[QUOTE=allisontatman;8510736]
Do not like Ritchie’s, ours have frozen in Delaware despite using the pipes and covers etc they sell so they will not freeze. Luckily we can tun electric to them in the winters so they do not freeze. Unless you have a way to get electric to them, I would not use Ritchie.[/QUOTE]
If any one is silly enough to buy any kind of watering system without the means to heat it in a climate that has freezing weather – well, what I can say…
The Nelson water flow balancer is easily adjustable with a flat end screwdriver and some common sense, IME. Not a plumber myself but when the water flow gets kinky, which happens sometimes with changing seasons or in my case, massive settling of ditch dirt, have never had an issue fixing them myself. I am not exactly Ms Fix It either.
[QUOTE=fordtraktor;8511110]
The Nelson water flow balancer is easily adjustable with a flat end screwdriver and some common sense, IME. Not a plumber myself but when the water flow gets kinky, which happens sometimes with changing seasons or in my case, massive settling of ditch dirt, have never had an issue fixing them myself. I am not exactly Ms Fix It either.[/QUOTE]
We had a few we were able to fix before but this one turned out to need a new part entirely, I think the balancing weight? Something needed to be replaced, in the end. Several $$$ and a few plumbers later one of them figured it out, but it was hard because a lot of plumbers have never seen a Nelson before. Had Nelson been willing to give us some kind of guide/manual or troubleshoot on the phone it would have been a big help. They refused to do anything and were really, really unhelpful.
I am sorry you had that experience! I have found them really helpful in the past but maybe I got lucky to get such good service.
There are service manuals etc on their website.
[QUOTE=fordtraktor;8511139]
I am sorry you had that experience! I have found them really helpful in the past but maybe I got lucky to get such good service.
There are service manuals etc on their website.[/QUOTE]
I should also add, for the sake of fairness, that this was more than 8 years ago. So there’s probably way more info out there and perhaps their customer service has improved. But back them, we got the brushoff and there wasn’t anything online to show the plumber that was terribly helpful.
In good news… once it got fixed-- that and the other Nelsons are still going strong. And they must be 15+ years old now!!! So that’s a good sign. BUT OMG you have never seen flooding like when that thing broke. And the poor horse was IN the stall, just standing in the corner looking like he wanted to cry with water up his pasterns!
I’ve had great luck with my Nelsons, at three different farms over the past 27 years. They have been very responsive when I’ve needed a part or some help. Love 'em!
[QUOTE=vxf111;8511126]
We had a few we were able to fix before but this one turned out to need a new part entirely, I think the balancing weight? Something needed to be replaced, in the end. Several $$$ and a few plumbers later one of them figured it out, but it was hard because a lot of plumbers have never seen a Nelson before. Had Nelson been willing to give us some kind of guide/manual or troubleshoot on the phone it would have been a big help. They refused to do anything and were really, really unhelpful.[/QUOTE]
Not trying to be snarky but they must not of have been the sharpest tacks in the box. The beauty of Nelson is their simplistic rugged design. There’s not a lot going on pretty easy to figure out how they work without a manual IMO.
The Nelson Paddock waterier we have is going on 20 years old. It is the ONLY thing I have never had to fix, adjust etc on the farm.
When we lost power for over a week last year and temps didn’t get above 25 the whole time. When the power came on it did also. No leaks no issues.
Having one spring a leak in a stall would be a nightmare. If was winter and subfreezing it would be a major hassle.
I’ve had good luck with Nelsons also. I find them reliable and easy to deal with. Unlike gumtree, I did need the manual at first–which is easy to follow. It’s particularly important to follow the manufacturers installation instructions, which are not complex at all but do need to be followed.
Auto waterers are the best investment ever–they really pay off in terms of time/labor savings and equine health (constant supply of fresh water). Initial investment is not cheap, but well worth it.
It is always a good idea to install every waterer on a separate valve so you can shut it off with a twist of a wrist in case of emergency. $5 well spent. Hope I never use it, like knowing it is there.
