Albert Einstein once said, “No amount of experimentation can ever prove me right; a single experiment can prove me wrong.”
Recently I was asked if it is possible to test pulsators for proper function at a location other than at the claw. My first response was yes, but as they say in the NFL, upon further review, I was incorrect.
There are subtleties involved in properly testing pulsators for proper operation and they all go back to how the pulsation system performs in relation to the cow. To truly see how the pulsation system is working on the cow, the proper test requires teat plugs in all liners, vacuum on to the claw and the claw rotated to allow all milk tubes to be fully open, usually upside down.
In the interest of time, and for that matter cleanliness, many have opted for testing the pulsators at locations convenient for testing. The truth is, with most things done for convenience, that if diligence isn’t paid to even the smallest deviation in recording, improperly operation pulsators will be missed. The time and effort was expended, the recordings were made and a false sense of security was spread, not a good outcome.
A phase is liner opening, holes in tubing causes lengthened A phases and consequently shorter B (milk) phases. C phase is liner closing; holes in tubes shorten C phases and provide longer D (rest) phases. Pulsation analysis is not true liner open and liner closed, vacuum levels are used to “assume” liner position, these vacuum levels can be achieved close to the pulsator without the liner being in the assumed position.
Like many things in life, doing the work is the only real way to assure performance. It would appear that once again Mr. Einstein was correct; thousands of pulsators have been checked at locations other than the claw, the experiment appears to have worked, unfortunately the one time it didn’t make all the previous experiments irrelevant.
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