burnt
Well-known member
cowsense said:
Well now that could be! I've no experience beyond what one would find on a farm.
which tank should I use
- Thread starter LazyWP
- Start date
Well now that could be! I've no experience beyond what one would find on a farm.
Ben H
Well-known member
Wish I had seen the trick with PVC pipe and the valve a month ago :? I put my tire tanks over a eighteen inch steel culvert with heater hose inside for the water connection. Several were made with steel plates lag bolted to the bottom. Way more work then concrete. The last one was made with pressure treated .75 plywood over the culvert then concrete poured over that. The nice thing is that they can easily be picked up.
burnt
Well-known member
Angus 62 said:
I like your idea with the plywood bottom. I want to have mine somewhat portable. But I guess for all they cost to build a fella can just have a few more of them too.
Shortgrass
Well-known member
My horses water in an old tractor tire with a hole the size of a dinner plate cut in the sidewall. I covered the center, and it is good about staying open in the winter.
Northern Rancher
Well-known member
The big ones are so heavy you won't want to try and move them-it's just as easy to have a few extra troughs around.
John SD
Well-known member
I endorse the recipe posted by Dakota Plainsman. :wink: The best success I have had with tire tanks has included bentonite under the concrete. Also, I did this the lazy way and did not pre-mix the concrete which is a pain in the backside. :roll:
I spread a couple inches of bentonite on the bare well tamped dirt paying special attention to get it back under the tire as far as possible. Then spread 2-3 inches of dry concrete redi-mix over the top of the dry bentonite smoothing it out with my hand. Then carefully add water from a gravity flow pickup tank. My 400 gal pickup tank has a 2 inch drain hose and doesn't take long.
Don't hit the dry "cake mix" ingredients directly with the water flow, direct it into the outer edges of the tire. 400 gal of water will fill a 8' tire better than half full. Give it several days to cure underwater before you actually turn the water supply on to the tank and use it.
The tire tanks I have installed with water inlet in the bottom have been HDPE pipe with stainless ends and brass couplers to a Watson/Lewis valve. Use plumbing materials made of HDPE, PVC, stainless steel and brass. Don't waste your time with galvanized because IMO you are just asking for trouble.
I spread a couple inches of bentonite on the bare well tamped dirt paying special attention to get it back under the tire as far as possible. Then spread 2-3 inches of dry concrete redi-mix over the top of the dry bentonite smoothing it out with my hand. Then carefully add water from a gravity flow pickup tank. My 400 gal pickup tank has a 2 inch drain hose and doesn't take long.
Don't hit the dry "cake mix" ingredients directly with the water flow, direct it into the outer edges of the tire. 400 gal of water will fill a 8' tire better than half full. Give it several days to cure underwater before you actually turn the water supply on to the tank and use it.
The tire tanks I have installed with water inlet in the bottom have been HDPE pipe with stainless ends and brass couplers to a Watson/Lewis valve. Use plumbing materials made of HDPE, PVC, stainless steel and brass. Don't waste your time with galvanized because IMO you are just asking for trouble.
Justin
Well-known member
John SD said:
why do you feel you need bentonite under the concrete?
(for the record i use to do it that way aswell.)
John SD
Well-known member
Justin, long-term I have had better success with the dry/bentonite method. When I put in my first tire tanks I mixed the concrete in the wheelbarrow inside the tire without bentonite under the concrete. The concrete looked pretty and still does but almost every year I have to caulk the seam where the concrete joins the tire bead or I have a leak.
One 12' tire that I didn't look at for a while really started leaking and actually washed dirt out from under the concrete. I had to break the concrete all out and start over. That one has about 12" of concrete under it now, still no bentonite. :wink: I haven't caulked the seam on that one for a few years.
Although the concrete is not as pretty, the tanks that I used the dry method with bentonite under the concrete never had or needed caulk. None have ever failed after my initial installation Some of them have set dry for a couple years now so I don't know what will happen when I try to use them. I'm hoping if water gets past the concrete/rubber joint that the bentonite underneath will hold the seal.
I have some variety in my water system(s). I have 6 of the 12' tires that were installed with poured concrete and no bentonite in my summer pasture. I have 3 of the 8' tires that were installed with dry concrete with bentonite under it which are intended mostly for winter use.
I also have 7 - 10' round fiberglass tanks. 5 of those have Watson valves coming in the bottom of the tanks and work well in winter. The last 2 I have done intended for warm weather use with a Woodford hydrant with a Hudson valve. I do put a boiler valve on these so I can let the water run or hook a garden hose on if I want to.
"Here" we have to tape galvanized hydrants or electrolysis will eat holes in them from the outside in. That is why I try to avoid galvanized in any application that is in contact with soil and/or difficult to change. The artesian water can ruin the galvanized chain that comes with a Watson float in one season. On one of these I have replaced the standard float with a pancake float and a brass rod with adjustable collar instead of a chain.
One 12' tire that I didn't look at for a while really started leaking and actually washed dirt out from under the concrete. I had to break the concrete all out and start over. That one has about 12" of concrete under it now, still no bentonite. :wink: I haven't caulked the seam on that one for a few years.
Although the concrete is not as pretty, the tanks that I used the dry method with bentonite under the concrete never had or needed caulk. None have ever failed after my initial installation Some of them have set dry for a couple years now so I don't know what will happen when I try to use them. I'm hoping if water gets past the concrete/rubber joint that the bentonite underneath will hold the seal.
I have some variety in my water system(s). I have 6 of the 12' tires that were installed with poured concrete and no bentonite in my summer pasture. I have 3 of the 8' tires that were installed with dry concrete with bentonite under it which are intended mostly for winter use.
I also have 7 - 10' round fiberglass tanks. 5 of those have Watson valves coming in the bottom of the tanks and work well in winter. The last 2 I have done intended for warm weather use with a Woodford hydrant with a Hudson valve. I do put a boiler valve on these so I can let the water run or hook a garden hose on if I want to.
"Here" we have to tape galvanized hydrants or electrolysis will eat holes in them from the outside in. That is why I try to avoid galvanized in any application that is in contact with soil and/or difficult to change. The artesian water can ruin the galvanized chain that comes with a Watson float in one season. On one of these I have replaced the standard float with a pancake float and a brass rod with adjustable collar instead of a chain.
Cedarcreek
Well-known member
John SD said:
Here we tape the hydrants or slide a piece of 2" pvc over them when we install them to prevent soil contact. Using the pvc has the advantage of being able to thaw out the hydrant by pouring hot water over it and it will run down in side the pvc and thaw a frozen hydrant if needed. I can get some pics of the pvc on a hydrant tomorrow.
Watson lists a stainless steel chain on their website. I bought some from McMaster-Caar to replace the chain on mine. I also use stainless steel bolts.