50 Years of Frost-Free

Innovations Designed Out Of Necessity

Like all great innovations, Drinking Post Frost Free Waterers were designed out of necessity. In the early 1970’s, watering of livestock was a constant challenge for ranchers in Rye Colorado.  The need for fresh on-demand water year-round called for an innovative solution.

But the first challenge of the dealing with the climate was a tough one to overcome.  The seasonal temperature swings between summer and winter were dramatic and the available systems on the market, float systems or thermos type systems had drawbacks that made them less than ideal.  The notion of using heated waterers had to include the consideration of running electric lines and adding heating elements to troughs of standing water. Adding electric heating elements to a watering system seemed an unnecessary, costly, and potentially dangerous solution.

All those considerations spawned the idea for the Drinking Post Waterer, over 50 years ago. What was developed was the very first non-electric frost free waterer. The Drinking Post continues to develop and improve upon the original design of our automatic livestock waterer. After 50 years of innovation and perfecting the design, it is clear that there are several reasons that prove “frost-free” is the way to go. Lets’ look at several advantages our customers have realized over the last 50 years.

Frost Free to Save Time and Labor

What’s your favorite four letter word?  We’re partial to the 4-letter word: S-A-V-E! Frost free waterers go hand-in-hand with your desire to save operating costs, to save time, and of course to save labor.  Think of it. No more breaking ice on the drinking trough each cold winter morning. The ranchers in Rye Colorado were thinking of that chore when they began to embrace frost free waterers. But avoiding the need to break ice was just the beginning of the savings they would realize.

They began to save their aching backs from the chore of hauling buckets of fresh water to an old-fashioned watering trough or tank.  Now an ambitious livestock manager can replace that annoying morning chore with a more effective use of time and energy.  Go frost free and save your back.

And speaking of “saving your back”, the frost-free design means no standing water in the drinking bowl. No standing water brings with it a host of advantages. Not only does no standing water mean no ice to break, but it also means no dirt nor algae to clean and scrub. Since your back is already rested from not having to haul water or break ice, why not take away one more difficult chore.  A frost free Drinking Post waterer frees you from the annoyance of scrubbing dirt, mud and algae.

Frost Free for Health

Labor saving and time savings are just beginning of the many advantages of a frost free waterer. Since the base of a Drinking Post is located 18 inches below the frostline, the temperature of the water your animals enjoy is delivered year-round at around 50 degrees.  That makes for a cool refreshing drink in the summer, and a wintertime drink much warmer than outdoor temperatures.  Many owners of frost free waterers have noticed that their animals are drinking more often when given the added convenience of clean 50 degree water.  We all know that hydration is paramount to good health for horses, cattle, pigs, goats, sheep, alpaca, and all large farm animals.  There have been several studies performed that confirm what many might consider to be common sense.  Providing clean water for cattle will increase their water intake.  Drinking more water leads to increased feed intake, which results in greater weight gain.  This translates directly to higher revenues for the cattle rancher.

In addition, water quality will also affect the general health of livestock and the lands they occupy.  Keeping animals out of natural waterways and dugouts not only keeps these sources cleaner, but allows for re-establishment of vegetation in surrounding areas, which will in turn reduces erosion and helps filter run off.

Frost Free for Money Savings

What’s our favorite 4 letter word again? That’s right – S A V E.  We’ve seen how to save labor and time with a frost free waterer, but right now lets focus on money-savings.  The design of the first Frost Free Drinking Posts addressed rancher’s monetary bottom-line way back in the 70’s, just as it continues to do so today.

The money savings of a Drinking Post Frost Free automatic livestock waterer are easy to count.  Use our savings calculator at https://dpwaterer.com/waterer-electricity-savings-calculator/ .     You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the projected savings, especially if you’ve had out-of-control wintertime electric bills.  The money savings of a non-electric frost free waterer can really start to add up and positively impact your bottom line.

More frost free savings?  Of course! With half the country reeling from prolonged drought conditions, we need to talk about saving water.  Water is one of our most precious commodities, and the frost free design is meant to be a water saver.  Firstly, there is no standing water in a large trough or tank.  No water on the surface to heat up and lose to evaporation. With the on-demand action of the Drinking Post, water only comes to the surface when your animals are drinking.  Any small amount of water left in the bowl drains out of the bowl and below the surface. Estimates show the amount of water draining out of the drinking bowl is equal to about 1/32 of a gallon.

50 Years of Frost Free

For close to 50 years, the Drinking Post has been the original frost free water and still remains the best. We build them right here in the USA at our operation in Aurora Colorado. We use only stainless steel, brass and a synthetic plastic polymer for strength and flexibility.  We’re so sure of our design and construction that we cover your new Ultimate Drinking Post with a 5-year warranty on every part of the Post.

We have so much to offer you – check out our Ultimate Guide to Automatic Waterers at: https://dpwaterer.com/automatic-waterer-guide/.  When you’re ready to start shopping choose the best size post for your livestock and climate: We offer several different sizes of Drinking Posts, 3′-10′. This is to accommodate animal height and your local frostline. Here is a link to our what size tool to help you decide which Drinking Post is best for you:   https://dpwaterer.com/what-size-waterer-is-right-for-me/.   Once you’ve decided on a size, here is a link to our online shop for pricing and shipping costs: https://dpwaterer.com/shop/   

The original frost free waterer and still the best – Drinking Post Frost Free Automatic Livestock Waterers.

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