Varel Bailey has now built his fourth drinking fountain to deliver on these promises. His system “is the result of about 40 years of trial and error on five pond drinkers,” he said.
On the ground is a huge rubber tire tank, which can withstand the abrasion of cattle. There is a cement center inside the tire, which can be removed when the pipes (water supply and drainage) need to be repaired. Bailey explained that if a tire needs to be replaced, a new cement tray will be made to fit that particular tire.
When the cow comes up to drink water, the valve allows a large amount of water to enter, and the port on the side with the nozzle always sprays a small stream of water to the surface.
The combination of the water flowing to the ground and the dry well under the cement pan filled with tires forms a heat collection tank.
“When the temperature is below 0°F, the water may freeze all the time, except for a beverage bowl about 1 foot wide that I mentioned, directly above the gushing warm water jet. When the cow comes up to drink, pour the water on Below, the ice will collapse a bit.”
The concept is a 1 to 5 acre hillside pond, 20 feet deep, fed by a 20 to 50 acre basin and a natural clay layer that forces water to flow from the bottom. The dam has an emergency spillway and a tiled outlet that usually controls the highest water level. The tile drain also runs along the toe of the dam to intercept any leakage and keep the livestock drinker area dry. The tile line is also used as the outlet of the drain. Livestock must be fenced away from the pool, and drinking fountains should be placed about 20 feet away from the fence to avoid injuries caused by crowded livestock.
Drip pipes (as insisted by the US Department of Agriculture) must be covered or forced into tile drains to protect drinking areas.
During the construction of the dam, a 1¼-inch pipe passed through the dam berm and was 4 feet deep at the mid-height between the location of the drinking fountain and the depth of the pond. The pipes in the pool are sealed, and there are at least 25 ¼-inch holes in the last 5 feet to form a filter. The gate valve is installed in the pipeline in the fenced area with standpipes and control rods. The drinker end of the pipe and the drinker drain pipe must terminate within 18 inches.
The best drinker is a sliced 8-foot rubber construction equipment tire. It has enough water for a typical 40 calves to drink at once. (You can also use smaller tires-the herd has learned not to come all at once.) These tires are high enough to reduce “cow swimming” and at the correct water level, the calf can drink. Tires are one of the few tanks that can withstand freeze-thaw and cow abuse.
To make the tire tank, we first made a cement plug for the center of the tire in the workshop. Cut a plywood circle so that it fits perfectly in the hole where the tire rim is located. The important thing is that the circle can easily pass through the hole and will not cover the area on the side of the rim where the side of the tire is fixed; this area will be filled with silicone caulk later to plug the tire with waterproof cement.
Cut a hole for the 3-inch PVC drain pipe and the 1¼-inch water inlet pipe about 1 foot from the center opposite each other. Even with the tire bead, the plywood ring can be firmly blocked. This should leave 4 to 6 inches of PVC pipe and 1¼ inches of pipe under the plywood for connection during installation. Next, cut a 5 to 6 inch wide metal slat and make a circle with a diameter 4 inches larger than the ledge that the rim touches. (Clamp the metal strip with lock pliers to make a circle.)
After the metal circle is in place, place a ruler on the circle-this will be the level surface that will be filled with cement. Cut a length of 1¼ inch pipe from the workshop to 1 to 1½ inches above the thread with straight edges at both ends. (This is where the valve enters from the inlet pipe and the hose.)
Place the joint on the length of the 3-inch PVC pipe and cut it to the length from the workshop to the ruler. (This will be the drain.) After putting the pipe into the plywood hole (PVC joint upward), fill the inside with paper to prevent cement from entering. Use a ⅜ inch rod to bend the two handles into a V shape with ears. Fill the metal strip ring with high-quality concrete; make sure the pipe is straight and insert it into the elevator V. Make an arrow mark on the soft concrete and a cow chalk mark on the edge to pay attention to the best alignment for reassembly in the pond. After hardening, place the cement disc on the edge and grind off the rough part where the tire sidewall meets the bead ring. During the assembly process, the weight of the cement pushes down the sidewall, squeezing the bead ring, making it difficult to fall into it.
The installation under the pond starts by digging a hole around the pipe and drainage brick. Install a loop of 1¼ inch hose and a section of 4 inch drain brick, approximately 2 feet longer than the surface. Insert a 30-inch or 36-inch well tile into the final level of the tank area. (This exact level is not important-for the final assembly, too short is better than too long.) The dry well is used as the area to connect the supply pipe and drain pipe to the storage tank. It is also used as the area below the storage tank. The heat source is in winter.
Flatten an area of at least 16 feet in diameter around the well tiles. Add 3 inches of compactable aggregate (for example, crushed limestone, finely crushed concrete, etc.) and compact it. Moisten as much as possible when packing.
Center the tire on the well tile. Hang the cement disc about 1 foot above the tire bead with the arrow and the caulking mark aligned. Lie on the tire, connect the water inlet hose to the pipe, and fix the drain brick to the PVC outlet. The easiest way to fix it is to separate the ends of the tiles and squeeze them with huge hose clamps. Apply a large amount of silicone caulk to the tire bead and the bead notch in the cement and the area where the cement disc covers the sidewall.
When lifting the cement tray, it is sometimes best to use the accompanying. In this way, it can be slowly lowered and kept level so that it falls into the bead ring. After it drips in, add more caulk where the cement meets the sidewall.
The final assembly is to install the water valve and cut a 3 inch piece of PVC to install in the joint buried in the cement, let the water overflow the water level where the calf can drink, and set the float at that water level.
After the final installation, we fill the water tank to the overflow level and then close it at the pond. One day later, we checked for leaks. Usually we then empty the water tank, wait a day for it to dry, and then re-caulk the edges.
The part that really makes the drinking fountain “never freeze” is the valve accessory. On the side of the valve is a hole for ¼ inch pipe. We connect an elbow to a brass aviation split connector, and then point it and point it towards the float. This provides a continuous stream of fresh warm water directed to the surface. Even at temperatures below 0°F, this is enough to keep the beverage orifice open at all times.
In the summer, when garbage blocks the water inlet of the pipe, just plug the float to close the water valve, block the air hose with a can of compressed air, and then blow the pipe clean. Always use brass connectors; steel connectors are rusty and cannot be connected.
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Post time: Nov-11-2021
