Whose using a portable hot water heater for bathing horse?

[CindyCRNA]

My barn does not have hot water which makes me sad. I am looking at some camping models that use a propane tank like this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CJPU7ZQ/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza

Anyone else do this? I have 2 horses that will body clipped and working all winter and would like to have some bathing options.

[Scribbler]

Probably depends a lot on how quiet the heater is, and whether the hose is long enough the horse can be kept away from it. I’ve used heat-on-demand wall mounted water heaters with natural gas in England, and they hissed quite a bit. Also there might be fire safety issues from the barn’s point of view, if you end up storing propane at the barn.

As far as washing a horse in winter, even if you use warm water in the wash rack, you still end up with a horse that is wet all over and cold. I’d be disinclined to do a full body wash even with warm water in cooler temperatures. We do have hot tap water and I will sponge out mucky spots, then towel dry. For that you could bring a big thermos full of scalding water to mix with cold water in a bucket to make warm.

[DIR]

This maybe the non equine mark up version of what I have, but I got the insta hot power max for my barn as a “get me through one year until I can afford a real hot water heater and plumbing upgrades” and I honestly have no intention of changing. Payed for rough in of plumbing and electric for water heater when I built the barn, but for just me and two ridden horses the propane option has been great. I love one less thing to stress about when we travel in the winter (freezing if power fails) and the horses may end up shut in the barn due to weather (fire risk). Theoretically, I could take it with me to shows as well, but I confess I haven’t gotten that ambitious.

[luvmyhackney]

@DIR

This maybe the non equine mark up version of what I have, but I got the insta hot power max for my barn as a “get me through one year until I can afford a real hot water heater and plumbing upgrades” and I honestly have no intention of changing. Payed for rough in of plumbing and electric for water heater when I built the barn, but for just me and two ridden horses the propane option has been great. I love one less thing to stress about when we travel in the winter (freezing if power fails) and the horses may end up shut in the barn due to weather (fire risk). Theoretically, I could take it with me to shows as well, but I confess I haven’t gotten that ambitious.

I did the same thing when I boarded at a place without hot water. Worked great. Nice hot water and great for hand washing.

[CindyCRNA]

@Scribbler

Probably depends a lot on how quiet the heater is, and whether the hose is long enough the horse can be kept away from it. I’ve used heat-on-demand wall mounted water heaters with natural gas in England, and they hissed quite a bit. Also there might be fire safety issues from the barn’s point of view, if you end up storing propane at the barn.

As far as washing a horse in winter, even if you use warm water in the wash rack, you still end up with a horse that is wet all over and cold. I’d be disinclined to do a full body wash even with warm water in cooler temperatures. We do have hot tap water and I will sponge out mucky spots, then towel dry. For that you could bring a big thermos full of scalding water to mix with cold water in a bucket to make warm.

You made me think of something. I could probably get a lot done with a bucket of very warm water and some Vetrolin. I remember using an electric kettle abroad and was amazed at how fast they heated water. I just ordered 2- 1.7 liter electric kettles that will end up with roughly 3 1/2 liters of boiling water. Add some cold and I will have a bucket of hot water that at least will make a decent sponge bath.

[outerbanks77]

I have an InstaHot and have been pretty happy with it. The main drawback I’ve found is the pilot flame goes out frequently if it’s windy and your heater is in an unprotected area. One of my horses was a bit scared of the sound each time it would re-light, but he got used to it after a few uses. I keep it nearby when in use so that I can adjust it as needed. The mix of heat and water needed varies depending on the weather and temp of water coming out of the well. I have the smaller model with the cart. My trainer has the larger model, but I don’t really notice any difference between the two models in terms of functionality.

[Scribbler]

@CindyCRNA

You made me think of something. I could probably get a lot done with a bucket of very warm water and some Vetrolin. I remember using an electric kettle abroad and was amazed at how fast they heated water. I just ordered 2- 1.7 liter electric kettles that will end up with roughly 3 1/2 liters of boiling water. Add some cold and I will have a bucket of hot water that at least will make a decent sponge bath.

Electric kettles are great. It’s true they aren’t always readily available all over the USA not sure why. Get the kind where the base stays plugged in but you can lift off the kettle to go to it without having the cord hanging down. But on the other hand I do unplug after use as I had one Fritz out and start smoking not in use in my kitchen one night.

Good to know the propane water heaters work well!

[csaper58]

@CindyCRNA

You made me think of something. I could probably get a lot done with a bucket of very warm water and some Vetrolin. I remember using an electric kettle abroad and was amazed at how fast they heated water. I just ordered 2- 1.7 liter electric kettles that will end up with roughly 3 1/2 liters of boiling water. Add some cold and I will have a bucket of hot water that at least will make a decent sponge bath.

Yup, electric tea Kettle (with auto-shut off)

or for a 5 gallon bucket www.bigdweb.com item #582629. I used this with a timer so water was boiling hot when the ride was done. Unplug before putting your hands in the water. GFS outlet is best

There was a thread on steaming a horse’s coat instead of bathing. It works much better in the winter than bathing.

Bumped it for you. You were the last poster.

[CindyCRNA]

@csaper58

Yup, electric tea Kettle (with auto-shut off)

or for a 5 gallon bucket www.bigdweb.com item #582629. I used this with a timer so water was boiling hot when the ride was done. Unplug before putting your hands in the water. GFS outlet is best

There was a thread on steaming a horse’s coat instead of bathing. It works much better in the winter than bathing.

Bumped it for you. You were the last poster.

Holy crap, this one runs on 2-D batteries! https://www.bigdweb.com/product/portable+hot+water+horse+washer.do?sortby=bestSellers&refType=1&ecList=1&ecCategory=#customerReviews

Thanks for the link to the thread on steaming!

[CindyCRNA]

@Scribbler

Electric kettles are great. It’s true they aren’t always readily available all over the USA not sure why. Get the kind where the base stays plugged in but you can lift off the kettle to go to it without having the cord hanging down. But on the other hand I do unplug after use as I had one Fritz out and start smoking not in use in my kitchen one night.

Good to know the propane water heaters work well!

That’s the kind I got, one that separates from the base.

[the_other_mother]

Ive been using a propane hot water shower from Camping World for about 5 years and its great! I had to get a longer hose for the shower head but other than that, it was simple to set up and use and I loveLoveLOVE it!