Rolling hills surround Mark Tobin’s dairy farm just south of Cahir in Co. Tipperary. The farm is run by Mark, a dairy farmer his entire life, and is ably assisted by his father Willie.
Mark’s farm, like many others, was reliant on an electric water heating system for its day-to-day activities. He 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.
The Flogas solution
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 the good reviews of a nearby dairy farm which had converted to Flogas for its hot water needs. So, he got in touch with Tommy Murray, the local Flogas sales representative, to arrange for a free site visit and assessment.
Tommy Murray and Brian Condon, the local RGI installer, discussed the farm’s needs with Mark. They recommended a single Andrews FASTflo heater piped to a 0.5t Flogas bulk tank, operated by an easy to use wall-mounted temperature controller.
The changeover process
Once the go-ahead was given, the changeover was completed in one day which meant no long-term disruption to the farm’s operations.
“We had a lot of problems, especially in the winter time with freezing issues; add to that the constant need to heat hot water throughout the day. So, the Flogas system we now have in place is a lot more efficient which makes life a lot easier,” said Mark.
Since then Mark hasn’t looked back. Now he has peace of mind knowing that he can rely on having instant water any time of the year without the stress of dealing with freezing conditions and expensive water storage costs.
The LPG radiant heater
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. It was brought to fruition by RGI installer Brian Condon.
The result is an easy to use and control heater that sits above the milking parlour, providing an extra layer of comfort and warmth during the colder winter months. Such a useful innovation is likely to catch on with other farmers.
It aptly shows the versatility of Flogas LPG for dairy farming as well as the ‘can do’ approach of the RGI installers like Brian Condon, with whom the Flogas team works on a daily basis.
Want to find out more?
If your current system is not providing you with the level of service you require and is contributing to high bills, call Flogas for your free on-site survey and quotation for a new system tailored to your dairy farm.
Flogas will analyse your existing energy costs and outline the savings and benefits you’ll enjoy by converting to Flogas LPG.
To quote the savings that will be made (energy survey); or to carry out tank location assessment; or to draw up a proposal and pricing, contact Flogas Drogheda on: 041-9831041; or email at: [email protected]; or go to the website at: www.flogas.ie/dairy. Click here for more information
You can also contact Flogas Belfast on: 0044-28-9073-2611; or email at: [email protected]; or go to the website at: www.flogasni.com/dairy. Click here for more information
