Flogas solves hot water dilemma for Co. Tipperary farmer

Rolling hills surround Mark Tobin’s dairy farm just south of Cahir in Co. Tipperary. Mark runs the farm and is ably assisted by his father Willie.

Like many others, his farm was reliant on an electric water heating system for its day-to-day activities. Mark found that using hot water twice a day was becoming a push too far and, in the winter, the cold weather played havoc with the immersion.

Just over two years ago, Mark and his team were building a new milking parlour and decided to start fresh with a new system.

Mark had been impressed with good reviews of a nearby dairy farm that had converted to Flogas for its hot water needs, so he got in touch with Tommy Murray, the local Flogas sales representative, to arrange a free farm visit and assessment.

Depending on the size of the herd, the Flogas LPG Dairy Hot Water System comprises of one or more high-powered water heaters, mounted on an external or internal wall and piped to a Flogas LPG bulk tank.

It then produces hot water from 37ºC to 85°C instantly, eliminating hot water storage costs completely.

An easy to use wall-mounted temperature controller allows you to decide the heat level you need at the touch of a button.

Tommy Murray brought along Brian Condon, the local RGI installer, to discuss the farm’s needs with Mark and, in his case, they recommended a single powerful water heater piped to a Flogas bulk gas tank. Once the go-ahead was given, the changeover was completed in one day, with minimal disruption to the farm’s operations.

A recent innovation has been the installation of an LPG-powered radiant heater in the milking parlour. The overhead heater, thought to be the first used on a farm using Flogas LPG, was Mark’s idea and was installed by Brian Condon.

The result is an easily controllable heater that sits above the milking parlour, providing an extra layer of comfort and warmth during the colder winter months.

Mark Tobin said: “We had a lot of problems, especially in the winter time with freezing issues and add to that the constant need to heat hot water throughout the day. So, the Flogas system we now have in place is far more efficient which makes life a lot easier.”