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MAINTENANCE AND SERVICE FEATURE
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More cost effective in the long run With June fast approaching, new milk cooling regulations will be here before you know it. Many farmers have already taken advantage of early bird deals and have their new equipment installed and running. Many more are still investigating options available to them to upgrade their milk chilling equipment. Although there is a vast range of options available to farmers, it is a minefield for farmers to navigate through with all sorts of claims being made of systems’ performance, quality and efficiency, says Matt Cammock from Southfreeze Dairy. When looking at cooling options there are a few points to consider, they include capital cost, energy consumption and component quality. It’s fair to say the old saying of “you get what you pay for” hasn’t changed when it comes to milk cooling. Cammock believes the New Zealand made Varicool designed exclusively for New
Zealand dairy farms should be at the top of farmers’ list to consider. Although the capital cost of the Varicool units are often higher, they offer lower running costs which have been verified by an ECCA Study. This makes Varicool’s cost of ownership much cheaper than a lot of competitor products. Varicool logs its energy usage and cooling and hot water output which is viewable to the farmer via his smart phone. Varicool has many points of difference, firstly it’s New Zealand designed using 3D-modelling software and manufactured in Hamilton. Farmers can visit the factory and see what goes into building a Varicool system. As suggested in the name, the Varicool uses variable speed technology and utilises a variable speed drive. This is something most farmers will have experienced the benefit of in regards energy savings on their farm already when fitted on their vacuum pumps, water pumps and milk lift pumps.
Varicool offers high grade heat recovery on all models as standard, along with remote support via a wide area network internet connection. This gives the dealer, farmer and manufacture remote access to the machine to save time and money on call-outs etc, which are often not due to the chiller unit itself. Issues with bore water cooling and plate coolers can often be identified remotely with information from the Varicool’s remote connection. Varicool can reduce the electrical load on a dairy shed compared with adding a dedicated pre-chiller unit to existing Dx Vat chillers. By making current and often ageing direct expansion vat chillers redundant, therefore utilising the power normally used by the direct expansion units not only to cool the vats but precool the milk to between 6°C and 8°C. This is all within “one box” which takes up minimal space outside the shed. Another unique feature is the Varicool’s ability to log the milk’s thermal gain due to the
ambient air temperatures once it’s in the vat. Cammock reports this back to the farmer once the unit has been running for a few months and can identify how much it is costing the farmer per day to keep the milk at holding temperature. Once this is established Cammock can demonstrate how much benefit can be gained by using vat wraps. Varicool offers one of the most energy efficient systems on the market today to cool your milk on farm. Other services offered by Southfreeze Dairy include ice bank systems as well as insulating tanks and vat wraps – something Matt says can also result in significant power savings. The company also offers preventative maintenance checks and emergency breakdown service. Cammock says the company takes pride in offering a quick response and a first-time fix recognising the importance to farmers of having their plant up and running again as soon as possible.
Southfreeze Dairy are busy installing new equipment on new build sheds, and upgrades on existing sheds. Cammock urges farmers who have not upgraded their cooling equipment to meet the new regulations to take action now! Southfreeze Dairy currently have payment options, along with Farm Source interest free payment plans available to some customers to help spread the outlay. Pressure is already coming on manufactures and installer to provide equipment in the required time frame. By leaving your decision to the last minute you may also be narrowing your options, and end up purchasing a lesser unit. Based in West Melton, Southfreeze Dairy works as far north as Culverden and Parnassus and in the south to Hinds.
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(03) 374 3437 or MATT 021 633 583 southfreezedairy@gmail.com www.southfreezedairy.co.nz MAINTENANCE