Water Heaters!!!!!!!!!

[Sweet Goats]

Please everyone, check your water heaters. We have had a few friends here in Co lose horses becasue they have water heaters in the tank, and they are shorting out, and they have electrocuted the horses and killed them. We check ours when we put it in at the beginning of the cold, but my daughter last night was cleaning the tanks and getting ready for the next storm and she was shocked so hard it knocked her on her butt. So I guess I am trying to say please check your tanks very often. We were wondering why the water was not going down in that tank. Now they are all scared to drink out of it. Lucky for us we have two big tanks. To say the least we threw the heater away. Cut the cord so we didn't take any chances.

[fishhead]

What brand heaters?

Is it possible to put a ground in the tank and run it to a ground rod? It wouldn't stop the heater from going bad but I would think it would draw off much of the current and make it less likely to be lethal.

[momofmany]

wow! I guess since my herd is quite small, I am glad we just haul gallon milk cartons of hot water out everyday.....

[NWMO]

Found the tank being "unused" and noticed one of the dogs try to lap water and yelped like crazy.....realized the heater had caused all of the animals to experience a "shock" and thus they would not come around it.....

The heater is small and it says not to use an extension cord, but I have nothing even remotely close to plug this into....later found out the ground on the extension cord had broken off.....so the heater was not grounded at all........

Have had no problems this winter with the heater, thank goodness. But do check for the safety of your animals.

[fishhead]

It doesn't sound like an extension cord was at fault. If you want to make sure the plug-in stays out of the water just secure so that it can't reach.

[Allan Mistler]

National Electric Code requires ALL outdoor outlets to be Ground Fault protected. If you install either a ground fault protected circuit breaker in the sub panel, or install one of those handy little Ground Fault outlets in the first wired receptacle in your barn, you'll save yourselves alot of grief. The receptacle type of ground fault protection protects every subsequent outlet in that circuit from electrocution-to-ground hazards. Even cement floored buildings (garages) and basements are required to be protected thusly.
I hope nobody takes this as anything other than advice... those things work!

[fishhead]

Good idea!

I've got GFI's in all my outlets at the ponds. I can't tell you how many times I've pulled the cord into the water with me while working with an electric drill. All it does is trip the circuit. They only cost about $10.

[Sweet Goats]

Fishhead, I don't know wha brand of heater it was, just becasue I am at work. It was one that floats in the tank, big round one. I do believe it was just becasue it is older. Like i said it did work just fine at first.

Allen, I will have to do the GFI in the barn, right now I don't have one, becasue they are in the barn, but I will do it hopefully this weekend. Thanks.

[fishhead]

Thanks. I once had a recirculating pump in an indoor fish tank that went bad. It was pumping normally but I would get bit when I put my hand in the water.

[nduetime]

Originally Posted by fishhead

Good idea!

I've got GFI's in all my outlets at the ponds. I can't tell you how many times I've pulled the cord into the water with me while working with an electric drill. All it does is trip the circuit. They only cost about $10.

My Dh installed these in every outlet in the barn, arena, and outside. I cannot tell you how many times this has saved an animals life. Especially with horses and goats who like to chew, you just never know. I would not have an outlet for my livestock without them. I have had goats chew on something I never thought they would have and yearling horses goes without saying, all they want to do is play with and taste everything. They are a great investment.

[Sweet Goats]

I have all the cords up so there is no way they chewed on the cord. I think it is just because the heater was older.

[nduetime]

Originally Posted by Sweet Goats

I have all the cords up so there is no way they chewed on the cord. I think it is just because the heater was older.

Absolutely! the GFI's can protect even from the heater being bad as it trips the circuit completely disallowing the shock effect. Lol, I feel bad for the little one, I have had one of those shocks in the past too! They hurt! i can laugh about it now but not then.

[Oldntimes]

I use the heated water buckets. There is no way they can get shocked. The cords all go threw the back of every pen so no exsposed cords.
The only down fall with them is some are large and heavy and they are a pain to empty out and clean all the time.