Post by jehuchris on Apr 19, 2010 19:56:15 GMT -5
I was at a dairy friend of mine today getting a load of feed for our crew. I was putting feed into a 55 gallon drum and also had a 15 gallon plastic drum in the bed of my truck. The 15 gallon drum had come from another dairy friend's farm and it had food grade chemicals in it that nearly all dairy's use. So this friend said, "where'd you get the drum?" I told him and he said "what ya going to do with it?" "I'm going to try to make a balance tank for a milking system" was my reply. He loves to build and create as much as I do and he said, "vacuum is a funny thing. A container that will hold hundreds of pounds of "air pressure" will collapse when you apply a small amount of consistent vacuum. Why I've seen the vents not work on our milk hauler's tanker truck and the vacuum literally bowed the tanker to the ground in the middle. He went on to say that he didn't think the plastic drum would stand 12 inches of mercury. I told him I was hoping for 15. He smiled that "knowing" smile of experience.
Came home, put the finishing touches on the drum including vacuum gauge and regulator and when the gauge hit 3 inches of mercury, the drum began to collapse. THREE inches of mercury. Not 10, not 12 but THREE3333. Now that amazed me. You see I'm meticulous about my vacuum pump and it pulling 15 inches of mercury on the milkers. But today I got a GREAT understanding of why it is very important to know how much vacuum your system is pulling and to not exceed what is recommended. If the system is to operate at 12, 14, 15...whatever recommended inches of mercury then I believe it is vital that you know you are not exceeding that. I saw today why the extra or unknown could cause long term teat damage. I know, the pulsators give the teats a break with every pulsation. But take an apple and apply mild pressure on and off. You can gently squeeze it for a LONG time and cause no damage. Take the same apple and apply medium pressure on and off and see what happens. It'll turn to mush in your hands.
Granted this was not schedule 40 PVC pipe but it was a fairly rigid drum. I would encourage those of you who use milking systems that don't have a gauge and regulator to put one on for the long-term sake of your cow's teats.
I really thought I'd be calling my friend to say, "This drum is working great as a balance tank." You know...kinda crowing. Instead I had to call and say, "man you knew what you were talking about. Sucked that think flat with 3 inches."
I have taken a HUGE liking to our cows. I don't want to do anything that causes them unnecessary pain or shortens their useful and productive life. Many of our vacuum pumps will pull 30 inches of mercury if they are not regulated. Today I saw what 3 additional inches of mercury can do to a container. I hope this helps someone. I know it helped me to realize the importance of knowing and being at the mercury level's recommended and not significantly over.
Blessings,
Chris
Came home, put the finishing touches on the drum including vacuum gauge and regulator and when the gauge hit 3 inches of mercury, the drum began to collapse. THREE inches of mercury. Not 10, not 12 but THREE3333. Now that amazed me. You see I'm meticulous about my vacuum pump and it pulling 15 inches of mercury on the milkers. But today I got a GREAT understanding of why it is very important to know how much vacuum your system is pulling and to not exceed what is recommended. If the system is to operate at 12, 14, 15...whatever recommended inches of mercury then I believe it is vital that you know you are not exceeding that. I saw today why the extra or unknown could cause long term teat damage. I know, the pulsators give the teats a break with every pulsation. But take an apple and apply mild pressure on and off. You can gently squeeze it for a LONG time and cause no damage. Take the same apple and apply medium pressure on and off and see what happens. It'll turn to mush in your hands.
Granted this was not schedule 40 PVC pipe but it was a fairly rigid drum. I would encourage those of you who use milking systems that don't have a gauge and regulator to put one on for the long-term sake of your cow's teats.
I really thought I'd be calling my friend to say, "This drum is working great as a balance tank." You know...kinda crowing. Instead I had to call and say, "man you knew what you were talking about. Sucked that think flat with 3 inches."
I have taken a HUGE liking to our cows. I don't want to do anything that causes them unnecessary pain or shortens their useful and productive life. Many of our vacuum pumps will pull 30 inches of mercury if they are not regulated. Today I saw what 3 additional inches of mercury can do to a container. I hope this helps someone. I know it helped me to realize the importance of knowing and being at the mercury level's recommended and not significantly over.
Blessings,
Chris