Trough cleaning in Exeter
Professional trough cleaning services in Exeter and surrounding areas. Local, reliable handyman - no job too small.
Price Guide
£60-85
Typical Duration
30-60 mins per trough
Location
Exeter, Devon
Livestock water troughs cleaned thoroughly - algae scrubbed out, muck removed, sanitised and ready for fresh water. Regular service available for ongoing maintenance.
Clean Water Matters For Livestock Health
If your water troughs are full of algae, muck, and slime, your animals aren't drinking as much as they should. Dirty water means dehydrated livestock, which means health problems and lower productivity. Clean troughs = animals that actually want to drink.
💡 Pro tip: Animals drink far more from clean troughs. If you think your livestock aren't drinking enough, check the trough - chances are it's putting them off. Especially true for horses, who are fussy about water quality.
Clean Trough vs Neglected Trough
| ✅ Regularly Cleaned | ❌ Left Too Long |
|---|---|
| Animals drink properly, stay hydrated | Livestock avoid drinking from mucky water |
| Clear water, no algae growth | Green slime, floating debris |
| Easy to keep clean with regular scrubbing | Thick algae buildup, hard to shift |
| Healthier animals | Risk of bacterial growth, illness |
| Trough lasts longer | Algae and scale damage surfaces over time |
What's Involved
🔧 The Full Clean
| Stage | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Empty | Turn off auto-fill or bail out water |
| Scrub | Hard brush to shift algae and muck |
| Sanitise | Livestock-safe disinfectant or hot water |
| Rinse | Thorough rinse to remove all cleaner |
| Refill | Fill with fresh water, turn auto-fill back on |
📦 You're Left With
- Sparkling clean trough
- Fresh water animals actually want to drink
- Healthier, better-hydrated livestock
- Job you didn't have to do yourself
Pricing Guide
| Service | Estimated Time | You'll Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Single trough clean | 30-45 mins | £60 |
| Two troughs | 60 mins | £60 |
| Three+ troughs | 75-90 mins | £85 |
Based on £60 minimum (first hour) + £50/hr after. Multiple troughs on same site are quicker per trough - already there with equipment. Regular service rates available for ongoing maintenance.
Perfect For Rural Devon Properties If...
✅ Multiple troughs - several across property to keep clean
✅ Busy with other jobs - trough cleaning takes time you don't have
✅ Physical limitations - scrubbing troughs is hard work
✅ Show animals - horses especially need clean water regularly
Why Choose Us for Trough cleaning in Exeter?
Algae and muck scrubbed out properly
Sanitised to kill bacteria
Fresh clean water for healthier animals
Regular service available
What to Expect
Step 1: Empty Trough
Either turn off auto-fill valve or bail/drain manual troughs. Can't clean properly with water in the way.
Step 2: Scrub and Sanitise
Hard scrub with stiff brush to shift algae, muck, and slime. Livestock-safe sanitiser or hot water rinse to kill bacteria. Stubborn buildup gets extra attention.
Step 3: Rinse and Refill
Thorough rinse to remove all cleaning products - can't have animals drinking disinfectant residue. Refill with fresh water, job done.
🔧 DIY Tips
Trough cleaning is simple but time-consuming DIY:
🔧 Tools and materials needed
- Stiff deck brush or trough brush
- Scraper for stubborn algae
- Bucket for bailing
- Livestock-safe disinfectant (optional but good)
- Hose for rinsing
- Old towels for final wipe down
- Rubber gloves - this gets mucky
🔨 Cleaning properly
- Empty trough completely - tip if light enough, bail if not
- Scrape off thick algae with scraper or old trowel
- Scrub entire surface with stiff brush - get in corners
- Rinse out scrubbed muck
- Apply dilute disinfectant if using, leave 5-10 minutes
- Rinse very thoroughly - multiple rinses
- Check no cleaner residue before refilling
- Refill with fresh water
⚠️ Common mistakes
- Not scrubbing corners where algae builds up worst
- Using household cleaners that aren't livestock-safe
- Not rinsing disinfectant out thoroughly
- Waiting too long between cleans - makes job much harder
- Forgetting to turn auto-fill back on (empty trough overnight!)
💡 Pro trick: Add a handful of barley straw to the trough after cleaning - it naturally inhibits algae growth. Old farming trick that actually works. Won't stop algae completely but slows it down. Replace the straw every few weeks.
Rather leave it to a pro? No problem - that's what I'm here for. Give me a call.
Good to Know
🐴 Horses are fussy: They're much more sensitive to dirty water than cattle or sheep. A trough that's acceptable for cattle might put a horse off drinking. If you keep horses, clean troughs more often.
Summer algae: Warm weather and sunlight = rapid algae growth. You might need to clean weekly in high summer, whereas winter is more like monthly. Adjust schedule to conditions.
Prevention: Position troughs out of direct sunlight if possible - slows algae growth massively. Shade = cleaner water for longer.
Auto-fill systems: These need more frequent cleaning than manually-filled troughs - the water is always there for algae to grow in. Manual troughs that go empty between fills stay cleaner.
Regular service: Much easier to maintain clean troughs with regular scheduled cleaning than letting them get disgusting and trying to rescue them. Like most cleaning jobs - little and often beats marathon scrubbing sessions.
Barley straw: Cheap, natural algae inhibitor. Won't keep troughs perfectly clean but extends time between scrubbing. Available from agricultural suppliers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should livestock troughs be cleaned?
Depends on usage and conditions. Summer algae growth means weekly or fortnightly cleaning ideally. Winter they stay cleaner but still need monthly scrubbing minimum. Auto-fill troughs need cleaning more often than manual-filled ones - standing water grows algae faster.
What do you use to clean them?
Stiff brush to scrub out algae and muck, then rinse thoroughly. For sanitising I use dilute livestock-safe disinfectant or just very hot water - same stuff you'd use for chicken coops works fine. No harsh chemicals that could harm animals. Everything gets rinsed completely before refilling.
Can you set up a regular cleaning schedule?
Absolutely - regular trough cleaning is much easier than waiting until they're disgusting. I can come weekly, fortnightly, or monthly depending on your needs. Especially useful for larger properties with multiple troughs or if you're too busy/not physically able to do it yourself.
Do I need to empty the trough first?
Yes - can't clean a full trough properly. If you have an auto-fill system, I'll turn the valve off, empty it, clean, then refill. For manual troughs, might be worth timing the clean for when water's low anyway so you're not wasting full troughs of water.
What about really stubborn algae buildup?
Thick algae and lime scale takes serious scrubbing. Might need scraper as well as brush. Really bad buildup sometimes means multiple cleans to get back to clean - first clean gets the bulk off, second clean a week later gets it properly clean. Easier to keep on top of it with regular cleaning.
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