Are you concerned about your outdoor faucets or above-ground plumbed stock tanks? We got you!
I don't know about you, but we are experiencing our first cool weather. It's refreshing after a brutally hot summer! With the coolness, many start thinking about their outdoor faucets, especially after last year's winter.
I wanted you to be the first to know about a new product and an adaptation to an existing one. Our Freeze Miser outdoor faucet protectors now come in a 2-pack. This bundle will save you $1, and reduce plastic and packaging. It's winning for all!
For those who want to keep the faucet open and protect it simultaneously, we are now carrying y-adapters with shut-off valves.
See the pictures below for how to make those work for your system- faucets or stock tanks.
Install, turn your water on full flow, and the Freeze Miser will turn on and drip when the air temperature drops below 37°. It will drip until the temperature rises, and you won't have to worry about your faucets this winter!
If you have orders over 150, please contact me for a great deal- shannon@bestfloatvalve.com.
]]>We strive to find lasting products at Best Float Valve to serve you for the long haul. My manufacturers have recently redesigned the straight lever. It still has all the beauty of the original. Hot-dipped, galvanized steel, 18" long that can be mounted from the top or the bottom of the tank.
The bar has been raised, however! It is now our first lever that can be flipped over and reused on the other side! It may take decades for the first side to wear out, but if it does, then you can flip it the same day that happens and keep using it. How's that for sustainability?
You can order it separately if you need to replace a lever, or it will come with our standard and premium kits from here on out.
We are calling it the Best Float Valve Fool Proof Lever.
In a world where so many things are cheap and breakable, we will continue to do our best to give you quality, durable, sustainable goods that will take care of you and your livestock for the years ahead.
Do you have sustainable products you love? We'd love to hear about them today.
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It's September. I'm feeling a bit of whiplash- I'm not sure if you are or not. Summer went so very quickly. I've settled in Louisiana for the time being so that I can work on my health with my family. I love seeing my family, the rain, the green, the humidity, and no wildfires/smoke. What are you loving these days?
I know some of you have had more rain than you've had in decades, and others of you are desperate for it. I am praying for you today for help in all the places you need it
As fall is here, I wanted to check in with you and see if you were in need of float valves to get set up before temperatures start dropping.
You may still need stock tank or pond cleaner. We have you covered! You may need ice prevention for your stock tanks or outdoor faucets. We got you!
If there is anything we can do to help you get set up, please let us know!
]]>If you’re trying to feed your animals without a feeder, you may run into several problems. You want to ensure that your livestock can access their food equally. You also need to keep an eye on your feeder setup to monitor eating habits and food waste.
A pasture feeder can help with both of these problems. Pasture feeders remain easily accessible for your specific animals, and most come with feed pans that help to catch anything that falls, reducing your total amount of waste.
No matter what you’re feeding your livestock, it’s going to be heavy. After all, a livestock farm doesn’t deal in small amounts of food. You’ll need something to help you move your hay, seed, or whatever else you choose to use as feed around the farm.
A feed cart can be a lifesaver for a farmer who works independently or with limited help. Feed carts help you move your livestock’s food to where it needs to be without breaking your back in the process.
One piece of must-have feeding equipment for your livestock as you start to scale up to greater heights is a feed silo. When the number of animals you have starts to rise, you can no longer afford to buy food in small quantities. This means you’ll need a feed storage solution to house your bulk amounts of food. Silos make it easy to store and dispense food to your livestock in much larger quantities than you would be able to handle on your own.
While it may not relate to food, you can’t expect your livestock to eat without having a place to drink as well. Stock tanks are crucial for a livestock farm, and you need to make sure that you have an option that withstands the conditions on your farm.
Water is prone to absorbing harmful contaminants, so it’s essential you pick a stock tank that’s resistant to corrosion. A water tank float valve from Best Float Valves also goes a long way toward protecting the quality of the water that you serve up to your livestock. We can help you keep your animals happy and healthy with high-quality drinking water. Contact us today to learn how a float valve can make your life as a farmer that much easier.
]]>There were some challenges for Best Float Valve recently, and we could use a little help. If you have used our products and are willing, we would be very grateful if you would leave us a review on Google. Here is the link.
It would be a joy to be able to get the word out to more people, and the reviews could help them find us!
If you have an issue, please give us a chance to make it right before publishing a review.
Pictures and words are quite welcome!
As always, you can email, text, or call in a review as well. Or you can post directly to Google here.
Thank you in advance for your support of our small business.
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As with all living creatures on Earth, water is one of the key necessities of life. While proper hydration is essential, poor water quality can affect your livestock in ways that harm their nutrition and health. Livestock that drink low-quality water can have less appetite, leading to malnutrition and possibly even premature death. We don’t think of water as something we eat, but it is essential to ensure your livestock eat properly.
Farmers who genuinely care about their livestock ensure they get the proper activity throughout the day. This activity keeps them in the best health possible, but no animal will want to move much if they’re drinking poor-quality water. They might feel sick or dehydrated, leaving them with little energy to move around.
