The tee at the base of your pressure tank probably has a 1/4 inch tap for a pressure switch, along with other connections for a relief valve, drain valve and pressure gauge.

If you only have one such tank, you can install the pressure switch on the tee.

If you have several tanks in parallel (recommended), mount the pressure switch on the line that feeds the tanks.  Some day you will want to isolate and drain each tank to remove sediment and check the air pressure in the upper chamber.  But you don’t want to shut the entire system down to do it.

The only valve normally closed in the diagram above is the bypass.  In colder climates, the valve at the exterior hose bibb would be closed during the winter, and water trapped between the two valves would be drained.  If your horses stay off the pasture in the winter you might close that valve as well and drain the line for freeze protection.

This pressure tank is in the loft of a barn.  It is one of several that ‘ride the line’ between the well and treatment system.  Note the tap for the pressure switch is plugged.

To service the tank, you’d shut the valve on the left and open the drain valve near the pressure gauge.  Connect a hose to the drain valve to route the water to a safe location.  Remember, it’s still under pressure even though the isolation valve is closed!

You’ll need 120/240 VAC for your water system.  The motor on your pump probably runs on 240 volts.  Equipment in your pump house likely needs 120 volts but in colder climates you may also need 240 volts for a space heater.

Your contractor will likely install a device that automatically shuts off the pump if it detects low flow or dry running.  If it activates you may have to reset it manually.  The device may be located near the well or in the pump house with other controls.  Ask your contractor so you’ll know what to do when the time comes.

If everything works properly, you’ll have a reliable source of water for your horses.

You’ll only have to worry about a power outage and that won’t be a problem if you have a back-up generator (to be considered in a subsequent post).

The greatest gift you can give your mustang is patience.

Remember, he’s been chased by helicopters, probably for several days, jammed into a chute and freeze-marked, had his boys cut off, brusquely handled by wranglers, and hauled off to an alien world.

Now you want to put him in a confined space and try to make friends when he doesn’t trust you and is ill-prepared for the experience?

How do you give him release when your presence is pressure?

What kind of learning happens in this environment?

The first thing you have to do is sack him out to you.

Let him come to terms with his new surroundings on his own timeframe.  Spend some time with him doing chores (scooping poop and filling water buckets).  Give him a chance to figure out you’re not a threat.  The older he is the longer this will take.

An exception might be when he is aggressive and dangerous (because he was taught bad lessons by someone else) and will be put down or sold at auction.

It’s not the rope.

He’s not flighty.

It’s you.

If your water system is supplied by a well, it must have at least one pressure tank.  The tank has two chambers.  The upper section is filled with compressed air, the lower section holds water from the well.  The water chamber usually has a rubber liner that provides a flexible diaphragm between the two chambers (like a balloon).

As water flows into the lower chamber, the diaphragm expands and pushes against the air, which is compressed in the upper chamber.  The air pushes back against the diaphragm.

This maintains system pressure.

When you fill water buckets for your horses, air in the upper chamber pushes water out of the tank and into your system.  Check valves in the discharge line from the pump make sure water doesn’t go back into the well.

When the system pressure drops below a pre-set point (determined by the pressure switch), the pump cuts in and refills the tank.

Pressure tanks are usually installed on the ‘raw’ side of the system, that is, upstream of the treatment equipment.  More on that in a subsequent post.

You probably want a pressure tank that holds at least 20 gallons of water.  The more capacity you have, the fewer on/off cycles for the pump, which extends its life.  You can install pressure tanks in parallel for more storage.  A horse ranch should have at least 40 to 60 gallons of water under pressure.  Install a valve at each tank so it can be taken off-line without shutting the system down.

Vendors such as this one offer a range of pressure tanks and parts.

Tanks must be emptied of water before setting the air pressure in the upper chamber, which should be two psi below the ‘low’ setpoint of the pressure switch.  If your switch turns the pump on at 40 psi water pressure, set the pressure in the upper chamber to 38 psi.

Pressure tanks often have valve stems on top similar to those on the tires of your car.  You can use the same tool to check the air pressure in your tank(s).

If you live on a ranch, you may have a portable compressor for keeping the tires of your tractor properly inflated.  You can use the same machine to service your tank(s).

In some areas, large non-pressurized tanks may also be required to provide water for fire protection.  For example, a 5000 gallon poly tank with roof, or two 2500 gallon poly tanks in parallel.  Water in these tanks might sit there for weeks or months.

Bulk tanks don’t store water under pressure.  You’ll need a booster pump to supply the firewater system.

If these tanks provide water for your potable system, the booster pump would send water over to the treatment equipment and then out to your horses.

In both cases, the tanks would hold untreated (raw) water from your well, taken from a point downstream of the pressure tanks.

Your pump may run for several hours when filling a bulk tank.  Make sure you’re not drawing water out of the well faster than it flows in!

Go to this FB page for the latest on the rescue, now in its final stages.  A home is needed for twenty aged and/or blind stallions.

The story of the ISPMB rescue appears on a related FB page.

Three cheers to Elaine Nash and her team at Fleet of Angels, along with Palomino and Matt Armstrong of Chilly Pepper Miracle Mustang!

The ISPMB sanctuary included horses from White Sands NM, Gila Bend AZ, Virginia Range NV and Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge NV.