Warm water / soft water

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savaged

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Mar 9, 2008
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730
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Greenfield OH
I'm preparing to add a hot water heater in my wash rack area for cold weather rinsing, and wondering if i should also add a water softener.

Has anyone used softened water to rinse, and did it seem to work better?  Our well water is very hard.
 

rtmcc

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Oct 11, 2008
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Peterson, MN
Wish we had a water softener in our wash rack.  Just think how much different it feels when you take a shower in the house and the softener has been out of salt for a week or two.  Neither your skin or hair feels as clean and fresh.  Or maybe thats from the but chewing from my spouse for not adding the salt she brought home.  Anyway, its the same on the cattle hair.
 

knabe

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Feb 7, 2007
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Hollister, CA
the salt will go somewhere.  you could get a culligan type softener where the salt bead bed is removed with the tank instead of out in your yard.
 

AJH

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Jan 3, 2009
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Why would you want to add a water heater??? We live where it is real cold in the winter with alot of snow. My washrack is heated, but hot water on the calves when it's 10-20 degrees outside is just askin to get them sick. I rinse with cold all the time and have never had a problem.
 

CM Cattle

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Sep 28, 2008
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Central Kentucky
AJH said:
Why would you want to add a water heater??? We live where it is real cold in the winter with alot of snow. My washrack is heated, but hot water on the calves when it's 10-20 degrees outside is just askin to get them sick. I rinse with cold all the time and have never had a problem.
I was thinkin the same thing.
 

rtmcc

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Oct 11, 2008
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Peterson, MN
Our wash rack is heated but the water comes out of the hose the same 52* year round.  Warm water is nice for cowboy comfort but makes it steamier in the wash rack.  We just use a bucket heater if we need warm water to mix conditioner with. <cowboy>
 

vc

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Jul 24, 2007
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Location
So-Cal
We switched to potassium pellets over the salt, does not hurt the plants like the salt. Not a big difference in cost.

I always thought that a water softener would work well for both rinsing and if you run misters.
 
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