Hot Water!!

So what could be more fun than hauling 30 gallons of hot water around the farm at 4AM? Nothing! LOL. Sigh. It's a bit chilly again (17F this AM on the farm) and the critters need their warm H2o. Unfortunately our system is still quite manual. We fill a series of 5 gallon buckets with hot tap water using the sink in the mud room, and then load it into the truck for the trip down to the animals. We also fill a couple of smaller buckets for the chickens. They need iceless water too.

But we have a crafty plan for next year. We'll be installing a tankless heater in the house and recycling the "super good cents" (very well insulated) hot water heater down to the machine shop for the critters. This will greatly reduce the distance we have to haul it. It will be practical to provide hot water at each check-in (morning milking run and evening feedings) where it's a "once-a-day" chore right now. I can also use the hot water to mix the afternoon hog snacks (I add water to the grain). Anything that helps reduce the animals need to generate their own heat is a good thing in my book.