Paul Peetz, Author at The Almost Perfect Parlor

Low Cost Backflush

I had a professor in college that said, “If you want to see real invention, go to three farms within 20 miles of here and I guarantee you will see at least one example.” He is still being proven correct.

I visited a farm a couple of weeks ago with the purpose of testing the equipment to determine if our liners were performing correctly. I found the equipment to be operating correctly at this dairy, but the innovation my former professor talked about is shown in the couple pictures I posted here.

As milkings get longer, bedding sources get varied, and exposure levels increase, tools to help lower bacteria levels in all areas of the milking parlor are more necessary. The ability to rinse the cluster between cows with a sanitizer solution to reduce bacteria in [Read more…]

Pulsation & Milking Performance… Simplified

By Paul Peetz

Simply put, pulsation is a mechanical process… a valve opens, it closes, and an outcome occurs.

Unfortunately, most mechanical processes are often complex and technical. And for that reason, they tend to be somewhat [Read more…]

Milking Claw Maintenance… Can you afford to forget it?

By Paul Peetz

We all know that milking claws are critical for getting cows milked out evenly and completely, right? But how often do you remember to check to see if they’re working correctly?

[Read more…]

Pulsation Explained

By Paul Peetz

Pulsation is likely the most basic function of milking equipment. Pulsation is the function of moving the liner wall open and closed to provide for the milking action of the milking unit.

Now let’s clear up the first couple of sentences.

When I speak about liners I am speaking about the part inside the milking shell that goes over the teat during the machine milking process. Pulsation is the action then of either vacuumizing (removing the air) or venting (refilling the air) the space between the liner and the shell. I hope no one is surprised that my first post on this site is about liner movement. The world of milking liners although filled with options is all controlled by pulsation to achieve the intended result of machine milking a cow.

There are four phases of liner movement, named in alphabetical order of A,B,C and D. The A phase of liner movement is the opening of the liner and transition to milking. During the B phase the liner is open and milking. During the C phase, the liner is closing, and during the D phase the liner is closed or resting.

All of that seems pretty cut and dried and actually is one of the things that can be quite easily verified with the proper equipment. So why [Read more…]