recommendations on water bucket heaters please

[buzul]

i’m trying to ease the workload for the coming winter by keeping the outdoor water trough from freezing up .i will have to run an extension cord from the house to the paddock ,about 20 m ,to where the water tub stands,right behind the fence.worried that the horse might try and nibble at the cord…is there a safety feature to keep them from doing this ? what brands /types do you recommend ? also,any ideas how much this will raise my power bill per month /ballpark figure ?

thanks so much !

[blujen]

Part of it depends on what trough you are using (metal or rubbermaid) and tank size, and where you live. Here in Kansas, I need a heater that will work to about -10 on a regular basis. I have 100gallon rubbermaid troughs, and I use this heater.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HHO9LC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have pretty mouthy horses and haven’t had one play with the cord.

Just about every tank heater says not to use an extension cord with it, I don’t know if you can find one that says it’s okay. I do my best to just heat the trough right next to the barn so I can plug in directly. When I DO use an extension cord, I make sure to use at least a 12 guage if not a 10 guage extension cord. I also make sure I have a connector cover like this one.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036DEC0W/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Cost per month really varies, and i’m on a pretty expensive electric rate where I am - I would say on the really cold months it costs me about $30 a month to keep one running. Totally worth a dollar a day to me not to have to chop water 4-5 times a day.

[MrChunk]

I use this heater.
http://www.amazon.com/API-Universal-Drain-De-Icer-2002DP/dp/B000BD5E02/ref=sr_1_10?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1416427124&sr=1-10&keywords=stock+tank+heater

What I do to save electric costs is to turn the heater off at night when the horses are in the stalls. I have an extension cord with a GFCI that I click on and off. In the morning I’ll turn the heater back on and it doesn’t take long for the ice to start to melt.

[Jealoushe]

I did a couple posts on water heaters!’

http://fillysbestfriend.blogspot.ca/2013/11/farm-girl-fridays-4-water-heaters-pt-1.html

http://fillysbestfriend.blogspot.ca/2013/11/farm-girl-fridays-5-water-heaters-pt-2.html

[buzul]

AWESOME !!! sharing your experiences ,links and blogspots is much appreciated .learning a lot already