Caring for the next generation of livestock starts before they’re even born. Pregnant Livestock require a lot of extra attention and care, including extra food and water. Pregnant livestock drink far more water than livestock that aren’t, so they are more susceptible to contaminants if any get into the water. To protect your current livestock and future generations, ensure they have high-quality water.
Arguably the most important reason for livestock to have good water quality is to protect them from waterborne pathogens. These insidious little monsters can do serious damage to your livestock on a massive scale if you aren’t careful. Keeping an eye on your water quality and the condition of your livestock, in general, will be the best way to ensure that pathogens don’t end up costing you massive amounts of time and money.
As you care for your livestock, one of Best Float Valve’s high-volume float valve kits can help you keep your water quality as high as possible. If you are dealing with algae issues, need to clean your stock tanks, or clear your ponds, our stock tank and pond cleaner can be a game changer. A good float valve can mean the difference between healthy livestock and a major disaster on your hands
]]>If you’re running your own farming operation, water affects your very livelihood on a daily basis, so it’s essential that you do everything you can to protect it. These are a few ways to avoid water contamination on your farm that you’ll want to keep in mind so you can continue to rely on your water supply well into the future.
Manure is a fact of life on most farms, whether or not they have livestock. Manure management is one of the simplest ways you can prevent water contamination on your own farm. If you only use manure for fertilizer, pay careful attention to where you store your supply, as one small mistake can spell a disaster for a nearby water supply.
For livestock farms, you’ll need to consider where your livestock tend to graze and how heavily they graze as well. Exposing the soil through overgrazing or allowing too much manure to build up in one spot leaves it prone to erosion, which can send manure directly into local water supplies if you aren’t careful.
Conservation buffers are an essential part of protecting water supplies. You never want your farm to be directly up against a water supply such as a river because of possible runoff issues. To prevent runoff from contaminating nearby water, you should utilize conservation buffers.
Trees, long and absorbent grass variants, and certain shrubs make for excellent conservation buffers when planted between your farm and any nearby water supplies. These plants create a natural barrier that prevents contaminants from reaching water supplies.
If you have a watering system that connects directly to a main source of water, then backflow is an issue you’ll need to consider. It’s imperative that potential contaminants from livestock don’t make their way back into the overall watering system—and that’s where a solid float valve kit comes in handy.
Best Float Valves can provide you with a reliable float valve kit that you can rely on well into the future. They’re simple to install in your system and are the perfect solution for any problem your watering system might have. With no minimum pressure requirements, Best Float Valve can get you what you need, no matter how large or small your operation is.
]]>As much as we wish we could give our animals every single thing they need to live their best lives, the realities of the world around us can make that job more difficult. Changing climates and supply line issues are commonplace nowadays, making it more difficult for livestock farmers to take care of their charges.
Water is often a key part of these issues. Of course, you want to always make sure your livestock have the water they need, but you can’t use up water irresponsibly because of how precious and expensive it is. Understanding how to reduce water usage for livestock on your farm is crucial because it can affect the animals’ long-term health and wellbeing. We’ll give you a few tips on reducing water consumption and look at why it’s such an important part of a livestock-focused farm.
Surprisingly, we can waste a lot of water just by not paying close enough attention to how we refill troughs and water tanks. Forgetting that you began filling up a water tub or trough and allowing it to overflow is a significant issue. Gallons upon gallons of water can go to waste just from a simple slip of the mind. If you’re filling up water, try to stay focused on the task and avoid letting other tasks distract you. Alternatively, livestock tank floats can help automatically prevent this issue.
Livestock farms don’t deal in small quantities of water. We’re talking about truly massive amounts of water used every single day. This means that a leaking water pipe is no small issue that can simply go ignored. Even the smallest hair-line crack in a pipeline can lead to multiple gallons of water lost every time you turn the water on. Stay up to date on pipeline maintenance, and treat any leak as a problem worth solving as soon as possible.
Using water for washing down your facilities is just as important as the water that your livestock drinks. Thankfully, your wash water doesn’t need perfect filtration and purification to do its job. If you have a clean-in-place system, you can divert wash water into a separate storage tank for later use. This water obviously isn’t suitable for drinking, but storing wash water can still help save water that you’ll need for regular cleaning tasks.
Another good way to reduce water usage on your livestock farm is to rethink the way that your livestock cooling equipment works. Many livestock farmers rely on cooling equipment to help their animals beat the heat, but you don’t need to keep these machines in constant use. Instead of constantly staying on, you can place cooling systems that use water on cycles, turning them on and off automatically. This keeps your livestock cool and hydrated without wasting water.
Cleaning the floors and areas where livestock spend a lot of their time is an essential part of keeping them healthy, but you don’t need to rely only on water to clean them out. Many of these areas have material that will simply soak up excess water as you try to spray it away. If you manually clean these areas before you begin the wash cycle, you can end up using less water overall.
If foreign bodies contaminate your water, it’s no longer suitable for your animals. Contaminated water is a reality that many farmers dread because of the devastating effects it can have on their livestock. Keeping a close eye on the purity of your water is the first step to ensuring that your livestock never have to rely on unclean and hazardous water.
