Water Supply Problems

The following montage illustrates some of the problems commonly experienced on pig farms

There are links to video clips (some are quite large)

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Water source needs to be clean and regularly checked for bacterial contamination.	Water on UK farms are stored in header tanks these need to be secure	If the water supply is liable to freezing ensure suitable arrangements are made	Can the water distribute through the house? This pipeline is blocked
Is the drinker accessible to the pigs? The drinkers have turned limiting access	This drinker has also turned towards the wall making it difficult to access	This drinker is very difficult to gain access by the design of the pen	This drinker is too high for pigs to easily gain access
These drinkers were too low for adequate access without spillage	There was insufficient number of drinkers in this pen. Check trough length.	This water was clearly contaminated with faecal materials	This drinker was leaking water. A serious cause of filling the slurry tank
Check the water flow. This is inadequate for the age of the pigs	This flow is excessive. This was from a high pressure system	There was no flow from these drinkers. This will result in the death of pigs	Water flow problems can often be seen at a distance. Check for variation
Drinkers can overflow and lead to water wastage and potentially wet sleeping areas	Observe the behaviour of the pigs while drinking to see if the water supply is adequate	Drinkers used for compromised pigs must be clean and readily accessible	A working knowledge of how drinkers work will help the investigation