Water is HARD!

Have you thought of insulating the water truck tank with spray foam to reduce the amount of power required to keep the water above freezing?

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

That's about as low energy as you can get.
Heating is very inefficient.

Is there any way to insult the tanks?
Spray on expanding foam for example.
The energy use would be much lower then.

a reply to: Bigburgh

In my opinion your dad is pretty funny .

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

You could try making a geothermal looping system. I forget how many feet you would need to go down, but I think its only 30-35'.

originally posted by: Bluntone22
a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

That's about as low energy as you can get.
Heating is very inefficient.

Is there any way to insult the tanks?
Spray on expanding foam for example.
The energy use would be much lower then.

I don't think you want to insult the tanks, dude. He's having enough issues already XD

a reply to: Nyiah

But it was a bad boy....

Stupid auto correct...lol

originally posted by: Fallingdown
a reply to: Bigburgh

In my opinion your dad is pretty funny .

This SOB


Told me once that the reason the rocks slide across the desert floor in Death Valley is because Santa Claus sent the Elves on vacation during the summer to Death Valley. The elves spent their time levitating and pushing rocks across the desert floor. And they had knowledge of Hydrodynamics and why that was need to know info...

Oh he was and still is funny😆

a reply to: Bigburgh

That’s just mean. Everybody knows it had nothing to do with Santa or elves .

Rudolph was behind that conspiracy .

a reply to: Fallingdown

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

After it is full put that tanker in a barn, it might not freeze unless it is super cold.

Up here half the winter, the cattle just eat mostly snow with their hay outside. They do go into the barn sometimes when it is really cold but mostly they like to be outside most of the day. I don't know why they like being out in the cold, I guess they don't like the smell of all the cows farting in the barn or something.

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
a reply to: Mandroid7

Different principle. Bubblers use thermal heat from the ground to pump warmer water near the bottom of a lake or pond to the top.

A tank of water is different. It doesn't have the thermal mass of the earth working to keep it warm at the lower depths.

No, not the dock"bubblers" that are just propellers and a motor to move water up.

Actual bubblers using compressed air.

Here's a video of a really low powered setup.

It works by keeping it moving.

Worth a look anyway, you can get some really low draw air pumps, maybe combo it up with one of those heater rods.

I might find 2 troughs, one slightly bigger, suspend the small one inside, flush tops, then pour in a 2 part foam between them. Make a frikin yeti trough.

Good luck

I can only think of using an electric current to split some of the water into oxygen and hydrogen, then recombining those slowly to generate enough heat that would stop the rest of the water from freezing. Probably more of a theoretical science experiment than anything practical.

Your post made me laugh this morning. Thanks for making my morning a little brighter.

I was just complaining last night about how hard it is too keep up with my Huskies demand for water. Huskies drink more water than your average dog and I have five of them. Don't ask.

Trying to keep them with clean water is a bit of a chore for an old lady, but your post has reminded me that I should stop complaining and count my blessings.

Just keep the water moving, water can be below freezing point, as long as it’s in motion...
So I’m thinking giant cement mixer that moves slowly all night...

Just spitballing here

Or ... giant mixing arm in the center of the tank that rotates slowly like a giant mixing tank

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I would recommend investing in digging additional wells closer to the areas that require water, or running pipelines, getting rid of the need for trucks. You’ll need a shed to house the goods which would require power, depending on your locale a solar panel, inverter & battery system. The with a simple PLC and system of switches, sensors, and valves you can automate a big chunk of this process. Especially if you’re just topping off the water, not emptying and cleaning daily. A sensor that works much like the float in your toilet tank to refill the water at a scheduled time, or keep it topped off constantly. A small water heater and circulation system to prevent freezing in winter. These things would require maintenance and upkeep but might be better than hauling water out in the cold.

a reply to: gr8skott

Yeah, we actually do heat the tanks (both immersion and floating) so that's not really the issue. It's more getting water to the tanks which is the issue.

Even with heating the tanks though, you still get ice, which you have to bust out regularly. Otherwise there's less capacity in the tanks for non-frozen water...and cows won't eat ice.

It's not an impossible issue, it just hard (as noted in the OP title), hence the rant.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I take it that ram pump systems would not be any use to you in such a scenario?

If so, thats a bummer, because they take an awful lot of the logistics work out of the equation, if applied correctly.

a reply to: Bigburgh
Tell your dad I'll have some of the belly.
In answer to rickymouse, the cows like to be outside because inside they are too hot. you must realise that they have their own leather coats on all the while. It's like these people that keep their dogs indoors. For gods sake they have their own inbuilt fur coats. How would you like to sit around in a heated room wearing a fur coat?
Water is hard if you fall from a height water has the consistency as concrete.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Water is about 8.3 lbs a gallon, not 10 - but I know what you mean!
I've got a pair of 275 gallon tanks and they take forEVER to fill with the garden hose.

How cold does it get there before the wind chill?
Up in these parts you'd never get away with it, but in some places you can just leave the water running a bit to keep it from freezing. With the volume you go through you'd never noticed the increased electric bill.

If you're trucking water for miles, you might consider having more wells dug