Calf water heater

[Lexion 760]

Just bought 50 beef calves to rear & finish, after some ideas for a water heater that will warm 150 litres of water to 40ish degrees to mix up with the powder, will save a lot of work carrying water etc... Ideas please

 

[TheRanger]

Get an unvented type immersion heater cylinder. It works by filling and emptying with mains pressure, so if you've got two bar pressure of cold water you'll have 2 bar pressure of hot water. It can sit on the ground, doesn't need to be high up to empty by gravity and doesn't need a boost pump.

Main problem with these type water heaters is that they let in cold water as you take out hot water which isn't ideal if you're needing lots of 90 degree water (i.e. for washing a milking parlour), but for calves it is ideal.

You can set the rod thermostat to about 50 degrees and if you're only wanting hot water once a day can have it on a timer to come on 2 or 3 hours before you need it, otherwise you can just keep it on all day and it will keep the water hot.

A heater with a 3KW single phase element would run off of a 13 amp plug as well.

Fabdec make lots of them for the farming industry, but available elsewhere too.

 

[TheRanger]

See http://www.dairysparesonline.co.uk/

go down to the bottom right and click on: Water Heaters - Uni-heat

 

[Lexion 760]

Ideal thank you!
I have also been looking at the heatwave adlib calf feeder which would get around the problem of needing warm water, any thoughts on feeding calves adlib milk??

 

[TheRanger]

Ideal thank you!
I have also been looking at the heatwave adlib calf feeder which would get around the problem of needing warm water, any thoughts on feeding calves adlib milk??

Only seen it done with lambs, can be very expensive but does save time.

 

[Princess Pooper]

Ideal thank you!
I have also been looking at the heatwave adlib calf feeder which would get around the problem of needing warm water, any thoughts on feeding calves adlib milk??

This has been discussed quite a few times, put 'ad lib calf machine' or similar in the forum search. We feed ad lib milk replacer and it does us well.

 

[Poorbuthappy]

I used a gas water heater. Heats as you use it. No wasted hot water; hot water always available.