6 Best Water Trough Drain Plugs
Discover the top 6 water trough drain plugs farmers trust. These reliable options simplify cleaning, save time, and ensure a fresh water supply for livestock.
There’s nothing quite like wrestling with a 100-gallon stock tank, trying to tip the last 20 gallons of murky, algae-filled water without creating a mud pit you’ll be slipping in for weeks. A leaky, stripped, or lost drain plug turns a ten-minute chore into a half-hour headache. It’s one of those small, nagging problems that can sour an otherwise productive day on the farm.
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Why a Good Drain Plug Saves Time and Labor
A water trough drain plug seems insignificant until it fails. When it works, you unscrew it, walk away, and come back to an empty tank ready for a quick scrub. When it doesn’t, you’re bailing water with a bucket, fighting the suction, and straining your back to tip a heavy, awkward tank.
That wasted time and effort adds up. On a small farm, every minute counts. The 20 minutes you spend fighting a stubborn trough is 20 minutes you could have spent mending a fence, turning the compost pile, or just sitting on the porch for a well-deserved break. A reliable drain plug is a force multiplier for your efficiency.
Beyond just saving time, a good plug system minimizes the mess. A controlled drain lets you direct the water away from high-traffic areas, preventing muddy quagmires around your gates and hydrants. It’s a small investment in hardware that pays you back every single time you clean the trough.
Behlen Country Universal Plug: The Classic Choice
This is the plug most of us recognize. It’s the simple, white plastic plug that comes standard on most galvanized steel stock tanks. For decades, it’s been the go-to solution because it’s cheap, widely available, and it just works.
Its biggest strength is its universality for metal tanks. The tapered pipe threads are designed to seal tightly into the threaded bung on a Behlen, CountyLine, or other similar steel tank. You can find them in any farm supply store, making them easy to replace when one inevitably gets lost in the grass or chewed on by a curious goat.
The tradeoff is durability. The plastic can become brittle after years of sun exposure, and the fins can snap off if you use pliers too aggressively. The fine threads can also be stripped if you cross-thread it or overtighten it, which can be a real pain to fix. It’s a reliable workhorse, but it’s not indestructible.
Tuff Stuff Stock Tank Plug: For Heavy-Duty Use
If you’re using a modern polyethylene (poly) tank, you need a plug designed for it. The Tuff Stuff plug is a perfect example of a purpose-built solution. It’s beefier, with coarse, aggressive threads that are much harder to strip than the fine threads on a classic metal tank plug.
This plug is designed for plastic-on-plastic contact. The coarse threads grip well without needing to be cranked down, reducing the risk of damaging the tank itself. It almost always includes a thick, pliable rubber gasket that creates a fantastic waterproof seal with minimal effort. The larger, more robust head is also easier to grip with wet or cold hands.
While made specifically for Tuff Stuff tanks, its common thread size (often 1.25" or 1.5") means it can fit other poly tank brands. The key is to check your tank’s specific requirements. If you’ve ever been frustrated by a leaky or stripped plug on a poly tank, this style of heavy-duty plug is often the answer.
Rubbermaid Drain Plug for Structural Foam Tanks
Rubbermaid stock tanks are incredibly popular for their durability and light weight. However, they have a very specific drain plug design that you can’t ignore. Trying to jam a generic plug into a Rubbermaid tank is a guaranteed recipe for a leak.
These plugs are typically larger in diameter and feature a unique thread pattern and a specialized gasket designed to seal against the structural foam material. They are engineered as a system. The plug and the tank bung are made for each other, and substituting one part of the system compromises the whole thing.
This is not a place to improvise. If you have a Rubbermaid tank, buy the official Rubbermaid replacement plug. It might cost a couple of dollars more than a generic option, but it will save you the immense frustration of a slow, constant drip that turns the ground around your tank into a swamp. Damaging the threads on the tank itself by using the wrong plug is a far more expensive mistake.
Franklin All-Purpose Plug Kit: Versatile Fit
Every farm has that one old, mysterious trough. The brand is long gone, the original plug is missing, and the drain hole is a non-standard size. This is where the Franklin All-Purpose Plug, or a similar expansion-style plug, becomes your best friend.
This isn’t a screw-in plug. It’s a rubber stopper with a bolt through the middle. You insert the rubber plug into the hole and tighten a wingnut or lever on the front. This action squeezes the rubber, causing it to expand and form a tight seal against the inside of the drain hole.
It’s an incredibly versatile solution for damaged threads or odd-sized openings. The downside is that the seal relies entirely on friction and compression, so it can sometimes be dislodged by a curious animal or a hard knock. It’s a perfect "get you out of a jam" tool and often works as a permanent fix, but for a new tank with good threads, a proper screw-in plug is usually more secure.
High Country Plastics Plug: Durable and Reliable
High Country Plastics is another top-tier manufacturer of poly tanks, and their drain plugs reflect that quality. Like the Tuff Stuff plugs, they are designed for modern materials and built to withstand the rigors of farm life. They are a fantastic option if you’re looking for a premium, long-lasting part.
What sets these apart is often the quality of the materials. They use high-density, UV-stabilized polymers that resist cracking and fading even after years in the blazing sun. The included gaskets are also typically made from high-grade rubber or silicone that remains flexible in cold weather, ensuring a good seal year-round.
This focus on quality means you’re less likely to deal with stripped threads or a cracked plug head. When you’re installing one, you can feel the difference—it threads in smoothly and snugs up confidently. For a few extra bucks, you’re buying peace of mind and reducing the chance you’ll have to deal with a plug failure on a cold February morning.
Hudson Valve Drain Assembly: The Quick-Drain Pro
Sometimes, a standard 1-inch drain plug just isn’t fast enough. For large tanks (300 gallons and up) or for operations where you’re cleaning multiple troughs daily, the Hudson Valve Drain Assembly is a massive upgrade. This isn’t just a plug; it’s a complete high-flow drain system.
The assembly replaces your small drain with a large 2-inch ball valve, the same kind you’d see in plumbing. This allows a huge volume of water to exit quickly. A 500-gallon tank can drain in minutes instead of taking the better part of an hour. For anyone managing livestock on a larger scale, the time savings are enormous.
This is a permanent modification. You’ll need to drill a larger hole in your stock tank to install it, so there’s no going back. It’s also the most expensive option on the list. But if trough cleaning is a major bottleneck in your chore routine, the investment in a quick-drain system can pay for itself in saved labor very quickly.
Installing and Maintaining Your New Drain Plug
Proper installation is key to a leak-free seal. Before you screw in a new plug, take a moment to clean the threads on the tank itself. A small wire brush or even an old toothbrush can clear out any grit or algae buildup that could prevent a tight fit. For metal tanks, a wrap or two of Teflon tape on the plug’s threads can work wonders.
Don’t overtighten it. The goal is "snug," not "strained." The gasket or the tapered threads do the sealing, not brute force. Overtightening is the number one cause of stripped threads and cracked plugs. Just tighten it until it feels firm, and then stop.
Keep a spare. Drain plugs are cheap, and they always fail at the worst possible time. Tossing an extra plug in your toolbox or on a shelf in the barn is a simple bit of insurance against future frustration. Once a year, check the rubber gasket for cracks or hardness and replace it if it looks worn out—it’s the part that does all the real work.
Ultimately, the best drain plug is the one that fits your tank and your needs. It’s a small piece of plastic, but it’s a critical link in your daily chore chain. By choosing the right one and taking a moment to install it properly, you can eliminate a common frustration and make managing your farm’s water supply just a little bit easier.