Sometimes, water might be in short supply. For many different reasons, you might need to cut down on your water consumption. Should this happen to you, remember to never reduce your livestock’s access to water. Livestock need a lot of water to thrive, and restricting their access to it, even a little bit, can have serious adverse effects on their health and mental state.
What is the point of all this thrifty water use? Why do we need to make sure that our livestock farms aren’t going overboard with consuming water? There are plenty of good reasons, but these are some of the most important.
We’ve only got one planet, and even that only has so much fresh water that we can rely on. The livestock industry consumes a significant portion of global water usage. If livestock farmers want to be able to support their animals and businesses in the long run, we need to take steps now to preserve all the water that we can.
Preserving the water that you do have access to makes it easier to keep a store of it in case of emergencies. Being cut off from water for whatever reason can put you and your livestock in a state of panic. Conserving as much water as possible ensures you don’t have to worry about running out as quickly.
Water isn’t cheap, especially in the quantities that livestock farmers need. The more livestock farmers can reduce their water consumption, the more water there will be to go around. The higher that supply of water is, the less water companies can increase the price of water access to those who need it most.
Best Float Valves knows better than most how precious every drop of water is. Our products help you manage your water supply properly, making your work easier and creating a better environment for your livestock to live and thrive in.
]]>We can’t control everything that happens to us or our businesses. For livestock farmers who rely on others to provide them with water, this means that shortages and mistakes can happen, which might leave you without the necessary amount of water you need. This is a situation for which you never want to feel unprepared. If you know your water will be in short supply for any reason, having a contingency plan is absolutely necessary. Emergency stores of water are a key element for making sure your livestock never go longer than they should without watering.
The time of year and climate always affect how farmers operate. Livestock farmers need to consider how changes in temperature throughout the year can impact their water supply. The hotter months expose water supplies to more heat and sunlight, which can cause faster evaporation and water loss. Colder months bring with them the possibility of water supplies freezing over. You can expect both these eventualities, depending on your location, so it’s a good idea to have plans in place to prevent either of these issues before the temperature changes too much.
One essential water tip for livestock farmers is to study the possible contaminants that could find their way into the water supply. Depending on your water source, this could be many different things, from heavy metals to algae buildup. Being able to recognize the signs of these contaminants can save you a lot of time and money in the long run as most of these contaminants can do serious harm to your livestock’s health.
Here at Best Float Valve, our goal is to make livestock farming easier on the individuals who make a living out of it. Our float valves can help prevent your water supplies from being contaminated by algae and we also have freeze protection products to keep your water ready to go all winter long.
]]>Hey everyone!
I have some product updates for you this month. Our 1 1/4" Best Float Valve High Volume Stainless Steel Valves are back in stock. If you have high volume and low pressure and want the longest-possible lasting valve, this is the way to go!
When I was packing up everything to get ready to leave the West Coast, I found a small bag of the Micro Sweeper small nozzles! I know some of you prefer them to the larger ones. I have 20, and I've been told that there won't be any more made. Grab them now before they run out!
If there's anything we can do to serve you, please don't hesitate to reach out. People are regularly asking if we have inventory. We have everything. If you are needing something in a hurry, this is your friendly reminder that any orders placed July 15-24 will not go out until the week of the 25th due to my manufacturers being on vacation.
Have a glorious rest of your week!
]]>I have been with Best Float Valve since 2013, and I love serving y'all. It's a gift to provide such fantastic products to wonderful people.
I heard from my manufacturers this week, and my prices are changing again. I could mark up the products altogether, but I don't want to do that. In response, I need to lower my discount in exchange for pictures, reviews, blog links, and videos. They help us get the word out tremendously, and I am grateful for every single one.
I know costs are going up everywhere and it is incredibly stressful. I don't know how you are dealing with the increases, but I am praying for you- for grace, provision, strength, ingenuity, and favor.
We will keep providing excellent customer service for you and the highest quality products. I'm pleased to get to offer 5% off your order before shipping in exchange for these things from July 1 on.
The 10% off discount will be available for these until June 29, and then those discounts will no longer be accessible. If you need anything or have any questions, please let us know. Have an incredible week!
]]>Hey there. This is not about products or updates, but more a personal one. So if you want to bounce, I get it. :)
I recently got to take a trip to the coast not far from where I live. Along with time on the beach, I got to visit this beautiful place called Fern Canyon. The air was so clear, I turned off my phone except for pictures, and I was able to decompress a bit.
I don't know about you, but I have found it extraordinarily difficult lately to unplug. And staying plugged in leads to so much troubling and even devastating news from family, friends, and the world. Hope can start to fade in the middle of the onslaught of gas and food prices, shootings, and health craziness.
How do you process all that is going on? It seems like it is the most difficult few years of my 40+ years of existence. Maybe others of you can say the same.
