A few days ago, we found a small flood in the barn. One of the old cast iron water bowls had rusted, had an irreparable leak in it, and needed to be replaced. Jim replaced it with a lighter weight, plastic bowl, and we were good to go. This morning, however, we noticed that the water bowl was full to the brim, and the floor was wet. Hmmm... (yes, that's a bit of rye in the water bowl. The cows should have better table manners!)
Sometimes when working with old pipes, bits of rust come loose and clog the screen on the water bowl valve, resulting in a leak. It's a simple fix, really...
First of all you turn off the water source to the bowl. We have valves on the main water line that we can easily close when needed.
Then...find the correct wrench, and turn out the valve. Lefty loosey...
See the rust and debris that is stuck to the screen?
Clean it off and put the screen back in place on the end of the valve...
Then, before putting the valve back in...or replacing it if necessary...flush out the line. You turn on the water line just long enough to flush out any more pieces of rust or debris that might be in there...
...put some thread tape on the threads to help make a tight fit...
...and put the valve back in. Righty tighty...
Now the cows are happy...
Just in case you ever wondered! It's just part of life in the barn.
