Does anyone make insulated buckets?

[Ridge_Runner]

@jn4jenny;5284092

2. Use duct tape to wrap bubble wrap and/or insulation and/or closed cell foam around your existing bucket. Consider combining this with the above solution.

3. Buy a Coleman cooler and put it in the corner of your horse’s stall. For added insulation, COTH member Daydream Believer recommends going to the hardware store and buying a square of insulation foam (thicker and heavier than regular styrofoam). Have it cut slightly smaller than the opening of the cooler. The horse will learn to dunk the insulation to reach the water.

Thanks for passing on what I know I’ve posted several times before. The “cooler” water bucket works really well if you use the styrofoam float on top. I kept my horse’s water open down to 0F overnight with that rig when I lived in NY. I did use warm water in it at night to make it last longer.

A word of warning…if it does freeze…be gentle breaking the ice loose…the styrofoam will shatter easily. I preferred to use more warm water if it froze over.

I have also insulated 30 gallon trash cans using hot water heater insulation and bubble wrap…tape it well to keep it on the tub. I also used a styrofoam float on that. Worked like a champ.

I’m about to try this on my stock tanks as soon as the weather breaks a bit and I have a bit of time here on the farm to do it.

[artisticgold]

I’ve had the insulated buckets posted first, have had them for years. They are indestructible, you can swap any 5 gallon bucket into it, and they keep the bucket from getting ice, and the plastic floating lid keeps ice from forming on top. They are great, and no worry of electrical fire…

[msj]

I bought these when I built my barn 21 yrs ago. I’m in western NY where our temps will go down to the low teens, single digits and into the minus range at night. Only about once or twice a winter have these frozen up on me and my barn is a VERY COLD barn.

First off the barn/indoor is metal and we all know metal barns keep the heat in in the summer and the cold in in the winter so to say.:lol: Also, the barn portion is 1 story of 100’ x 24’ with 4 stalls, a feed room, tack room and extra storage/bathroom and the rest open for hay and shaving storage. In other words, not a whole lot of warmth given off by the only 2 horses in the barn.

Secondly, unless it’s really snowing hard and the wind really blowing, my horses stalls are open 24/7 to the sacrifice paddocks. Now, I do give fresh WARM water twice/day and refill with well water (temp ~ 55 F) that has sat near the heater in the tack room which is kept at 50 F.

Thirdly, I still have the same 4 buckets I started with back then so they do last and are well worth the money.

http://www.countrymfg.com/thermo_bucket.htm

[wsmoak]

I tried option 1 in jn4jenny’s first post:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10803470@N00/5277456106/in/set-72157624790649688/

It froze (high 20’s) the night before last, and this bucket had no ice, while the one hanging on the wall had formed a ring of ice by morning.

Both had been topped off with hot tap water the night before.

Hopefully this will make Murphy’s Law kick into action, and we will not have any more 18 degree mornings for a while!