I just wanted to send a simple reminder to you to take care of yourself and to be with your people in these days. What helps you take a deep breath? It doesn't have to be a trip to the coast. It may be a bubble bath or a horseback ride with your favorite person. I journal, lift weights, call my family and friends, get out in nature, go to church, watch funny movies or tv shows, and try to be present in the moment. Spending time with Jesus helps me with the perspective that this life is not all that there is. Gratitude is priceless. What are three things you are grateful for? I'd love to hear. Three things I'm grateful for today are you, for the chance to get to move East this summer, and for my family.
When we just keep pushing through, issues can spring up. When we take time to be still, we can process and find the strength to keep going. This will not take us out. This is not the end. We can make it, and we will see better days.
I have offered this before, and I wanted to do it again. If there is any way that I can be praying for you, please don't hesitate to respond. I'd love to do it. In case someone hasn't told you this week, I'm for you. You can do this. You aren't alone. Have an incredible week!
]]>I had the privilege of spending some time at a beautiful piece of land that is one of the many that the McConnell Foundation owns in my area of Northern California. Their mission is to help build better communities through philanthropy. They have created places with walking trails that are open to the public and one of my very favorite spots to enjoy the outdoors in Redding. I had been going there for years when they reached out to use our products with their cattle.
I deeply appreciate and resonate with their practices of sustainability and excellence. In every direction across acres and acres on both pieces of property I've had the privilege of exploring, there is beauty. They work so hard to plant native grasses and to make things fire-safe and good for the environment as well.
Check out this restored barn! I love it! Even the detailing on the door handles with old horseshoes blew me away.
They even redid all the carriages that were in the original barn. They aren't wasting a thing!
I have met three people from their team and have been utterly impressed with them at every turn. Their hearts to serve and to better our community makes it an honor and a privilege to work with them. Matt Tracy showed me around this day, and the passion in his voice about his projects, our community, and their business was catching!
They are using our Best Float Valve High Volume Valve Premium Kits on their farms due to lower pressure. Here are some of their setups.
If you want to find out more about the McConnell Foundation, check out their website.
]]>Ever since I walked the dusty roads of Mozambique in the city and in the bush, I have had a dream to fund water wells to change the trajectory of families and villages. I sent part of the proceeds from every order to Iris Ministries to their well-drilling program.
Just recently, I got an update! Last year alone over 40,000 more people had access to clean water because of the wells Iris put in. Isn't that phenomenal?
Here's a picture of the drilling team:
Best Float Valve funded a full well and we are well on the way to funding another!! It costs $7500 to successfully drill a well- to dig through that hard dirt. I know for many people, that amount is pocket change. And to the (mostly women and children) who won't need to walk hours daily to get water that may or not may have been safe for drinking, it is priceless!!
For all of you who have ordered, thank you! As you have invested to keep water going for your livestock or other endeavors, you are helping change the future- literally- for hundreds and eventually thousands of Mozambicans.
For those of you who will order, thank you in advance as well. For as long as I am running this company, we will continue to give into this very worthy cause. If you feel led to give more, that is welcome! You can give here.
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Best Float Valve is here to serve and to make your lives better in any way we can. Please let us know how we can assist you!
]]>Our high-pressure pan floats that allow for more precision in setting your stock tank water level. Our livestock water trough pan floats with pigtail rods offer an alternative to the 1” chain links that come with our barrel and pan floats.
These stock tank floats are made of heavy gauge aluminum with welded seams. Each float is cut, formed, and welded with pride at the plant in Nebraska. Each float is pressure tested to assure there will be no leakage.
We wanted to let you know that there are more options for our Best Float Valve pigtail floats now! It came to my attention that some customers either want to use a rope or that they already have their own rod. Rather than buying parts you don't need, you can just get the float without the rod if you so desire!
The floats we have available for this are the 8" or 12" pan float with 3/8" center tube. They now can be ordered with or without the 1/4" x 15" pigtail rod with an aluminum lock collar.
The 8" pan floats will handle up to 60 psi, and the 12" pan floats up to 120 psi for with our regular valves, and up to 45 psi with our high volume valves.
If you want to order the Best Float Valve Kit with the pigtail rods, you can get that here.
We are all about sustainability, conservation, and we are here to serve you.
]]>The sizes that were/are available have these flow rates:
While the small nozzles work well in tanks that are smaller in diameter and where the winter temperatures aren't as brutal, they have had some issues in larger tanks and tanks where the temperatures are deeply freezing.
To adjust to that, my manufacturers are discontinuing the smaller nozzles. I've heard from many of you that the smaller nozzles work extremely well for you. So, I wanted to let you know that I have 37 left in stock. After they run out, there won't be any more for the foreseeable future. I'll definitely let you know if there are new products or nozzles that come out.
Holler if you have questions, and as always, send pictures!! Let us know how things are going for you.
]]>After the install (pictures below), he sent us this:
"We learned a lot, appreciate your input & are LOVING the new system!!! We removed a 7-foot steel trough with a manual hydrant & replaced it with a 10-foot tire with your float valve system & a drain pipe. We water from four alleys & designed our own Insulated cover with insulated lids for the cold. We are currently experiencing -25 to -40 temperatures and it is working VERY well with a small floating tank heater. We are currently watering 350 yearlings & 200 cows with some bulls as well. It has saved us hours of time, TONS of ice shoveling & the cattle love the on-demand water. There is no longer any pushing or fighting at water nor wrecking alleys and pens."
