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Solution Thaws Frozen Farm Pipes
Cold winter weather poses a significant challenge for farmers, especially in keeping water accessible to livestock. Frozen hoses and pipes can quickly disrupt daily operations, leaving farmers scrambling to thaw lines and restore water flow.
Monica Paslawski and her husband, Kerri, face this problem firsthand on
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Solution Thaws Frozen Farm Pipes
Cold winter weather poses a significant challenge for farmers, especially in keeping water accessible to livestock. Frozen hoses and pipes can quickly disrupt daily operations, leaving farmers scrambling to thaw lines and restore water flow.
Monica Paslawski and her husband, Kerri, face this problem firsthand on their farm in northern Alberta.
“When we first moved here, we didn’t know our neighbors, so we had to come up with a solution that would work especially for me as Kerri worked in the oil patch and was away often,” Monica explains. “We had some awful weather, and I needed to keep the water flowing and livestock drinking.”
The couple’s answer was a simple yet effective homemade device they called the “Ice Hero.” It featured an insulated bucket that held 1 1/2 gal. of hot tap water and was equipped with a small pump powered by a cordless Milwaukee battery. A PCB card helped the couple fine-tune the pump’s pulse rate and aperture, maximizing efficiency while minimizing water use.
The setup’s 10-ft. vinyl hose can thaw up to 2 1/2 ft. of frozen pipe in just one minute, even around bends, using only one liter of water. To prevent the 5/16-in. outer-diameter hose from freezing, the tube and nozzle are stored inside the warm bucket.
What started as a personal fix became a marketable product after Monica noticed others online using risky and complicated methods to solve similar problems.
“I didn’t think much of it, but I saw what others were doing online, and I thought, ‘Our solution is way better. We should market it.’”
The couple did just that and now build the Ice Hero on their farm between Grand Prairie and Dawson Creek, British Columbia. They ship the units directly across North America.
Beyond livestock farms, the device works for mobile homes, septic tanks, and situations where a steam truck would otherwise be needed.
The Ice Hero sells for $600 CAD plus S&H (battery not included).
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ice Hero (ph 780-832-7580; info@icehero.ca; www.icehero.ca).
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