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Big Muddy rancher

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 10, 2005
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22,792
Location
Big Muddy valley
My old faithful water bowl froze up in this cold weather. It didn't have many head drinking at it and unlike the others that just needed a cover for a few hours it froze down the pipe. We are on a gravity system so can't shut the water off so had to pull the valve out of the pipe and use the Mini Steam Zapper and a piece of Pex pipe to shoot the steam down to the ice blockage. 2 little tanks of water in the Steamer and the water started flowing. :D Just had to get the valve back in the pipe to stem the flow and put everything back together.

All the water bowls working again tonight. Hope it was the last cold night of the year. :?
 
Tell us about this mini Steam Zapper? I've had my eyes partially open for some time looking for a small economical steamer for exactly such little projects.
 
If the cold keeps up I'll need a longer bar on my chainsaw it barely reaches thru the ice now.
 
https://www.google.ca/search?q=mini+steam+zapper&client=firefox-a&hs=LmL&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&tbm=isch&imgil=xuTY6qkAAOi25M%253A%

Mine/ my wifes has a hose between the kettle and the nozzle. I take the nozzle off and slide a peice of Pez pipe in and it pushes steam down the tube.

I saw a small propane tank with a relief valve off a water heater installed and then it had a rubber hose and copper pipe wand attached. The put in a gallon of water and heated with a tiger torch.. The guy said it worked great. :?
 
I made a steamer from an old fire extinguisher and leave it hung on the fence by the water bowl. Pour in a couple of quarts of water and a tiger torch provides the heat. An old air hose off the shop compressor directs the steam where needed which is usually just below the ground surface in the stand pipe. Only needed twice this winter so far.
 
I've heard of using propane bottles and such for making steam, and wondered about the pressure relief. The hot water tank relief sounds like a great idea. Wish I had a shop for such tinkering during the winter. Making a steamer during the heat of summer just never seems like a priority :???:
 
As long as you don't try to restrict the steam, a relief valve is unnecessary. It would be the same as boiling water in a kettle on the stove. No restriction... No problem.
 
hmmmm...could of used this post a couple months ago maybe..... :D :D As of a couple days ago, I have water to 2 hydrants. I will never take water coming out of them for granted again and have added it to the miracles of life I cherish.... :D I bet I can now carry a couple of five gallon buckets of water across the U.S. without any strain.... :D

edit: I'll add....my water lines are froze under the ground away from the hydrants it seems.
 
All you need to do is move your watering system back so it is late April and May system and all your problems will be solved :wink: :D :D :D
 
cowboyup said:
All you need to do is move your watering system back so it is late April and May system and all your problems will be solved :wink: :D :D :D
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The engineers came down and look over what we had and wanted us to gravity the water down to the bottom of the hill and pump it back up. The old back hoe guy got out his little site level and said just put the cribbing up on the hill where the spring was and let gravity do the work. we run seven watering bowls and two houses off the system. Lots of water. Unfortunately the cattle in the feed yard need to drink year round. Although the cows out in the hills that calve in April and May do eat snow and drink from springs in the hills.

Take lots more water to have them penned up calving now. :?
 
I made a rig a few years ago with a 12v water pump from an old RV trailer. I put a short section of hose on the suction end to put into a pail of hot water, and on the outlet side I use 1/4" air brake hose, about 50' of it, and run it inside the water line. Hook the pump to a battery and the hot water pumped down cuts through the ice plug like a hot knife through butter.

What do you mean cows eat snow BMR???? Cows will die without water!!! :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:
 
PureCountry said:
I made a rig a few years ago with a 12v water pump from an old RV trailer. I put a short section of hose on the suction end to put into a pail of hot water, and on the outlet side I use 1/4" air brake hose, about 50' of it, and run it inside the water line. Hook the pump to a battery and the hot water pumped down cuts through the ice plug like a hot knife through butter.

What do you mean cows eat snow BMR???? Cows will die without water!!! :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:[/quote

Ya, :nod: :nod: Only problem we were running out of snow. :o

That got fixed today for a little while. :D
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I just bought a new propane bottle and made sure it never had any lp gas in it. Took there
valve off and threaded on a 3/4 inch tee. Valve on top to and a 1/2 hyd hose and 1 gal of water and got a good little steamer. Know a guy who has used old propane bottles but i figured it was a little to risky for me.
 

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