Drinker overflowing

reilig

One of the sheds is designed with these type of drinkers - scratch bars and gates were designed around them. In fairness they have been relatively trouble free - the cattle rarely dung into them.

However, 1 or 2 or them have a tendency to overflow lately. Now it's only a drip, but it's annoying. I have adjusted the ballcock in them to the lowest level, but this means a very slow flow of water in both of them, and still hasn't stopped 1 of them from overfilling.

Looking through the documentation for the drinkers, it says that they work best by being filled from an overhead tank as opposed to direct filling from the mains. Mine are on the mains.

I don't want to go to the hassle of installing a tank so i was thinking that a pressure reducing valve might be one option for solving the problem?

Another option is to replace the ballcock in them, but that costs €18 each. A new drinker of the same style can be picked up for €30.

Has anyone had similar experience?

delaval

reilig wrote: »

One of the sheds is designed with these type of drinkers - scratch bars and gates were designed around them. In fairness they have been relatively trouble free - the cattle rarely dung into them.

However, 1 or 2 or them have a tendency to overflow lately. Now it's only a drip, but it's annoying. I have adjusted the ballcock in them to the lowest level, but this means a very slow flow of water in both of them, and still hasn't stopped 1 of them from overfilling.

Looking through the documentation for the drinkers, it says that they work best by being filled from an overhead tank as opposed to direct filling from the mains. Mine are on the mains.

I don't want to go to the hassle of installing a tank so i was thinking that a pressure reducing valve might be one option for solving the problem?

Another option is to replace the ballcock in them, but that costs €18 each. A new drinker of the same style can be picked up for €30.

Has anyone had similar experience?

I know the ones we have them in the calf pens with header tank. Have in another calf shed and same prob from mains, I did as you suggested and fitted valve on feed and closed till volume reduced. Worked, there is a little rubber on the valve that may be worn. It can be removes turned around and refitted. A header is the long term solution. I used an old attic expansion tank but it was only for calf pens

bbam

reilig wrote: »

One of the sheds is designed with these type of drinkers - scratch bars and gates were designed around them. In fairness they have been relatively trouble free - the cattle rarely dung into them.

However, 1 or 2 or them have a tendency to overflow lately. Now it's only a drip, but it's annoying. I have adjusted the ballcock in them to the lowest level, but this means a very slow flow of water in both of them, and still hasn't stopped 1 of them from overfilling.

Looking through the documentation for the drinkers, it says that they work best by being filled from an overhead tank as opposed to direct filling from the mains. Mine are on the mains.

I don't want to go to the hassle of installing a tank so i was thinking that a pressure reducing valve might be one option for solving the problem?

Another option is to replace the ballcock in them, but that costs €18 each. A new drinker of the same style can be picked up for €30.

Has anyone had similar experience?

They usually suffer from three problems that cause this...

1. the mains pressure is too high and it literally pushes the valve open all the time thus overfilling. If you've made no changes to the pump/pressure switch this is unlikely to start happening.
2. The float leaked and took in some water.. have seen this after bad frost where the drinker froze and split the float.
3. Damage to the seal area. Most likely the small black round bung that is forced against the niple opening. they can wear over time. Try poping it out (carefully) and insert the other way round, may need a spot of glue. Reversing It works on most types.

We used to sell/fit these type drinkers when I was with Alfa many moons ago.

EamonKilkenny

I'd start with turning the little black nipples around. Had same problem here and it fixed it right up!

Brown Podzol

A pain. Turning the rubber may fix but the jet if it is the brass one can be pitted or worn. Both can be replaced. I have replaced some on mine with JFC dbl5 or jfc dbl7. They are nose fill and look to be the shame shape and size as yours. They have not given any trouble yet.

jomoloney

Brown Podzol wrote: »

A pain. Turning the rubber may fix but the jet if it is the brass one can be pitted or worn. Both can be replaced. I have replaced some on mine with JFC dbl5 or jfc dbl7. They are nose fill and look to be the shame shape and size as yours. They have not given any trouble yet.

yes the jets usually are the problem,

we replaced all those drinkers found them a PITA

rancher

Brown Podzol wrote: »

A pain. Turning the rubber may fix but the jet if it is the brass one can be pitted or worn. Both can be replaced. I have replaced some on mine with JFC dbl5 or jfc dbl7. They are nose fill and look to be the shame shape and size as yours. They have not given any trouble yet.

I'm replacing the nozzles in mine with nozzles that have smaller holes, seem to do the job. I got them from glanbia

towzer2010

Hi Reilig

I had a problem with some of my drinkers overflowing and I think yours are the same type. It was caused by the ballcock getting slightly jammed under the lip of the ballcock housing especially if set to the lowest setting. I replaced them with standard ballcocks from the store and no problem since.

