Sharing the pump

Sharing the pump for more than irrigating effluent is a growing trend on dairy farms today.

However this can be a problem when the effluent monitoring system has control over the one and only pump.

This is not a problem with the TIM, KIM or PIM effluent monitoring systems designed and manufactured by Invercargill firm Electronic Specialists under the Farmtrenz brand.

These systems for travelling, pod and pivot irrigators have been specifically designed to control not only irrigation from the effluent pump but also the transfer and greenwash functions when combined with powered actuator valves (as pictured above).

“This makes it easy to achieve by simply installing one system and avoids having to install additional pumps or other equipment,” says Richard Conroy, manager of Electronic Specialists.

Having one system controlling effluent avoided the added capital and maintenance costs of additional equipment when farmers least needed it, particularly noticeable during the recent low payout years.

Effluent monitoring systems made by Electronic Specialists have for many years had the ability integrate the irrigation, transfer and greenwash functions using just one pump.

“When monitoring effluent irrigation our system has to control the effluent pump,” said Mr Conroy. “We can also share the pump for transfer and greenwash if you don’t want to have three pumps.”

Farmtrenz systems achieve this multifunctional capability through their PondLink unit, an electronic controller mounted in the pump shed that can switch between irrigation, transfer and greenwash. PondLink can also control the agitator or stirrer.

Mr Conroy says Farmtrenz TIM and KIM telemetry-based effluent fail-safe systems focus strongly on monitoring down the paddock, where farmers look to see how their effluent system is performing, and not back at the pump.

There is also a Farmtrenz PIM effluent monitor for farmers using centre pivot irrigators with under-slung effluent lines.