We get several questions that all come back to one central premise. Can I drill a hole in my Ritchie Unit?
Whether you are trying to bring a water line or electrical cord into the unit, or putting a screw into the unit to mount some accessory, the answer is NO, you should not in any situation drill a hole, or drive a screw into your Ritchie unit.
Engineer Ed explains why in this video.
We go to great lengths to seal up the plastic rotomolded components in our waterers. By drilling any sort of hole in any component you allow an area for moisture to enter the unit. This type of modification of the unit will void your warranty.
If moisture is allowed into a rotomolded component it will eventually break down the polyurethane insulation that is sealed inside. This breakdown of the insulation will result in loss of heat retention creating freezing problems for you and your Ritchie unit.
All water lines and electrical wiring should be run up from underneath the unit through the concrete pad.
The Ritchie EcoFount series automatic waterers feature a different design than our other traditional waterers. For instance, the anchor bolts are located on the inside of the unit and are only visible if you remove the trough or the side access panel. Engineer Ed explains the steps to take to remove the trough and install the anchor bolts in this video.
The EcoFount series offers is a top-of-the-line unit providing overall heat coverage along the stainless steel trough provides, a flip top lid for easy cleaning and a fully insulated casing for energy efficiency, cleanliness and keeping the water cooler in the summer.
Cleaning is easy as Engineer Ed will demonstrate in this video.
After 94 years of experience in automatic watering, we have heard almost every reason why automatic waterers should be used and reasons and beliefs why not to.
Recently Thehorse.com conducted a poll on their website asking their readers what automatic waterer brands they are most familiar with. We read through some of the comments and were a little shocked that some of the traditional misconceptions about automatic watering are still out there. So we would like to address these concerns and hopefully answer some of your questions along the way.
“Don’t use automatic watering. Prefer to keep track of what he’s drinking.” or “We DO NOT use auto waterers. You have NO idea how much your horse is drinking.” What if you could have the convenience of automatic watering AND keep track of how much water is being used? You can! Ritchie offers a Digital Water Meter that can be mounted to the wall for visibility. To learn more visit https://ritchiefount.com/product/digital-water-meter/
“Live in Arizona, we do not use auto-waterers, water gets too hot!” We have your solution! Take a look at the EcoFount series. These units act like a cooler in warm climates as they feature a fully insulated casing and discs that float on top of the water. These discs prevent sunlight from accessing the water essentially allowing the water to stay cooler and cleaner. Your horses will have fresh cool water to drink all summer long. Don’t need the heat? Ask us about the non-heated versions.
We also noticed the comment “We wish that a truly udisconnectable waterer would be developed!” There is! Our sister line of automatic waterers, Classic Equine by Ritchie features the EZFount which is a unit that connects to a hose and requires no permanent installation. Learn more here http://classicequinebyritchie.com/Products/#FOUNTEZ.
We welcome any additional questions that you may have and hope that if you have any concerns about automatic watering you contact us anytime.
Each Ritchie waterer should be bolted to a concrete pad for stability and to create a sealable surface around the base of the unit. It is a misconception that the anchor bolts should be set in the concrete pad. We recommend that anchor bolts are drilled into the concrete pad as Engineer Ed explains in this video.
To purchase our 5″ x 3/8″ Anchor Bolts visit https://ritchiefount.com/product/anchor-bolts-package/
Visit us on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/ritchiewaterers
Do you have a question that you would like answered? Email Ruth at rpeterson@ritchiefount.com and you may receive a video response.