Muckit

I think the main culprit has been identified, ie nipple and the black rubber stopper. A lot of sheds will start giving trouble now as most built around same time... late 90s. And once fixed hopefully they won't have to be done again for another 15-16 years.


I have also seen troughs leak from the hole where the valve comes in. Unlikely in this case with this type trough.

The valves are plastic crap. They really should be brass. Even though l've protective bar around elbow, l can see it being snapped off some day!

Seen what I would consider an excellent system in a cattle shed in France. Pump house beside shed filling a large round jfc type paddock trough. The drinkers in shed were just concrete pipes standing on end. The tops of these were levelled by laser so as to be just an inch above the top of the paddock trough. They were filled from the bottom from this big trough. Because they were level, no need for ballcocks/floats!! Nothing to break,freeze or go wrong. Even if ballcock did go in big trough it would keep overflowing from big trough but wouldn't wet the shed.... and most importantly cattle never without water. I thought it a most excellent bit of engineering genius.

Nekarsulm

Last summer it seemed every drinker in the place needed those little rubbers replaced. One sunday needed 3, so made this little punch to make the rubber seal. This is the end of an old pitch and put/golf club handle, cut at the point where the diameter is correct size of the rubber you want to cut. these handles are tapered, so you will always find the right size.
Rubber is from the tube of a 18x38 tractor tube.

Nekarsulm

I was wondering if changing from the group scheme water to our own well caused the seals to deteriorate? Although some were probably 15 years old.

nashmach

jomoloney wrote: »

yes the jets usually are the problem,

we replaced all those drinkers found them a PITA

Same as here, our hard water didn't help their longevity either!

bob charles

those water troughs are the work of the devil, I have never allowed one inside this gate thankfully. If anything there is no off the shelf robust water trough available for indoor use. We had to make up our own which Im very happy with. It incorporates a system similar to what Muckit saw in france whereby using gravity to fill numerous tanks

onyerbikepat

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Last summer it seemed every drinker in the place needed those little rubbers replaced. One sunday needed 3, so made this little punch to make the rubber seal. This is the end of an old pitch and put/golf club handle, cut at the point where the diameter is correct size of the rubber you want to cut. these handles are tapered, so you will always find the right size.
Rubber is from the tube of a 18x38 tractor tube.

Nice one !!

reilig

onyerbikepat wrote: »

Nice one !!

Think there's something wrong with my pc, this is what came up on mine

What sort of stuff are you watching pat?

jomoloney

Muckit wrote: »

I think the main culprit has been identified, ie nipple and the black rubber stopper. A lot of sheds will start giving trouble now as most built around same time... late 90s. And once fixed hopefully they won't have to be done again for another 15-16 years.


I have also seen troughs leak from the hole where the valve comes in. Unlikely in this case with this type trough.

The valves are plastic crap. They really should be brass. Even though l've protective bar around elbow, l can see it being snapped off some day!

Seen what I would consider an excellent system in a cattle shed in France. Pump house beside shed filling a large round jfc type paddock trough. The drinkers in shed were just concrete pipes standing on end. The tops of these were levelled by laser so as to be just an inch above the top of the paddock trough. They were filled from the bottom from this big trough. Because they were level, no need for ballcocks/floats!! Nothing to break,freeze or go wrong. Even if ballcock did go in big trough it would keep overflowing from big trough but wouldn't wet the shed.... and most importantly cattle never without water. I thought it a most excellent bit of engineering genius.

I saw something similar in a sheep shed in scotland , done with wavin pipe lengthways and slots cut out for drinking holes,

was thinking of doing it here but the only thing that put me off was we clean out the troughs every second day especially when feeding ration

find that animals drink after eating meals and there is always some meal in the bottom of the water

onyerbikepat

reilig wrote: »

What sort of stuff are you watching pat?

Monday Madness. Too long staring at the computer.

bob charles

jomoloney wrote: »

I saw something similar in a sheep shed in scotland , done with wavin pipe lengthways and slots cut out for drinking holes,

was thinking of doing it here but the only thing that put me off was we clean out the troughs every second day especially when feeding ration

find that animals drink after eating meals and there is always some meal in the bottom of the water

your dump point is set to be lowest point in the system so when you dump the water you clear out all the system

Conmaicne Mara

bob charles wrote: »

your dump point is set to be lowest point in the system so when you dump the water you clear out all the system

Would there not be a kind of a scum or sludge left eventually due to the slow exit flow through the pipe.

bob charles

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

Would there not be a kind of a scum or sludge left eventually due to the slow exit flow through the pipe.

use a big pipe, 3" upwards, and one big woosh cleans it all out. Residue left is small

Phil Iam

Muckit wrote: »

Seen what I would consider an excellent system in a cattle shed in France. Pump house beside shed filling a large round jfc type paddock trough. The drinkers in shed were just concrete pipes standing on end. The tops of these were levelled by laser so as to be just an inch above the top of the paddock trough. They were filled from the bottom from this big trough. Because they were level, no need for ballcocks/floats!! Nothing to break,freeze or go wrong. Even if ballcock did go in big trough it would keep overflowing from big trough but wouldn't wet the shed.... and most importantly cattle never without water. I thought it a most excellent bit of engineering genius.

