Oliver Cunningham is the proud owner of 75 British-Friesian dairy cows in Killeedy, not too far from Newcastle West in Co. Limerick.

Oliver operates an eight-unit milking parlour that relies on the highest level of hygiene to keep the total bacteria count (TBC) consistently low.

As well as the herringbone milking parlour to keep clean, milk from the 6,500L storage tank is collected every three days and has to be cleaned promptly afterwards to prevent bacteria from forming.

Unfortunately, Oliver’s electrical system was taking over an hour to heat the water and was barely reaching the desired temperature.

The Flogas solution

Oliver had already experienced the advantages of a gas-powered heating system when his local community centre in Raheenagh switched from oil to Flogas as its oil burner became increasingly inefficient.

Oil had also been stolen from the centre’s tank on several occasions.

Oliver got in contact with Mike Murphy, the local Flogas sales representative, who visited the farm with registered gas installer Brendan Martin to review his situation and discuss the benefits of the Flogas dairy water heating system.

The installation of a 56kW Andrews FASTflo heater, with the capacity to produce up to 12L of hot water a minute, powered by a Flogas LPG bulk tank sited nearby, was recommended.

Plus, an easy-to-use temperature controller allowed the water to be heated from anywhere between 37° to 80°.

In addition, the heater’s auto-ignition system would enable Oliver to eliminate completely the hot water storage and re-heating costs that were such an issue with his previous system.

The seamless conversion

Once Oliver gave the go-ahead, Brendan Martin began installing the Andrews FASTflo heater and a 0.5t Flogas tank. Both jobs were completed in less than a day without causing any disruption to the farm.

Oliver now has an instant hot water heating system that ensures the correct hot water temperatures are used in every aspect of his cleaning. The wall-mounted controller allows him to monitor the temperature of the water precisely; ideal for use in the calving season.

Flexible agri-energy solutions

Not only has Oliver’s local community hall in Raheenagh seen the advantages of Flogas, but Oliver’s brother also has a Flogas heating system on his 60,000 poultry farm.

“When the cows are in the parlour I can quickly choose a suitable temperature to wash them before the milking and there is no waiting around for the water to heat up,” said Oliver.

The best feature of the system is that you have hot water at the flick of a switch 24/7, and you can set it at whatever temperature you like.

Contact Flogas for a free farm visit

To quote the savings that will be made; or to carry out a tank location assessment; or to draw up a proposal and pricing, contact:

Flogas Drogheda at: Knockbrack House, Matthews Lane, Donore Road, Drogheda, Co. Louth (A92 T803); or telephone: 041-9831041; or email: [email protected]; or go online to: www.flogas.ie/dairy.

Alternatively, for Northern Ireland, contact Flogas Belfast at: Airport Road West, Belfast Harbour Estate, Belfast (BT3 9ED); or telephone: 028-90732611; or email: [email protected]; or go online to: www.flogasni.com/dairy.