Access to hot water is crucial to Irish dairy farms. All farms require a reliable and consistent method of heating water to ensure best practices are carried out every day.

By improving washing practices and prioritising hygiene at every step of the process, this can ensure the well-being of cows, the safety of milk, and the sustainability of farms for generations to come.

A recent Teagasc report provided insights into effective and consistent wash routines on Irish dairy farms. For the most part, farmers are not carrying out sufficient hot washes as advised by Teagasc.

Almost two-thirds (60%) of farms are not meeting the requirement of three hot washes per week for powder or seven hot washes per week for liquid.

The Teagasc report shows that 50% of farms do not have an effective milking machine wash protocol in place.

It is recommended by Teagasc that dairy farmers implement a chlorine-free wash routine that involves frequent hot washing at 75° to 80°.

Unfortunately, research shows that 70% of farms are not achieving this temperature and are, therefore, not complying with guidelines.

To ensure dairy farmers can effectively sterilise the milking equipment and mitigate potential health hazards, it is imperative that they take the necessary steps to maintain high standards of cleanliness on farms.

The installation of gas water heaters – such as Rinnai powered by Calor – presents a simple solution for farmers across the country.

Gas water heaters provide a steady, instant hot water supply and dairy farmers can ensure all areas of their farms are being washed correctly. Rain or shine, farms can benefit from hot water year-round with Calor.

Calor’s instant hot water solution provides farms with unlimited hot water for milking parlours, calf rearing mixing, farmyard cleanliness and general hygiene, supporting best practices and quality milk production.

Rinnai instant water heaters can provide temperatures of up to 85° on demand, with temperature control within 1°.

The control panel allows the temperature to be managed at the touch of a button to ensure the perfect conditions for all dairy washing systems.

Using hot water at 85° maintains low bacteria levels and reduces the risk of contamination. Rinnai instant water heaters have an A-rated efficiency which ensures that unnecessary costs are eliminated and are future proofed to meet the demands of new legislations in terms of equipment specification.

With on-demand hot water, there is no need for storage tanks. This eliminates associated storage costs as well as energy waste.

Calor LPG-powered instant water heaters are known to lessen the need for chemical detergent in dairy farming. This means farmers can implement a thorough wash protocol, while minimising their environmental impact.

Kilkenny farmer Tom Manning previously used electric to power the farm's water heating but when upgrading to a robotic system, it was recommended he switched to Calor LPG to guarantee instant hot water of up to 85°.

Tom's Dairy Farm has since installed three Rinnai heaters to supply the instant hot water needed for their systems. A Calor bulk tank was installed on-site.

Speaking about making the switch to Calor, Tom said: “We're always trying to improve on our farm and we saw the pluses of having three Rinnai heaters installed here.

"Now if we want hot water for any of the jobs around the farm, it's there instantly for us. It’s one less worry.”

Calor Rinnai water heaters are compliant with all dairy washing systems and milking parlour set ups including rotary (carousel), robotic systems.

For over 85 years, Calor has been working with dairy farmers supplying farms across the country.

As Ireland’s oldest and most trusted supplier of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), Calor has a long-standing relationship with dairy farmers.

Calor energy advisors work directly with farmers to design water heating systems that reduce costs and meet the needs of their farms.

Furthermore, LPG is cleaner burning, producing less carbon emissions than oil, coal and peat.

Calor has also introduced BioLPG which is a renewable energy solution. BioLPG enables rural enterprises to meet their energy needs from a completely renewable source, providing them with a simple transition to a sustainable energy solution.

BioLPG is identical in its use and performance in comparison to conventional LPG and is delivered, stored and used in exactly the same way.

As a result, there are limited requirements for any infrastructure investment in order to use it if already using LPG.