try it out!
takes a while to heat up, only produces …BARELY enough water to do one horse and hope they like a cold finish…I heat a seperate bucket full w/ the sit in bucket heater to pour over as final rinse. Just flat out no big enough or produce enough water in a timely fashion for the cost.
Shalom…if you ever get it out and try it, do post back! Would love to know! (but I am suprised(!) you’ve had one that long…the equine catlog/ads I’ve seen keep acclaiming that this is 'NEW!"…so I didn’t know they’d been around that long.
BRPony: 
So dissapointing to read this. I thought(?) they’d be different than the electric ‘Hott Wash’…since the water flow is ‘continuous’ and wasn’t a resevoir amount…May I ask how long you’ve had yours? Is it the same brand/type I"m looking at?
TIA
I bought the Insta-Hot a few weeks ago and finally got it up and running. My big slow up was figuring out how to leave it in the barn without it freezing up. (solved that by putting it in the wooden box lined with builders foam that I had the electric heater in and adding a 60 watt bulb) I think I’m going to like it but it’s not a neat as I thought it would be. I have to turn the gas all the way up and the water halfway down to get water warm enough to put my hands in comfortably. At this setting the water comes out very slowly. I have a paper filter on the line for the chunks of iron I get in my well water so this may be slowing things down. That said, I can get bucket after bucket of warm water for my guys. With the electric heater (I have the 4 gal size) I’d get one really hot buck and one slightly warm bucket and that was all until it heated up again. Plus my electric bill was sky high.
I’m only filling 4-5 buckets at night. I’m not sure how much gas it would use if you had lots of bucket to fill.
BLESS YA Bz’s mom!!!
Finally (!) hearing from someone!
Ok…so, as I imagined…the ‘continual’ hot water isn’t the problem (as in, with the Hott Wash/resevoir type) its the fact that, in very cold weather/water temps you need to run it through more slowly and with less pressure in order to get it close to warm.
Honestly? I can see that I could indeed want to use it for such a thing in bitter, bitter temps…but, I intend to have heated buckets (or use the bucket cozys!) in stalls /turnout for that scenario. (frost free spigot in barn)…how long are you finding it takes you to fill the 4/5 buckets? (As in how long are you running the propane?)
I was looking for an outdoor washrack set up for giving baths with warm water. And, as I would almost NEVER do so in freezing temperatures, I’m thinking from your explanation that this idea might work fine.
May I ask (?) how you have yours in use ‘in your barn’ as I was understanding that these are always working outside of a barn because of the propane. (Or is yours not propane?)
And, can you tell me, ‘what’ area was ‘freezing up’…are you meaning the water into/out of as in the hose areas?
sorry, but I’m just thrilled to get to speak with someone who’s used one!!
I wrote a long reply, ayrabz but my computer ate it before I got it sent. Have to run now, but I’ll try again later.
Insta-hot portable washing system
Did anyone actually use this system for outdoor wash racks? I don’t need piping hot water…just enough to warm up the cold water hose a little when I am cooling or washing my horse off outside in the summer.
Can it maintain water to remain warm enough for a full shampoo and rinse of a large horse?
Does anyone have experience using this “equine portable washing system” model which costs about $160.00?
Thanks, Paula L-D
2 thumbs up!
AWESOME!!! My husband talked me into buying one at this years Scottsdale Arabian Show. I had heard fairly negative things about “Hott wash” and was very skeptical. The rep there had one hooked up outside of Schneiders. He ran the water for about 10 minutes straight (it was hot) until I finally told him to stop.
Of course here in AZ, I have zero problems with any type of freezing, so I can really only comment on fairly warm weather use. I was using it in about 60 degree weather and had the gas only about 1/2 way up. We always have problems with pressure, so that’s a complaint, but I’m pretty sure it’s the water company out here and not the unit itself.
I use it to wash the horses and it’s especially convenient for the dogs too. I really like it and would definitely recommend it!
They had one hooked up for free use for the exhibitors and the last day of the show I saw some of the Arab barns buying 4 and 5 units at a time at Schneiders. So my guess is that it worked well for them too.
Bumping this up to see if anyone else has one and what they think.
Timely thread. I’ve been looking for something like this for years for my outdoor wash rack.
My tack room is not heated or insulated well enough to keep a regular hot water heater functional during our long, cold winters, and draining it every fall would be a pain. Plus I like the idea of something portable.
So this sounds interesting. I would be using it for baths in the spring,summer, fall, not for heated drinking water.
Also might try posting this on the Off Course or Horse Care forum(s) – might get more response.
BO has told me to go ahead and order one. I’ll report back once we get it up and running.
Skky – that would be great! Can’t wait for a full review.
And you have no problems with GAS in your barn…I want a new hot water heater and it will be elctric.
just the thougth of gas with a pilot in a barn setting sends shivers…and I would have to ask my insurance underwriter how they feel about that as well.
My understanding is there is no pilot in these systems – they work off those portable propane tanks and don’t have an open flame unless they are in use.
Am I thinking of a different system?
Skyy: had a chance to use it? Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!:winkgrin::winkgrin::winkgrin:
Judy: not sure? how I’d feel about it ‘inside’ a barn…I guess it would depend on how the barn was finished off, and the area? Of course, you could always ‘store’ it somewhere else, and use the dolly/rolling rack to bring in to use, I guess…as you can see from these pix
http://s594.photobucket.com/albums/tt25/ayrabz/Farmette%20Completion%20Sep%2009/?albumview=slideshow
in my case (washrack area pix mid way - end) it wouldn’t ‘be’ inside…my washrack is on an outside barn wall.
