The "Watering Hole" Water Tank
Manufactured by American Quality Plastics
By Lalita Creighton
If you follow the Missouri Trailblazing Facebook page, then you know I recently bought a new slant load horse trailer with a dressing room. Now that I finally have some extra space in my dressing room, I decided it was time to save the 5 gallon water containers for camping trips where I'd need extra water and invest in a larger water tank designed to fit into the slant corner of my dressing room.
I chose the 35 gallon water tank, called the "Watering Hole" on Valley Vet's website, for a few reasons. I didn't feel the 18 or 25 gallon tanks would hold as much water as I wanted for two horse (and two humans, in a pinch). I also felt the price was reasonable, and it came with a free 10' hose to either drain the tank, or run out the dressing room door to a bucket. (Valley Vet now offers the 39 gallon tank by High Country Plastics for a cheaper price with the hose included) I also was able to find a replacement filler cap that has a breather vent built into it, so when I want to fill a bucket, I don't have to take the cap off the tank - reducing the risk of losing it. Of course, to fill the tank I still have to remove it.
The tank came with two fittings to install on the front of the tank, two straps to secure the tank for fitting installation. The lower fitting near the bottom of the tank accepts a standard hose thread and can be used to completely drain the tank. The upper fitting was about two feet higher than the first and is a quarter turn ball valve for filling buckets. The instructions said to use Teflon tape or pipe compound on the threads of the upper fitting.
After installing the fittings, I did a leak-test before installing the tank in my trailer. I filled the tank higher than the level of the second fitting. I then ran some water out of eat fitting, and closed them back up. I left it for a few days with no leaks, so drained it and proceeded.
I'll note here the mounting instructions were not the clearest I've ever read. As an engineer, I didn't have any trouble but if you're not the most mechanically inclined person in the world, you might need a little extra assistance.
Installation required drilling two 1/8" diameter holes in an upright support in the corner of the dressing room in which the tank was being installed. I had to contact the trailer manufacturer and find out how wide the supports were in that corner because the dressing room is fully lined and then carpeted. The uprights are made of 6061 T6 aluminum, and isn't as easy to drill as you might think.
Once the holes were drilled, the straps are screwed into the wall using the screw/washer pre-assembled onto the strap. The problem I ran into was that due to the placement of the screws on the straps, the double buckle for tightening the straps ended up right at the edge of the front face of the tank, so the straps really couldn't be tightened. I had to remove the straps from the wall, move the screws and washers over, and then reattach the straps. Once I did that, the straps tightened up just fine. The tank seemed very secure, so I went ahead and filled the tank about half-way. I can't see the need to haul a full tank for a day trip, but it's nice to have water available for watering the horses, rinsing my hands, even getting a drink for me in a pinch since the tank is made from FDA approved plastic.
I've now hauled with the tank installed several times, and it has not shifted at all and the straps are as tight as the first day they were installed.
Overall, I am pleased with the tank although I would be likely to buy the 39 gallon tank for slightly less money if I were buying now (just to save the money).
As mentioned above, I purchased my tank from Valley Vet,
www.valleyvet.com, with the hose for around $95.00. (Aug 2010)
I purchased the replacement filler cap with the built-in breather vent from Horse Trailer Accessory Store,
www.horsetraileraccessorystore.com, for $6 (Aug 2010), which also stocks the tank itself.
No affiliation with either Valley Vet or Horse Trailer Accessory Store, but both shipped my order promptly with no errors or problems.