In 2018, due to the growing farm size, Gerald and Henry Dunne began a major transformation of the old dairy parlour into one suitable for housing a state-of-the-art Lely Astronaut robotic milking system.

Gerald and Henry pride themselves on supplying a top-quality dairy product, so the search began for a cost-effective hot water solution that would fulfil the requirements of the new Lely Astronaut system.

As it is incompatible with chlorine-based detergents and contains built-in hot water alarms, having instant and reliable hot water is vital for its smooth running.

David Conroy, their local Flogas farm on-site demonstrator, paid a visit mid-construction to undertake a free survey, assess the requirements and offer guidance.

David advised Gerald and Henry on how to achieve maximum usage from the Flogas dairy system while minimising hot water loss.

Gerald and Henry Dunne outside their upgraded dairy parlour.

The Dunnes were impressed by what they saw and, once agreed, Flogas arranged for a smooth changeover as part of the overall parlour upgrades and expansion.

A Flogas LPG bulk tank was delivered while the wall-mounted water heaters were installed and connected to the Flogas tank.

David Conroy said: "I recommended supplying two gas water heaters to wash the 18,000-litre milk tank. We positioned the boilers as close as possible to the milk tank. That meant a faster hot water flow with no lag in the inlet line. Gerald and Henry are delighted with the results.

Without it, the robots would have had to use electricity to heat the water

"We also positioned a third water heater directly beside the Lely robots, as the Dunnes wisely pre-ordered their robots with an optional extra water intake valve.

"This specific water valve allows our boiler to feed the robots directly with hot water at 85°C. Without it, the robots would have had to use electricity to heat the water, which would have been a very costly alternative," David added.

The changeover went without a hitch and the Dunnes now have a top-class system powered by Flogas LPG, heating water instantly to temperatures ranging from 37°C to a bacteria-killing 85°C.

If you want to find out more and have a free site visit from Flogas to discuss your requirements and receive a quotation, go to www.flogas.ie/dairy or ring 041-983 1041. A local Flogas representative will follow up by phone and then arrange a site visit once COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted.