Not knowing where you are, or just how cold it gets and remains frigid, all i can do is tell you what i do. I run water in a constant stream via a long, downhill hose from the well spigot. It runs 24/7. I run it into a rubbermaid 40 gal tank that i’ve put by the creek, so it overflows into the creek, providing downstream warm water for the sheep and also my two bulls. Works for us. Do not know power usage cost for that, but well water is free at least. Also, the well pump is in constant use so there’s no off and on, which, i’m told, reduces wear and tear and actually prolongs it’s life.
It’s not good for a well pump to run continuously - they aren’t designed for that. I can’t imagine any setup where it’s ok to be constantly pulling from your water source and dumping it all down hill 
And, it’s not warm water - it’s ground temp at most.
@Dreamraiderr what you do depends on how cold you get and how long horses are in without anyone around.
see if any of these threads help
There are also lots of DIY insulated stock tank designs
Mine are plugged in full time. They have temp sensors that turn them on when the water gets cold enough, and off when warm enough. It’s less about heating the water, and more about keeping it above freezing. So, it’s not going to be on even on reasonably cold days if the sun is out and there’s thermal energy keeping the water warmer.
2 Likes
Sorry everyone! I am in Northern Ontario. Winters are -15-20c most of the time. getting to -30c or sometimes even -40c (with wind chill I think?).
Uhhh, move? 
Your outside tanks will really benefit from being insulated (see links above), and most of the top covered, even with a plug-in heater
3 Likes
Thank you for the thought 
unfortunately since I have no power, I have no running water. I am hauling it in on the truck. lol
We just had a thread where someone was talking about using a propane trough heater. Sounds like something you need! Let me see if I can find it…
Tada!
I will have to have a look. I was hoping to order something already made since I am very unskilled at DIY and I have zero time this winter between school, building the barn, and barn chores. Next winter will be fine but I don’t think they are hooking my power up until spring at this point. I moved the horses home to save 700 a month in board to put towards my barn but I thought of everything but the freezing water. Regrets. lol. Will have a look at those links now!
1 Like
Thanks!! Ill read that now!
I’ve been looking for a similar solution. My boyfriend’s new horse knocked over the heated auto waterer in their pen twice in one day. We thought he was just messing with it, but he drank 3 buckets of water when I set up another bucket. For some reason he doesn’t want to drink out of it. We checked it with a voltmeter and didn’t measure anything, so who knows why that is.
Check these out: http://www.ranchtanks.com/ I don’t want to spend that much money so I’m looking at DIY options.
Here’s a link with a bunch of ideas: https://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/WaterHeating/water_heating.htm#Animals
I have been looking at that site today too but it’s just so expensive. The only thing is that the brand one is rated to -25f I believe it was which is helpful for my winters while the homemade version people are saying under 10f they get ice. Not sure why the brand one is so much better but it sounds like it could be a stand alone solution for me while the homemade would still need heating. Hmm
They are definitely not cheap! I’m guessing the better performance has to do with the design and materials. Since it’s a hard plastic shell I bet they lose a lot less heat through random gaps that will show up no matter how well you make a DIY one. And the material is probably optimized to gather as much solar heat as possible, while a lot of the DIY options merely insulate the water. The DIY options with a solar collector (the window for the sun to shine through) might work a bit better but that adds complexity to the build. It also looks like they have a plastic cover that the horses push down with their nose which would help as well.
Maybe you could treat yourself to one of the premade ones? Think of it this way: you are saving $700 a month by having horses at home, so it would pay for itself in a month. Just a thought.
1 Like
I’m in Wisconsin with horses at home. Overnight lows can drop to -30F / -35C ambient (not including windchill) a few times a year. We built a DIY insulated box for our water tank with cover and ‘sleeve’ so only a very small amount of water was exposed to surface conditions. Even filling with ‘warm’ water 2x/day (warm = geothermal warm) we still needed a tank heater.
If you have no power, investigate the propane water heater, you will need it.
1 Like
Another option might be to install one of the non electric auto waterers? Like Drinking Post:
Not sure if trenching for that is any easier than trenching for power.
Ok this made me spit out my coffee… 
3 Likes
You will need to keep the water heated all the time in the trough or it will freeze solid pretty quickly at those temps and you will either 1. Not be able to get the ice out at all- OR- 2. You will come out to find the trough split down the side from the ice expanding as it freezes.
For your inside buckets you can just dump the water into your trough if you don’t want them heating all the time.
When I lived in MN I used the 16 gallon Allied Precision heated tub and it was quite economical running 24/7 . Better than a tank deicer and my 3 horses had water all the time. I just had to fill it 2x a day when I fed, but I don that anyways.
I worked at a boarding barn in MN who had an older barn that couldn’t handle the power needs for the horses to have water in the stalls in winter when brought in at night. Not my preference, but they made it through every winter with no colics. Amazing.
I have no idea about solar but I would try as hard as possible to get power. Can you run heavy duty extension cords in conduit from another source ( house) until you get power?
I am in MO now and I run my heated tubs ( i use 3 for various animal needs) on timers. That way they come on for a few hours at a time if needed. It saves me from them running when not really needed.
1 Like
OP, here’s a source for these in Ontario (System Equine). For Northern Ontario, they recommend a 9-10’ model as it needs to be installed below the frost line. No hydro required.
Unfortunately we have no power at the property since no power to run pumps. I haul it in on a truck. I love the look of those though.
No house yet. The whole property was just trees 2 months ago. Power company wont hook up till house is done and they just started it. Will be probably 3 months and then I can run extention chords. I spike to a solar company and we dont get enough sun here. I’d need a 12k system… yikes.
Plus I thought about how I could use it even when I have power if it works and it would save me money for its lifetime. It’s going to cost me about 1500 with shipping I think. Waiting on a quote.
I actually have an order for fencing coming from these guys. I’ll check if they have an option that doesnt hook up to water since I have no well or power yet ! Would be nice for future tho.
