When the temperatures begin to fall, it’s essential to take proper care of your automatic waterers to ensure your livestock continue to have access to all the fresh, clean water they need. Frozen or poorly functioning waterers can impact your animals’ health, so it’s worth it to take a bit of extra time to perform winter maintenance. 

Automatic livestock waterers from Bar Bar A are designed to withstand cold weather conditions; however, it’s still important to ensure they’re operating properly.

Keep reading to learn more about the importance of maintaining your automatic waterer, winter maintenance tips, and how to ensure your livestock have uninterrupted access to fresh water. 

Why Winter Maintenance Matters

Whether you have horses, goats, pigs, cows, or llamas, your livestock needs reliable access to water year-round. While Bar Bar A’s automatic waterers are designed to mitigate problems with frozen water, a lack of proper maintenance can increase the risk of cold-weather malfunctions. Proper winter maintenance prevents downtime and keeps livestock hydrated, healthy, and happy.

Essential Winter Maintenance Steps

Our Bar Bar A automatic livestock waterers are designed with ease of maintenance in mind. Most maintenance tasks are relatively quick and simple to complete, and if you run into questions, our customer support team is here for you. We also have a library of instructional videos showing how to perform a number of tasks, including:

• Changing the drain valve, a quick fix for a slow-filling bowl 
• Cleaning or changing the filter, which are simple ways to address a slow-draining bowl
• Cleaning the main valve to prevent overflowing 
• Changing the paddle and tightening the cable
• Repairing damaged internal parts
• Changing the unit from draining mode to training mode

Essential winter maintenance tasks include:

Checking the Drainage Function

Proper drainage is vital to your automatic waterer’s functionality. If drainage is too slow, water can freeze inside the system, preventing proper operation. Ideally, the bowl drains completely within 60 seconds after the animal has had its fill of water. 

To test drainage, fill the bowl and time how long it takes to drain fully. If it empties in a minute or less, you’re in good shape. If it takes any longer than that, it’s time to dig a little deeper to find the root of the drainage issue. Perform this test regularly to ensure proper drainage throughout the winter. 

Cleaning Out Debris and Build-Up

While Bar Bar A’s automatic drinkers are self-cleaning, debris such as leaves, dirt, and sediment can still collect time, slowing drainage. We recommend checking your waterer and cleaning it out before winter descends to keep the system clear. Check in the bowl and under the paddle to make sure nothing is blocking the drainage, and if it is, be sure to clear it out. 

Replacing Key Components

Drain valves and filters play a significant role in keeping the automatic waterer system running effectively. Many owners choose to replace these parts before winter as a preventative measure against drainage issues, even if they aren’t yet showing obvious signs of wear. Proactive replacement means fewer surprises, smoother drainage, and a reduced chance of freezing. Plus, with replacement parts available at such a low price, there’s no reason not to!

General Winter Maintenance Tips

In addition to the above winter maintenance steps, it’s important to periodically inspect the surrounding area. If there’s mud or ice build-up around the waterer, clear it so your animals have easy access. Also keep an ear out for unusual noises, look out for leaks, and check for slow performance. We recommend monthly checks, no matter the season. 

Ensure Year-Round Hydration with Bar Bar A

At Bar Bar A, we’re committed to helping your livestock stay hydrated all year round. Whether it’s the dead of winter or the peak of summer, our automatic waterers are here to provide all the fresh, clean water your animals need to stay happy and healthy. 

We want to remind you that a little proactive winter maintenance can save you significant time, stress, and money during the coldest months of the year. If you have questions about how to maintain your automatic waterer, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’d be happy to help you out. 

And if you don’t have an automatic waterer yet, now is the time to invest in one! Get it installed before freezing temperatures arrive. Your livestock will thank you!