Happy customers, happy us. Jess, your feedback is so greatly appreciated. It is a joy to serve our customers in the US and Canada!
If you are interested in livestock tank float valves that will save you time and resources, connect with us today!
]]>The current pricing will be in effect until February 28th, and the new prices will be live on March 1.
If you are looking for float valves, now is the time to get them! If you need help figuring out the best product for your situation, please contact us. We would love to help you get sorted!
Until then, check us out at bestfloatvalve.com for your stock tank float valve needs. Thank you for your strong support and being the best customers out there.
]]>Our stock tank float valves are sturdy, durable, and dependable. They are made with farmers in mind. We want to help ease the load of what you are doing and take the worry about livestock hydration off your minds. Due to the 18" valve arm, our standard and high volume valves can take up a fair amount of space when combined with our floats. Customers have been asking for a smaller valve with the same delivery, and my brilliant manufacturer delivered!
The Best Float Valve Mini Kit boasts a 12" arm and an 8"x4" pan float. It was originally designed as a male stainless steel valve, and it was so popular, it was developed into a female stainless steel valve as well. The smaller size helps it fit in considerably smaller places and will rock pressure up to 80 psi.
In a 4’ diameter stock tank, a hose off a hydrant running at 68 psi took 20 minutes to fill it up with our mini kit.
We have customers using them in livestock tanks, and I even have a customer using one in a barrel for his fish tank. They love them.
Our mini kit is set up with two different floats, depending on your preference. Both floats offer topside water level adjustment. Our first option comes with the 8"x4" pan float with a stainless steel chain, and the second option comes with the 8"x4" pan float with a pigtail rod. This gives a bit more precision in the water level when necessary.
If smaller is what you are going for, we have you covered! If you are in need of livestock tank float valves that can you depend on for years and years, Best Float Valve is a fantastic place to start. The main thing I hear from new customers is that they wish they would have found us sooner.
Why not check us out today?
]]>One of the reasons I love Best Float Valves is that there are no plastic pieces in any of our products. Our parts are individually replaceable when necessary, and the floats and valves will last for decades.
Our valves that will need the least maintenance for the longest amount of time are our stainless steel valves. We have them in 3 versions, with options for male and female in two of them.
Our regular flow stainless steel valves come in male and female with the pipe fittings of either 3/4" or 1". They can pair with any of our floats and the psi capacity is up to 180 depending on the float. The valve arms are 18" long and along with the valve body and seat, are stainless steel.
Our high volume/low pressure stainless steel valves come in 1 1/4" and are female. They offer twice the flow capacity of the regular valves and work well with pond siphons or gravity flow. The valve arms are 18" long or 24" long for higher pressures.
Our mini valves have a 12" stainless steel arm and a 1/2" pipe fitting. While they are tiny, they are mighty- and will take care of up to 100 psi.
For these valves, the main issue of maintenance will be the poppet washers (a $2 part). Some people replace them every 6 months, some every 3-5 years. If you are looking for durable valves that will stand the test of time, Best Float Valves are here for you.
We have multiple floats to pair with our valves as well- barrel floats, pan floats, anti-corrosion floats, and pan floats with pigtail rods.
If you need help discovering what would serve you best, contact us today!
]]>We have four different valve options that will flow 13gpm on a 1 ½” line at 5 psi and 50gpm at 2” line with 45 psi. They will run from negligible pressure up to 180 psi depending on the float they are paired with. If you'd like to check out our floats, we have barrel and pan floats available.
Standard Valve: Our Best Float Standard Valve is made of hot-dipped galvanized steel for the lever and valve body, and then the poppet housing is made of brass.
Premium Valve: Our Best Float Premium Valve is made of hot dipped galvanized steel for the lever and valve body, but the poppet housing is upgraded to stainless steel.
Male Stainless Steel or Female Stainless Steel: Our stainless steel water tank float valve is our top-tier version of the most durable and simple float valve on the market. The valve lever, body, and poppet housing are all stainless steel. If you have high levels of sulfur or other corrosives in your water, the Stainless Steel Best Float Valve is for you.
All four of these valves can be ordered ported to pair with our continuous flow or ice prevention products. If you aren't sure if you want to have those options, you can order the valve ported and plugged and make your decision later.
The main complaint we get about our valves is that customers didn't find us sooner. If you are looking for a lasting solution to fiddling with your stock tank watering systems all the time, we'd love to serve you.
]]>Our Best Float Valve barrel floats are designed for our standard and high volume valves. They are designed for livestock tanks, but they are used in other applications as well.
These floats are our most basic float, with options to upgrade them if necessary. They attach to the valve at the end of the valve lever, and that's also where the water level adjustment happens. They are made of high-quality, heavy-gauge aluminum, and each float is pressure-tested at our factory in Nebraska before being shipped out.
For the chain options, we have two. Our most basic is the zinc chain, and the next level is our stainless steel chain. I recommend going with the stainless chain because you will get more longevity, but I have hundreds of customers using the zinc chains who are quite pleased with them.
