# Solar stock tank de-icers???



## M88A1

I'm looking for ways to not break ice in the 400 gal stock tank this winter. So far I plan on building a super insulated box around my stock tank. My question to all...does anyone have experience with using a solar pump to keep the water moving or a solar aerator to keep the water moving????


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## wy_white_wolf

Have you visited Solar Gary's site yet?

http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/WaterHeating/water_heating.htm#Animals 

I know he has at least 1 link on using a bubbler.

WWW


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## Gray Wolf

I thought about these things but wondered what happens if the sun doesn't shine for a week or so in the winter.


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## deadtreejeff

I've been building these things for 6 or 7 years now, mostly for my horses but have sold a few too. We live at 5000 ft. in western Colorado, winter temps here sometimes reach 20 degrees for the high, as long as I keep your trough full , the only part that will freeze is the opening where the horses drink from. They don't have any problem pushing the big ice puck back into the covered area in the trough, and by the time it floats back it has usually melted to half size. As long as our cloud cover isn't too dense, the UV rays from the sun usually keep my water temp at least in the low forties. I've built 15 or so and have made improvements as I figure out my heat loss areas. A bonus that I have found about these is that they will also keep the tanks much cooler in the summer, saving water from evaporating so fast and growing the green slime, less cleaning and filling.
I build them with 2x4 framing, insulate sides and floor with r-19 fiberglass, then 2 inch dense foam. The top is plywood with 2 inch foam. For the glass I use the clear corrugated plastic roof stuff inside and out and use the foam strips that go with it for a good airtight seal. I started putting a floater in the trough, cut to fit pretty close to the sides to keep the cold air off the water surface, and stuff the the void between the round ends of the trough and the corners of the box with fiberglass too. I thought about spray foam, but if you really want to clean your trough out good it has to be taken out.


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## deadtreejeff

I can post some pics if you request


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## deadtreejeff

I'm not sure if this will work, but I'll try to attach pic


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## wy_white_wolf

Gray Wolf said:


> I thought about these things but wondered what happens if the sun doesn't shine for a week or so in the winter.


The water freezes like none solar ones. 

Question is would you rather go break ice everyday or only after a long cloudy spell?

WWW


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## farminghandyman

this worked reasonable for me last year,

(no it was not solar but I think it could be adapted)

I took a small fractional HP sump pump and bent a pipe with holes in it and let it run, ( I did have it on a thermostat that would shut off at 40F and on at 35) open 8' tire tank, where the holes in the pipe, (on the bottom of the tank )were the water stayed open and the float ice free, 98% of the time 

a few years before I did dig down and put a culvert in (on end in the center of the tank), and in to the earth and then covered, so a little earth heat is added to the water, via the culvert, trying to cut the power used to keep it open,

I have tried bubblers and the do work to some extent, but they still iced over or the bubbles would ice over, some amazing ice sculptures, were made most were thin but the pump worked much better,

but a small fractional pump on the bottom moving water up in various locations may keep holes open, Which I think would be able to do via solar, and a over night battery,

I did see some designs that were basically a man made mound with the majority of the tank buried with just a small drinking area exposed and that was said to work well, http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPrinterFriendlyPub.aspx?P=G1161


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## LadyHawk77

I have looked long and hard for a 12v stock tank or even a bird bath heater for my chickens during the winter. Not an easy find. I am considering wrapping the tank in 12v engine block heat tape.


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## deadtreejeff

Some more pics


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## SolarGary

Hi,
Nice job on the tank.

I like the idea of the drinking opening on one end, and the sheet of insulation under the lid. It looks like the insulation sheet stays up at the level of the lid -- have you tried cutting it a bit smaller and letting it float on the water surface?

If it worked, this would keep the cold air from circulating between the insulation and the water surface.

Gary


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## deadtreejeff

It does float, it just needs trimmed down a tiny bit because it gets stuck on the rim when I fill the tank too full, got my ideas from your site and mother earth news years ago and have been changing things a little bit every time I build a new one. I tried the tarp boot around the hole, looked like a good addition but the horses pulled it out, I'm going to try a 20 inch piece of plastic pipe with holes in the sides, thanks Gary for all the great info, saves a lot of water and work in the winter and really keeps the algae growth to a minimum in the summer.


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## SolarGary

Hi Jeff,
Would love to put pictures and description of your latest tank up on the site.

[email protected]


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## deadtreejeff

Ya sure, you can put them on your site, I'll post more pics when I get the pipe in the drinking hole and let you know how that works out, not down to that cold of temps yet here


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## fishhead

LadyHawk77 said:


> I have looked long and hard for a 12v stock tank or even a bird bath heater for my chickens during the winter. Not an easy find. I am considering wrapping the tank in 12v engine block heat tape.


You'll need 110 volt power but you can buy a heater that you put underneath your waterer or you can make one cheaper. Take something like a cookie tin and put a 40 watt light bulb inside. Then set your waterer on top of it. Your state isn't listed but we used it in MN back when our winters were really cold and it worked.


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## Jim-mi

12 or 24 volt DC water heaters are readily available ....... 

Far safer for your live stock than 120ac..........


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## M88A1

OK.....I want to report what I have learned.

Fall of 2013 I installed a solar de-icer which amounted to a solar panel, air pump, hose and a bubbler that went into the tank. This failed miserably. The only thing I could think of to make it work would be to have 15 solar panels. Water troughs were froze up all winter long. Cost of kit $350.00

Fall of 2014 I ran underground power cable into my pasture, set up small circuit breaker box with 2 outlets each one on 20Amp circuits. Plugged in 1 AC stock tank heater that mount in the drain hole. We never had one issue with frozen water at all. Has anyone ever had an animal die from AC stock tank heaters? Cost for 2 stock tank heaters $80.00


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