Farming & Fisheries

Flogas instant LPG hot water system: making your dairy farm more efficient and cost-effective

June 30th, 2021 8:00 AM

Baltimore farmer David Sheehy with Flogas sales rep for Cork, Ian Barry

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David Sheehy and his son Darragh are well-established dairy farmers in Baltimore, Co. Cork. David inherited Highacres farm with its 8-unit milking parlour from his father in 1997 and has since upgraded to a 10-unit milking parlour  and operates it alongside his own company, Boveq Scanning Services. It provides ultrasound scanning, pregnancy diagnosis and other diagnostic scanning to over 17,000 cows a year throughout Cork.

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The Challenge

Highacres farm milks around 60 Holstein Friesian cows with calving in Spring and Autumn. Between his busy farm and his thriving business, having a reliable supply of hot water was vital  for effective cleaning as well as controlling the Total Bacteria Count (TBC).

However, the farm’s existing electric hot water  heating unit was struggling to reach  the required 85⁰C temperature and this was having a knock-on effect in terms of hot water  storage and costs. With a 4,000 litre milk storage tank and an 8-unit West Falia milking parlour to look after, that was since upgraded to a 10-unit parlour, David badly needed a solution to his hot water dilemma.

The Flogas Solution

At the annual Millstreet National Dairy Show, David met Ian Barry, the Flogas sales representative for Cork and was introduced to the Flogas solution for dairy farms, which uses an LPG powered water heating system  to produce up to 12 litres of hot water at 37-85°C per minute.

The auto ignition system eliminates running and storage costs when idle, so the farm only pays for the hot water that is used. The Flogas water heating system would also prove ideal during calving season, as its precise temperature control meant that their milk could be heated up quickly and easily.

After further research and a farm visit by Ian, he decided to go ahead and make the change.

Having hot water whenever I need has saved me a huge amount of time and the temperature control panel is very easy to use. The installation was very straightforward and  there were no interruptions at all - David Sheehy

Seamless Changeover Process

A Flogas LPG tank was installed near  the milking parlour on a concrete base. A RGI registered installer connected the tank the water heating system sited on the parlour wall alongside an indoor temperature control panel. The entire process took about a day with no disruption to the farm’s daily activities.

Boveq Scanning Services

Alongside milking their 60-strong herd,  David and Darragh run Boveq Scanning Services, providing ultrasound scanning, pregnancy diagnosis and other diagnostic scanning to over 17,000 cows a year throughout Cork. This includes checking for infections and cycling problems, with hot water being used to quickly wash down equipment after scanning.

Results

• Up to 12 litres of hot water at 85°C a minute
• Unlimited supply of instant hot water, meaning there is no chance of running out
• Temperature controls from 37°C-85°C via an easy to use control panel
• Hassle free installation with no disruption to day-to- day activities on the dairy farm
• No hot water storage costs

Want to find out more?

Contact Flogas for free farm visit. Call 041 214 9600 or email [email protected]

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