leaky plate cooler

farmerf

Can a plate cooler that is leaking water be repaired or is it a question of replacement of the leads . It seems to be just the seals that are wrong.

bbam

Oh what a horrible job !
They can be repaired, if you strip them, clean the plates and seals, dry them well, and then use a decent adhesive. Let them cure fully and it usually works fine.. New gaskets can be got if they are distorted/damaged

Or chances are new plates will be much easier...

Do check one thing... many, many times I've seen the water outlet restricted, this causes backpressure within the coolant loop and usually results in a gasket leaking..

The outlet hose/pipe should be at least the same diameter as the supply. Ideally it shouldnt have a long travel, ive seen some piped down to the pit for cleaning cows etc, usually a bad job in the long run.

Ensure its tightened back correctly... there is a recomendation for the final position depending on how many plates are installed, but I've long since forgotten that..

Brown Podzol

bbam wrote: »

Oh what a horrible job !
They can be repaired, if you strip them, clean the plates and seals, dry them well, and then use a decent adhesive. Let them cure fully and it usually works fine.. New gaskets can be got if they are distorted/damaged

Or chances are new plates will be much easier...

Do check one thing... many, many times I've seen the water outlet restricted, this causes backpressure within the coolant loop and usually results in a gasket leaking..

The outlet hose/pipe should be at least the same diameter as the supply. Ideally it shouldnt have a long travel, ive seen some piped down to the pit for cleaning cows etc, usually a bad job in the long run.

Ensure its tightened back correctly... there is a recomendation for the final position depending on how many plates are installed, but I've long since forgotten that..

Any idea where the seals can be got. Do you have to go to the maker or can you get spurious?. What type of adhesive would you use. Apologies for all the questions and thanks in advance.

bbam

Brown Podzol wrote: »

Any idea where the seals can be got. Do you have to go to the maker or can you get spurious?. What type of adhesive would you use. Apologies for all the questions and thanks in advance.

I'd recommend having a good dairy technician to look at it...
They'll tell you whats possible...

whelan1

i have to open my in plate cooler regularly, op what make is yours and how old is it? is it closed right ? edited to say is the water leaking into the milk or onto the ground?

td5man

bbam wrote: »

I'd recommend having a good dairy technician to look at it...
They'll tell you whats possible...

Good being the operative word.

bbam

td5man wrote: »

Good being the operative word.

Well, I'm not available any more so things probably went right downhill after that

whelan1

td5man wrote: »

Good being the operative word.

the fella we have is great, he will talk you through how to fix something and if that doesnt work he will come over, has often been called at 6am, no bother to him

td5man

whelan1 wrote: »

the fella we have is great, he will talk you through how to fix something and if that doesnt work he will come over, has often been called at 6am, no bother to him

I'd attempt to fix most things,

whelan1

td5man wrote: »

I'd attempt to fix most things,

so would i but after i have made a mess of it he steps in

bbam

td5man wrote: »

I'd attempt to fix most things,

When I was hiring maintenance staff I'd always look out for the Farmers sons, lads that were used to stepping up to a problem and having a go at fixing it, even if all the spares and tools in the world aren't there... a bodge to keep things going can make all the difference when your back is to the wall..

td5man

whelan1 wrote: »

so would i but after i have made a mess of it he steps in

It the other way round here usually.

whelan1

bbam wrote: »

When I was hiring maintenance staff I'd always look out for the Farmers sons, lads that were used to stepping up to a problem and having a go at fixing it, even if all the spares and tools in the world aren't there... a bodge to keep things going can make all the difference when your back is to the wall..

can fix most of the scraper stuff, milking machine man was here for a day fixing pulsation after the bull got his ring caught in the thing that you hang the cluster on when washing and stretched all the wires to the pulsation, he also broke a recording jar-the bull that is

farmerf

The milking machine guy says that the glue cant be got any more . But I got the feeling he was trying to avoid the job .
Dld the bull get into the pit when he before the jar etc. Sounds like a but of an ordeal.
Thanks for all the replys

whelan1

farmerf wrote: »

The milking machine guy says that the glue cant be got any more . But I got the feeling he was trying to avoid the job .
Dld the bull get into the pit when he before the jar etc. Sounds like a but of an ordeal.
Thanks for all the replys

no was last jar of parlour, he's a nosey bull.

bbam

whelan1 wrote: »

no was last jar of parlour, he's a nosey bull.

Repaired a parlour once where a heifer jumped up on next cow and rolled back into the pit.
Broke three or four jars and bent the spines. It was some mess. And a bigger bill.

Brown Podzol

bbam wrote: »

I'd recommend having a good dairy technician to look at it...
They'll tell you whats possible...

He just took out about 25% of the plates and threw them up on the bulktank:eek:

bbam

Brown Podzol wrote: »

He just took out about 25% of the plates and threw them up on the bulktank:eek:

Ya see the problem often is that replacing the gaskets is only 95% successful. If you spend a few hours doing it and charge say €30/hour it gets expensive.
I'd wonder if in the long run would new plates be a better investment.

I never enjoyed doing it.
I found that drying the plates well with a paint stripper helped enormously. If your doing it yourself bring them into the house and dry them on a radiator overnight before sticking.
I don't recall any special adhesive, but don't remember the brand we used either.

cjpm

Brown Podzol wrote: »

He just took out about 25% of the plates and threw them up on the bulktank:eek:

They might be cracked, especially if you have a diaphragm milk pump as the pulses in the milk pressure with every stroke of the pump cause the plates to flex ever so slightly and eventually fatigue cracks can occur.

fiat10090dt

you need to take plate cooler off wall lay it on flat dry well super glue will stick gaskets on the glue dosen do any thing onily hold gaskets on till you put cooler together ,If you have diaphragm you have small hair line cracks in plates bend & twist them you mit see them