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Publication #DS10

 

Milking Parlor Cleaning 1

D.R. Bray and J.K. Shearer2

A survey of milking equipment in Florida revealed that many of the pulsators and vacuum controllers were not functioning properly. Research has demonstrated that major mastitis problems can occur when cows are milked with malfunctioning pulsation and vacuum controllers. The most common cause of these malfunctions, is a lack of regular maintenance. If you have not performed these maintenance chores in some time, now would be a good time to start. Routine performance and use of the schedule on the back of this sheet should be helpful. The checklist can be removed and placed in or near the milking parlor to monitor maintenance items. Here are some guidelines to follow.

Daily: Wash outside of milk line, receiver jar and trap and claws and hoses.

Two weeks or 1200 milkings: Replace liners.

Monthly:

  1. Remove pulsators and clean them.

  2. Replace filters and/or clean vacuum controllers.

  3. Wash trap inside and out.

Every 6 months:

  1. Monthly cleaning as usual.

  2. Replace all pulsator rubber parts.

  3. Replace all pulsator hoses, air tubes.

  4. Replace receiver jar gasket.

  5. Replace all milk hoses.

  6. Replace rubber udder wash hoses and rubber hose nozzles if present (rubber hoses harbor bacteria).

  7. Flush pulsator and vacuum lines.

  8. Check belts on vacuum pumps.

Yearly:

  1. Do monthly and 6-month cleaning as usual.

  2. Replace all wash line hoses.Replace trap gasket.

  3. Replace wash manifold cups.

  4. Replace belts on vacuum pump.

Tables

Table 1. 

Milking Parlor Checklist

Week

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

Date

                                                

Replace Liners

                                                

Clean Pulsators

                                                

Replace Filters on Controller

                                                

Check Hot Water Temp. Air Injection

                                                

Replace Pulsator Rubber Parts

                                                

Replace Milk Hoses Pulsator & Air Tubes

                                                

Replace Receiver Jar Gasket

                                                

Replace Cow Wash Hoses and Nozzles

                                                

Flush Pulsator & Vacuum Lines

                                                

Check Pump Belts

                                                

Replace Trap Gasket & All Wash Line Hoses

                                                

Replace Wash Manifold Cups

                                                

Replace Pump Belts

                                                

Check Pulsators

                                                

Check Vacuum Controller

                                                

When work is completed, person doing work should initial the open block. Check air hoses and liners daily for holes.

Wash outside of milk line and receiver jar daily.

Footnotes

1.

This document is DS10, one of a series of the Animal Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Original publication date October 1998. Revised March 2009. Reviewed February 2012. Visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2.

D.R. Bray, Dairy Extension Agent, Milking Management and Mastitis Specialist, Dairy Science Department and J.K. Shearer, Assistant Professor , Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, 32611.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, Dean.