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southern MN | Been 15 degree highs, single digit lows the past 2 days, mine has been open. Earlier in the week with a strong wind and 5 degrees colder it was froze over I had to poke the ice open.
When they upgraded my well they went from 50# pressure switch to a 60# pressure switch. My waterer is 20 feet downhill from my well output. This put too much pressure on the float. Even after putting a pressure reducer under it, I have a difficult time keeping the water from the rim over a long day if the cattle are out grazing the stalks. And so mine will freeze over easier than it used to - with the water getting too high. I should fiddle with it more, but when it’s 10 degrees out I don’t want to mess with it, and when it’s 50 degrees out I don’t remember there is a problem….
I have the 3 section deep tube. Installed it myself. A bit of water will settle in the hole on mine, none of my farm ever drains well at 8 feet deep…. In spring snow melt I can have the hole over half full of melt ground water but it’s warm enough not to bother. If it were practical to solve this mine would work better I’m sure.
Back with the lower pressure water and the valve seal was a lot newer, dry winter, and a very wind still high pressure cold snap, I came out to the waterer when it was minus 20 and only one critter was by it. Oh yea, the insulation inside mine is breaking down after 30 years - back then it was solid. It was open water! Not even a skin on it! So they can be made to work.
Water level, a deep enough dry tube, keep the wind away. And yes that last one is tough. I really dislike east winds here… east wind freezes up everything on my farm including me…
It’s not perfect, and mine is old enough to have some issues I haven’t maintained. So I do get some ice these days. But I’ve had it work great in the very cold spells we had years ago, days it didn’t get above zero.
I can’t imagine trying to chop ice on a pond. Up here it’s common to drive on the lake or river and ice fish through 2 feet of ice.
Paul
Edited by paul the original 1/7/2025 17:37
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Cobbett 2-3/8" thick ice