We have 3 different float sizes, and psi is a major determining factor for which we recommend. Here's a chart to help you determine what's best for you.
Barrel float Size |
Standard valve PSI max |
HiVol valve PSI max |
6"x6" |
45 psi |
not recommended |
6"x12" |
90 psi |
not recommended |
8"x12" |
160 psi |
60 psi |
If you really like the barrel float style and are having issues with corrosion, we have two solutions for you. We have a 6"x12" Corrosion-Resistant Barrel float made out of a higher grade aluminum that some customers really love. It has the same pressure rating at 90 psi.
We also have the option to add foam filling to the barrel float, so that even if the float gets pitted in rough water, it will continue to function.
We have them with our Standard, Premium, Stainless, High Volume, and Side Mount Kits available.
If you need help determining which kit will be best for you, please contact us. We'd love to serve you!
]]>Here are thoughts on all three!
If we can help you with Best Float Valves or Ice Prevention, please let us know today!
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With Best Float Valves, we have two powerful options that attach to our valves to help eliminate ice, or at least keep big portions of your tanks open. Both options can be attached to any of our ported valves, and I have some customers that attach them to different kinds of valves.
If you are in need of stock tank float valves that are durable and dependable but you aren't sure if you need ice prevention, you can order almost all of our valves ported and plugged.
For those who ordered their Best Float Valves ported and plugged to spread out the cost, this is your friendly reminder to get your Micro Sweepers or Bleeder Valves and install them before the ice comes creeping in!
Our Micro Sweepers screw into the port and have a thermal-sensing mechanism inside and shoot water toward the top of the tank when the temperature drops below 41°. This will continue until the tank temperature comes back up to 42°. We have three sizes of nozzles that allow flow from 10-60 GPH. We recommend starting with the smallest size first and sizing up if necessary. Once they are installed, they do not need any maintenance. They turn themselves off and on. Customers rave that Micro Sweepers save their arms. We are thrilled about that.
Our Bleeder Valves screw into the same port and provide continuous flow. Some call this a petcock valve. They are a more economical option than the Micro Sweeper, but they need to be turned off and on. Some prefer this. We are here whatever your preference.
Our third option is our Best Float Valve Freeze Miser for outdoor faucets or for tanks that are plumbed on top. This can be installed on a y-hose adapter, and as the temperature outside drops below 37°, it will drip warm water into the tank or out of the faucet to help keep things from freezing!
If you are looking for help with ice in your stock tanks, we are here for you! Call us or email us today. We will get you winter-ready!
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Today, we are looking at tire tanks. We also have concrete, steel, fiberglass or poly tank suggestions.
We never recommend hooking our valves to PEX or PVC pipes because of the torque the lever can apply to the pipe. They are also more easily broken by livestock. Instead, transition from PEX or PVC under the concrete to a stainless steel or brass pipe nipple that extends into the tank to the float valve. Do not use galvanized pipe nipples because they can corrode rather quickly due to chemical reactions with the concrete.
We recommend that the pipe nipple extend approximately 3" from the top of the concrete for valves with a straight arm and approximately 5" for valves with a bent arm. If your pipe comes up higher (less than 6" from the top of the water), any of our float valve kits can come with a bent arm. This will allow the valve to be as low as possible in the water and still permit the valve to open fully.
The standard level for an overflow pipe is 1-2" from the top of the tank, or full if the wind won't bother it. A drain pipe is not absolutely necessary, but if it is convenient, go ahead and put one on in. It will be easier to clean the tank and you won't have to siphon or pump it out.
We have multiple Float Valve Kits in regular and high volume options. For installation, the float should be set to be 2/3 underwater in high pressure. We have barrel floats and pan floats. Our barrel floats will handle up to 90 psi, and our pan floats will take up to 165 psi. The pan floats also offer top-water level adjustment and because it saves their arms, some customers will only use these.
If you are looking for continuous flow, you can install Best Float valves with a bleeder valve, like the picture below. This one is pictured with our extension kit, which can keep more of the tank open longer.
If you are using electricity to fill your tank, we have Electric Float Switch Kits with a tire tank mount.
Once installed the only semi-regular maintenance will be the poppet washers. Some replace them every 6 months, some every 3-5 years. If you start to have a little overflow, these will fix the problem 9 times out of 10.
If you have questions about how our Best Float Valve could work in your system, please let us know! We would be thrilled to help you! We would love the chance to show you why our livestock tank float valves could be the answer you have been searching for!
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Best Float Valves are masters at fitting into any type of livestock tank. Today, I am exploring steel tanks.
Most of our customers plumb their steel tanks from the side with our side mount kits. Measure your tank(s) at the widest part of the lip to determine what size will suit (we have four sizes). We recommend galvanized bolt pads when using a side mount. Many use a piece of wood to help further stabilize the kit.
To plumb from the bottom, we recommend drilling a hole, connecting the pipe to our Riser Kit and our valve to that, and sealing with silicone. The riser kits range in size from 3/4" to 2" and come in galvanized or stainless steel.
