Okay, folks, grab a seat. Today was one of those “figure it out or go broke” kinda days on the farm. My good ol’ Farm Tuff waterer – the heavy duty one that’s seen better days – started leaking at the corner joints. Again. Plastic cracked right where the pipe connects. Ugh.
The Headache Begins
First instinct? Call up the place I bought it ages ago. Got quoted for genuine replacement corner pieces. Nearly choked on my coffee! Seriously? That much for two bits of plastic? Felt like highway robbery. Started scrambling online, searching every farm supply site I knew. Found a few options, but shipping costs killed any savings. Got madder than a wet hen just looking at the numbers. This wasn’t gonna fly. Had to find a different way.
Hunting for Tough Stuff, Cheap
Stood there staring at the busted pieces. Took some measurements with my crusty old tape measure – diameter, wall thickness, angle, the whole nine yards. Then started rummaging, both online and through my junk pile in the barn. Remembered seeing some heavy-duty schedule 80 PVC fittings for something else entirely. Pulled them out. Huh.
- Realized the angle looked close – maybe a little sharper, but maybe workable?
- Checked the thickness – WAY thicker than the original Farm Tuff plastic. Seriously chunky.
- Connector ends seemed bigger, but the actual pipe diameter going in looked promising…
Okay, cheap plan forming: see if I can adapt these burly PVC corners to fit the Farm Tuff pipes. Worth a shot for about a quarter the price of the “proper” parts.
Getting My Hands Dirty
Dragged the busted waterer into the workshop. Broke out the hacksaw first to carefully cut off the leaking joint piece without wrecking the main pipe. Tricky part. Lots of careful sawing, clink clank. Got it off without mangling it too bad.
Then, grabbed the big schedule 80 PVC corner. This plastic felt dense. Used a sharp utility knife and some coarse sandpaper to slowly work down the inside rim of the PVC connector where the Farm Tuff pipe needed to slide in. Took forever! Shaved off tiny bits, tested fit… nope, too tight… shaved more… tested again… finally felt it slide in snug. Kept going until it pushed in deep enough to feel secure.
Did the same thing to the other end of the PVC corner for the next pipe section. Sweat was dripping off my nose. cuss word mumbled under breath.
Slapped some heavy-duty marine-grade sealant all over the inside of the PVC connector before forcing the Farm Tuff pipe end into it. Wiped off the gunk that squeezed out. Did this for both corners I needed to replace. Left it alone for the sealant to cure overnight. Fingers crossed.
The Nervous Test
Next morning? Hooks it back up to the water line. Turned the water on… slowwwly… watching those jury-rigged connections like a hawk. Little trickle? NOPE! Bone dry! Gave everything a hard wiggle – joints held tight. FINALLY! Filled the trough. No drips, no leaks, no pooling.
Honest truth? Been running like this for a solid week now. Animals are drinking, water’s flowing, no signs of stress on those fat PVC corners. Saved over half what the “right” parts cost. Might not look factory perfect, but who cares?
FUN FACT: Using stuff you might already have, or can grab cheap at a regular hardware store, beats paying the farm premium every single time, if you’re willing to do the dirty work. Get measuring, get creative. Still holding strong!