I have seen that system used in sow houses twenty years ago

TUBBY

towzer2010 wrote: »

Hi Reilig

I had a problem with some of my drinkers overflowing and I think yours are the same type. It was caused by the ballcock getting slightly jammed under the lip of the ballcock housing especially if set to the lowest setting. I replaced them with standard ballcocks from the store and no problem since.

+1 on this. The float was pretty tight fit and if there was any play in the arm, it tended to stick.
Replaced it with a smaller float and no probs since.

jp6470

If it's the same as mine.as well as the black rubber washer,there is a red fibre washer behind the nipple. Gives trouble also. Terrible design imo.

Muckit

jp6470 wrote: »

If it's the same as mine.as well as the black rubber washer,there is a red fibre washer behind the nipple. Gives trouble also. Terrible design imo.

Yes!! Bought a new trough and the nipple wasn't tightened up fully. Took a second to figure out why wouldn't stop!

Muckit

Phil Iam wrote: »

I have seen that system used in sow houses twenty years ago

Do pig houses not have nipple drinkers?

PatQfarmer

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Last summer it seemed every drinker in the place needed those little rubbers replaced. One sunday needed 3, so made this little punch to make the rubber seal. This is the end of an old pitch and put/golf club handle, cut at the point where the diameter is correct size of the rubber you want to cut. these handles are tapered, so you will always find the right size.
Rubber is from the tube of a 18x38 tractor tube.

Pure genius!!

Nekarsulm

Muckit wrote: »

Do pig houses not have nipple drinkers?

Pig houses used to have nipple drinkers, mostly placed over the slatted area. Trouble was pigs loved them, played with them all the time and would stand with the nipple pushed in, and the water running out the side of their mouth, with a silly grin on their face. Mostly fed with wet & dry feeders now, where the nipple drinker is in the bottom of a little trough, above which is a shelf where the meal dribbles down onto, ad lib. So the pig can mix up their own porridge type mixture by nosing the meal off the shelf into the trough, and then use the nipple to wet it.
That or a computerised wet feeding system, like a Big Dutchman or similar.

MikeSoys

hi we have being having the same trouble with 1 drinker ; replaced the part but it still leaks (drips) ..someone said it must be due to the high water pressure. Can you get a part that is specific for high pressure? a 1/2" water float valve that designed for higher pressure would anyone know - ta

wrangler

MikeSoys wrote: »

hi we have being having the same trouble with 1 drinker ; replaced the part but it still leaks (drips) ..someone said it must be due to the high water pressure. Can you get a part that is specific for high pressure? a 1/2" water float valve that designed for higher pressure would anyone know - ta

I had those small galvanised bowl drinker for ever leaking and I got high pressure nozzles, much smaller bore than the standard, while they were an improvement they weren't 100%, most of the drinkers are bet off the wall in rage at this stage
To be fair we're on the mains water supply and it has to climb a big hill after up so plenty pressure

Is this what you have http://www.quality-equipment.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Fisher-Fordham-Type-Bowl.jpg

I was told the brass high pressure nozzles were better

MikeSoys

hi , its not like one of those..ive attached a pic..

SuperTortoise

Is the float clear to move up and down inside the bowl? Make sure there is nothing catching it especially on the backside of the float, i've also seen where the float would rotate in the bowl because the fitting was'nt tight enough and it would move down alright to fill but on the way back up it would wedge itself against the back of the bowl.

MikeSoys

SuperTortoise wrote: »

Is the float clear to move up and down inside the bowl? Make sure there is nothing catching it especially on the backside of the float, i've also seen where the float would rotate in the bowl because the fitting was'nt tight enough and it would move down alright to fill but on the way back up it would wedge itself against the back of the bowl.

ill double -check its not sticking...but got a H.P fixture in woodies so will see if it will do the job...

Aravo

MikeSoys wrote:

ill double -check its not sticking...but got a H.P fixture in woodies so will see if it will do the job...

Buying water fittings in Woodies. It's official, the boom is back.

MikeSoys

Aravo wrote: »

Buying water fittings in Woodies. It's official, the boom is back.

..paid on one of those credit card things...when i win the lotto I'll get a loyally card there :-)