Maybe they weren’t the world’s greatest plumbers but when you have standing water all over the stall floor and it’s a weekend— you take who you can get. It put a stall out of commission for a while troubleshooting and ordering the part. I’m a fan of companies that help you when their items break/malfunction— with or without a brilliant plumber available.
Ok I have returned to this since we are at the tail end of a huge blizzard.
I have to sing the praises of my Nelsons. Warmish water for horses. Non stop.
No breaking ice, hauling hoses through *ss deep snow.
Yes, I am concerned about losing power. For me that means no heat in my house or water (have my own well). So I filled a stock tank to the top, with a water heater, all covered by an old Rambo for insulation in case of loss of power.
The old days of busting ice, carrying water from the house or running hoses. Never again.
I cannot sing the praises of the Bar-Bar-A Horse Drinker enough. No electricity is the best part!!! Electric & Water don’t mix well.
The peace of mind they bring is priceless tho: nothing frozen, water stays the same temp, no bowl to dump, etc. etc.
Best money I’ve ever spent.
Bar Bar A user here, love them! Great product and great company. If you have any questions or problems they are happy to help! Horses love them too. The horses will walk away from the Nelson type bowl waterer (not a nelson but can’t remember the brand) and go to the Bar Bar A for fresh cool water. No regrets. We installed them ourselves. Hubby did install valves on our water lines so we can turn them off by the barn if needed. We put them in fence lines so the horses can drink from either side to reduce the number needed. We have three.
[QUOTE=diceuf;8510389]
My barn builder installed 3 Bar-Bar-A waterers in my barn and pasture. They were easy to install. No electric, they never freeze and it’s always fresh water. I’ll be moving my horses in soon and I can’t wait to be free of water buckets![/QUOTE]
Same here. We have a Bar Bar A. LOVE it. Took a day or 2 for horses to figure out how to press the paddle. Mine have NEVER frozen. No electric needed.
Just throwing this question out here… does anyone have horses wearing grazing muzzles in the summer that can use an automatic waterer?
That’s the reason I haven’t installed auto-waterers, although I would LOVE to.
Yes, my horses in grazing muzzles use my Nelsons just fine. You would probably want the larger size bowls if your horses wear larger than “horse” size Best Friends muzzles. Those will fit but anything bigger would probably be too tight in the standard size. The cobs fit easily and the horses fit fine but there isn’t a TON of leeway.
[QUOTE=fordtraktor;8515392]
Yes, my horses in grazing muzzles use my Nelsons just fine. You would probably want the larger size bowls if your horses wear larger than “horse” size Best Friends muzzles. Those will fit but anything bigger would probably be too tight in the standard size. The cobs fit easily and the horses fit fine but there isn’t a TON of leeway.[/QUOTE]
Good to know! Thanks. And there’s nothing in the waterer that a muzzle could get hung up on? They wear Greenguard muzzles and breakaway halters of course, but I’m picturing some component getting caught, pulling off, and water spraying everywhere in the pasture. I’m going to have to seriously look into this as a spring/summer project.
[QUOTE=LadyBug;8515816]
Good to know! Thanks. And there’s nothing in the waterer that a muzzle could get hung up on? They wear Greenguard muzzles and breakaway halters of course, but I’m picturing some component getting caught, pulling off, and water spraying everywhere in the pasture. I’m going to have to seriously look into this as a spring/summer project.[/QUOTE]
This is pretty belated so maybe you have answered this for yourself by now, but I just installed a Nelson and a Bar Bar A. My horse is able to drink from the Nelson with his Greenguard on, but I did get the larger model (760). The 730 would be too small. It’s a tightish fit but he didn’t hesitate, and there is nothing significant for the muzzle to catch on. Just the sides of the aluminum cover that rims the top of the drinking bowl. To be honest I was not even expecting that because the photos on their website make the whole drinking bowl look like one smooth part. I was a little nervous about it but so far so good.
If you want something super roomy for the muzzle, look into Varnans. My friend has them and they have very large and completely smooth drinking areas. She’s happy with them so far.
I live in central Ky - we have had this for 13 years - still going strong.
https://www.southernstates.com/catalog/p-4278-behlen-ahw80-automatic-heated-waterer.aspx
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