After leaving his warm bed to carry water to horses on sub-freezing nights, Bob Hensler used his ingenuity to solve the problem.

A hydrant supplies water to Hensler’s barn, but sub-freezing temperatures had rendered it useless several times, requiring Hensler to trudge outside.

So he designed and built a no-frost box to protect the watering system. The box surrounds the hydrant, a coiled utility hose, and all the PVC connectors leading to the buried PVC.

And he hasn’t carried water since.

Bob Hensler’s no-frost box is essentially an insulated wooden box with various doors, view holes, access panels, and a 60-watt light bulb.

Hensler allowed himself convenient access to the box’s interior by creating a wide opening.

The light bulb turns on automatically at sundown and generates enough heat to keep the temperature inside the box above 32 degrees.

A peephole makes it easy for Hensler to peek in and check on the box to make sure it’s functioning correctly.