We recommend that the pipe nipple extend approximately 3" from the bottom of the tank for valves with a straight arm, and approximately 5" for valves with a bent arm (like the tank in the first picture). If your pipe comes up higher (less than 6" from the top of the water), any of our float valve kits can come with a bent arm. This will allow the valve to be as low as possible in the water and still permit the valve to open fully.
If your plumbing is coming in from the bottom side, we have a 90° arm that can be added to our valves to allow it to plumb in that direction. For stainless valves, email shannon@bestfloatvalve.com to have that added to your order.
The standard level for an overflow pipe is 1-2" from the top of the tank, or full if the wind won't bother it. A drain pipe is not absolutely necessary, but if it is convenient, go ahead and put one on in. It will be easier to clean the tank and you won't have to siphon or pump it out.
We have multiple options for float valve kits, including regular and high volume kits with galvanized and stainless steel options. We have barrel floats and pan floats. The barrels are the most basic and operate well up to 90 psi. The pan floats take care of up to 180 psi and offer top-water adjustment. The float should be set to be 2/3 underwater in high pressure.
Below are pictures of our Best Float Valve Electric Float Switch Kit, one with our 2" stroke, and one withe 12" stroke.
The main picture in this blog is of our Best Float Valve Air Gap Float Valve Kit. If backflow is a concern, we have you covered!
If you are looking for continuous flow, you can install Best Float valves with a bleeder valve, like the second picture. This one is pictured with our extension kit, which can keep more of the tank open longer.
If you need ice prevention, the Micro Sweeper can attach to any of our ported valves. Customers rave about them because of their ease of installing, no maintenance, and saving their arms in the winter!
Once installed the only semi-regular maintenance will be the poppet washers. Some replace them every 6 months, some every 3-5 years. If you start to have a little overflow, these will fix the problem 9 times out of 10.
If you have questions or if we can serve you in any way, please contact us at your convenience.
]]>I wanted to continue on our series about the setups for different kinds of livestock tanks. Best Float Valves function superbly well no matter the tank setup, but there are some differences in the installation. For this one, I wanted to look at concrete tanks. They are pretty straightforward, but I want to set you up well if I can.
If you are plumbing from the bottom of the tank, we shy away from hooking the valves to PEX or PVC pipes because of the torque the lever can apply to the pipe. They are also more easily broken by livestock. Instead, transition from PEX or PVC under the concrete to a stainless steel or brass pipe nipple that extends into the tank to the float valve. Do not use galvanized pipe nipples because they can corrode rather quickly due to chemical reactions with the concrete. We recommend that the pipe nipple extend approximately 3" from the top of the concrete for valves with a straight arm. If your pipe comes up higher (less than 6" from the top of the water), any of our float valve kits can come with a bent arm. This will allow the valve to be as low as possible in the water and still permit the valve to open fully. With the bent arm, the pipe nipple can extend approximately 5".
If your plumbing is coming in from the bottom side, we have a 90° arm that can be added to our valves to allow it to plumb in that direction. For stainless valves, email shannon@bestfloatvalve.com to have that added to your order.
Some need to come from the top side of the tank, like the main picture in this blog. Our Side Mount Kits are an extremely durable solution for that situation. Measure your tank(s) at the widest part of the lip to determine what size will suit. They come in multiple sizes for your convenience and can pair with our high volume or standard valves. If your pressure is pushing 90 psi, then we recommend sizing up on the floats to handle that. The side mount kit loses some of the capability for pressure of the kits mounted from the bottom. The 12"x4" pan float will help if needed. Contact us with questions.
A drain pipe is not absolutely necessary, but if it is convenient, go ahead and put one on in especially if you are using our ice prevention products. It will be easier to clean the tank and you won't have to siphon or pump it out.The standard level for an overflow pipe is 1-2" from the top of the tank, or full if the wind won't bother it. If you are going to use our ice prevention products, it will help prevent some messes during the coldest months to have one. The below picture is using our Micro Sweeper.
For the height of the float, shoot for setting to be 2/3 underwater in high pressure. We have barrel floats and pan floats. The barrel floats pictured below are our most basic float and function up to 90 psi in our standard kits. Our Best Float High Volume Valve Kits use a barrel float as well. Our pan floats are adjusted from the top of the water and perform better in highly windy areas. The pan floats (pictured above) allow for higher pressure up to 180 psi.
Once installed the only semi-regular maintenance will be the poppet washers. Some replace them every 6 months, some every 3-5 years. If you start to have a little overflow, these will fix the problem 9 times out of 10.
Here's our page of Float Valve Kits so that you can the float valves for your particular livestock situation.
As always, if you have questions, please contact us. We love getting to serve and helping you get set up for success.
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I wanted to continue on our series about the setups for different kinds of livestock tanks. Best Float Valves function superbly well no matter the tank setup, but there are some differences in the installation. For this one, I wanted to look at fiberglass tanks.
