Incredibly Robust Livestock Watering Systems
The Kiwitech water system has evolved over the lifetime of Harry Wier, a Kiwi farmer who practises TechnoGrazing (Advanced Rotational Grazing). For Harry, one of the biggest challenges was to develop robust, user-friendly, reliable and cost-effective water reticulation systems that fitted the needs of small grazing partitions.
Kiwitech Hydrant Tee and Troughs
Kiwitech's livestock watering components are a modular system that can be configured to suit a variety of methods of watering livestock.
Core System Components
- A quick-connect 25mm Hydrant Tee used to plug in either of two trough options:
- The 'R100' Portable Round 100 Litre Trough (suitable for all stock types) or
- The 'MICGO' a truly unique Portable MicroTrough (suitable for cattle only)
A fixed version of the MicroTrough (the 'MIC') is also sold to those who desire permanent inline watering points.
For more information on why Kiwitech Troughs and Hydrants cannot be used with direct mains water supply please scroll to the end of this page.
Kiwitech's design spec for ideal livestock watering systems.
Like our electric fencing systems these water systems are inspired by the following ideals.
| Near Indestructible | Hydrants are tolerant of very high pressure (over 400 psi), tension loads and significant frosts. Kiwitech Troughs (fitted with Kiwitech Tee underside) can be dragged by an ATV pulling (gripping) leads up to 500m long. R100 Float arms (ballcock equivalent) are livestock unbreakable plastic bricks (1.8kg). Trough valves are located underneath the trough, well protected, from harm. Troughs are industrial strength (bull tested) and extremely U.V. tolerant. |
|---|---|
| Fast Shifting Speed | In-line Hydrant Tees provide 'no fuss' very quick-connect/disconnect from a pressured water system. R100's are designed for tipping (to temporarily drop water pressure for Hydrant disconnect). |
| Shifting ease 'portability' |
Both Kiwitech Troughs are light enough to carry and tolerate dragging. R100 less lead weighs 10kg. Micro less lead weighs 1.5kg. |
| Reliable Water Supply | The trough float valve (same valve included in the Hydrant) delivers very high flow (e.g. 45 litres/minute at ideal operating pressures). An R100 supplies 50-100 adult cattle, but with large pipes and reasonable pressures it can cope with many more. A MicroTrough supplies 50 adult cattle. |
| Cost-effective | The R100 would have to be the toughest conventional like portable trough on the market that we are aware of. MicroTroughs are tougher than R100's, they are a quarter of the price and are even more 'portable'. Both troughs when paired with the Hydrant make the shifting of stock water easy and fast. All our customers agree they get their money's worth using these systems. |
CAUTION: Both Kiwitech trough versions and the Hydrant Tee are legally non-compliant when fed directly off a public water supply (or private potable water system).
Given the possibility of pipe or pump failures, back-siphoning of animal-contaminated water can occur when there is a continuous path for the water back to its source and other users. The only sure-fire way of forestalling this possibility is to create an 'air-gap' which breaks the chain of water flow in a way that makes back-flow an impossibility.
This is usually done by having the water flow from a valve (usually a ballcock) under gravity into a container with a rim that is well below the point of discharge.
The design features that make Kiwitech troughs so robust and effective are incompatible with a float valve perched above the rim of the trough.
In most cases, even multiple non-return valves are not regarded as fail-proof protection from back-flow. The most common solution is to discharge public water into a tank with the required air-gap design and re-pump or gravitate it from there.
