One of our happy clients in the Manawatū runs two dairy farms with about 600 cows on each. They needed a reliable, no-fuss way to get essential minerals like zinc, magnesium, and anti-bloat into the stock drinking water. But before talking to the team at MixRite, things hadn’t been that straightforward.
When it came to water supply, each of the two dairy farms had its own set of challenges
One was fed by a standard pressure pump, but the water lines were long and narrow, meaning pressure loss was a real concern.
The other farm was supplied from a header tank perched on the highest point of the farm and using gravity to send water to both the house and the stock troughs.
Getting round the head loss
As the house supply can’t have minerals added to it, injecting directly into the tank on the first farm was not an option. The dosing pump had to be set up on the gravity-fed line instead. To make things trickier, space was tight near the tank. There was no room to install the pump a few metres lower where it could benefit from a bit of extra pressure.
The solution? A decent-sized TF25 pump: it increased capacity and cut down pressure loss. The TF25’s superior capacity meant it could handle the long, restrictive water lines without struggling. It provided a steady, even distribution of minerals throughout the entire system. The robust design also meant minimal maintenance, which suited Iain’s busy farming schedule.
Boosting the gravity-fed system
As for the gravity-fed system, we added a small electric pump to give the line just enough extra pressure to kick the TF25 dosing pump into action. Even with the low head, this setup gave enough flow to get the minerals into the water supply. It overcame the challenge of insufficient natural pressure from the header tank. The TF25’s self-priming capability and ability to work with low flow rates made it the ideal choice for this arrangement.
A win win for everyone
The MixRite TF25 dosing pump is a non-electric, water-driven proportional dosing pump. It injects precise amounts of additives into the water supply. It uses the flow of water as the driving force. In most cases, there is no need for external power. The pump automatically adjusts the dosing rate based on the water flow, ensuring that the right amount of minerals or treatments are always there, no matter the variations in water use.
No longer is there any stress about whether stock is getting vital additives. The MixRite team came up with a simple, cost-effective fix that keeps both the cows and Iain happy. No big-budget blowout, just good solid problem-solving and the right gear for the job.