HANDY HINTS
Water Supply
When we bought our present
farm 19 years ago, one of the first things I discovered was that the water
supply for the stock was diabolical.
Some tips for repairing
problems in a farm water supply
Broken string which holds the ball
to the ball-cock lever. A temporary
quick fix is to put the ball in a plastic shopping bag then push the lever
through the bag. Will last for a few
days, giving you time to get back and replace the broken string.
Broken lever. The levers are made of soft malleable
brass. Beat the end flat on an anvil –
drill a new hole and shape the end with a file.
Rusted and broken galvanised
elbow going into the trough. Easy to
remove to allow a new fitting to be fitted.
Purchase a ½ “ BSP taper tap from an engineer’s supply company. Cost about $40.00 and will last a lifetime if
kept well greased.
Remove the complete ballcock
from the trough. Screw in the tap being
careful not to cross the thread. Keep
screwing the tap and the broken/rusted remnants for the elbow will be screwed
out and you will be left with a perfect thread in the brass socket which is
inset into the through.
Controlling thistles
We carry a small plastic bottle filled with granules such as Tordon 50G or Picloram. The granules are sprinkled on the thistles, thus affecting only the thistles and not the grass. Within a day or two the thistle begins to wilt and gradually to die. This method takes very little time as it is done as part of whatever other farm tasks are being done and not as a separate job. It works extremely well, and it’s a task that can be delegated to anyone who wants to take a walk on the farm.