If you are plumbing from the bottom of the tank, we shy away from hooking the valves to PEX or PVC pipes because of the torque the lever can apply to the pipe. They are also more easily broken by livestock. Instead, transition from PEX or PVC under the fiberglass to a stainless steel or brass pipe nipple that extends into the tank to the float valve. We recommend that the pipe nipple extend approximately 3" from the top of the fiberglass for valves with a straight arm. If your pipe comes up higher (less than 6" from the top of the water), any of our float valve kits can come with a bent arm. This will allow the valve to be as low as possible in the water and still permit the valve to open fully. With the bent arm, the pipe nipple can extend approximately 5".
The picture below is of our Best Float High Volume Valve Premium Kit.
We also have Riser Kits to help mount from the bottom if you have need of them. They are made of schedule-40 galvanized pipe with 4" thread on one end. They eliminate the need to solder the inlet pipe and can also be used for overflow into additional tanks. For the riser kit, we recommend drilling a hole through the bottom, connecting the pipe to our Riser Kit and our valve to that. Sealing with silicone is very helpful. The riser kits come from 3/4" to 2" and come in galvanized or stainless steel.
Some need to plumb from the top side of the tank. Our Side Mount Kits are an extremely durable solution for that situation. Measure your tank(s) at the widest part of the lip to determine what size will suit. They come in multiple sizes for your convenience and can pair with our high volume or standard valves. I would not use the high volume side mount kit on the fiberglass tank due to the stress on the tank. I would put a couple of posts in next to the tank, attach a 2x6 (or similar size) to those posts and then mount the valve off of that board. You can mount the pipe to that board with some u-bolts and then just invert the valve at the bottom of the pipe.
If your plumbing is coming in from the bottom side, we have a 90° arm that can be added to our valves to allow it to plumb in that direction. For stainless valves, email shannon@bestfloatvalve.com to have that added to your order.
A drain pipe is not absolutely necessary, but if it is convenient, go ahead and put one on in especially if you are going to install ice prevention products. It will be easier to clean the tank and you won't have to siphon or pump it out.The standard level for an overflow pipe is 1-2" from the top of the tank, or full if the wind won't bother it.
If your pressure is pushing 90 psi, then we recommend sizing up on the floats to handle that. The side mount kit loses some of the capability for pressure of the kits mounted from the bottom. Contact us with questions about this. For the height of the float, shoot for setting to be 2/3 underwater in high pressure. We have barrel floats and pan floats. The barrel floats are our most basic float and will take up to 160 psi depending on float choice. Our pan floats (pictured below) are adjusted from the top of the water and perform better in highly windy areas. The pan floats allow for higher pressure as well, up to 180 psi.
Once installed the only semi-regular maintenance will be the poppet washers. Some replace them every 6 months, some every 3-5 years. If you start to have a little overflow, these will fix the problem 9 times out of 10.
Here's our page of Float Valve Kits so that you can the float valves for your particular livestock situation.
If you are in New Mexico and looking for fiberglass tanks and/or refurbishing old stock tanks, check out our dealer Dee Studdard.
As always, if you have questions, please contact us. We love getting to serve and helping you set up for success.
]]>There is no minimum pressure needed for our valves to flow. We actually tested the high volume and the standard 1-1/2" valve by flowing water from about 3ft high. It was a 55 gallon barrel in the back of a pickup into a stock tank that was on a stand above the ground. Mathematically that should have been less than 2psi but our gauge wouldn't even show it. They still performed well. To get an idea of flow for your place, our Best Float Valve High Volume Valve Kits run 26 gpm on a 1 1/2" line at 5 psi and 110 gpm on a 2" line at 45 psi. There are two options- either High or Low Pressure.
The high volume/low pressure kits will function from negligible pressure up to 60 psi and come in 1 1/4" in our Premium and Stainless Kits and 1 1/2" in our Premium Kits. This kit uses our High Volume Valve and our 8"x12" barrel float. Most of our customers use this one, though some need higher pressure options.
The high volume/high pressure kits will handle up to 70-74 psi and come in our Premium Kit. This kit pairs our high volume premium valve with our 12"x6" pan float. If a stainless kit is needed, you can purchase the High Volume Stainless valve and the 12"x6" pan float separately. We always recommend the full Stainless valves for corrosive water.
These kits are mounted from the bottom of the tank and screw into the pipe. If you want to mount it from the top of the tank to attach to a garden hose or other above-ground plumbing, our high volume valve side mount kits can come in either 1 1/4" or 1 1/2". These are made as they are ordered, so it may take longer than our normal 1-2 business days to get them out the door to you. Using the side mount kit can affect the amount of pressure it can take, so if you are pushing 50 psi, talk to us about a reinforcement of some kind.
We have galvanized bolt pads to help keep the tank from being damaged, and many people use a piece of wood as reinforcement as well.
The featured image is a 1 1/2" High Volume Premium Valve Kit with a Side Mount in Redding, CA. Thanks for sharing the picture, Matt! The first picture at the bottom of the page is a High Volume/High Pressure Kit, and the second is a High Volume low Pressure Kit.
If you have questions or if we can serve you in any way, please contact us at your convenience. We would love to get you set up with durable, sustainable float valves made right here in the USA.
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