20 X. H. Agri. Experiment Station [Bui. 296 



Electrical Washing and Sterilizing Equipment 

 for Dairy Utensils 



One new combined water heater and dairy equipment sterilizer tested 

 showed many desirable qualities, but indicated a necessity for a better 

 efficiency and control of the time element in the sterilizing action, re- 

 port W. T. Ackerman and G. M. Foulkrod. 



Operating as a 5-gallon water heater it showed results somewhat 

 comparable to many others on the market. Five gallons of 52° water 

 were heated to 192" in 47 minutes before the current was cut off by 

 the thermostat, consuming 2.14 Kilowatt hours. Two hundred degrees 

 Fahrenheit was reached in 55 minutes without further current con- 

 sumption. This is at the rate of .43 Kilowatt hours per gallon of 52° 

 F. supply water or 150° temperature change. 



As a sterilizer for one can inverted over a steam generating nozzle, 

 steam started in 5 minutes, but 15 minutes was needed to get any part 

 of the can up above 150° F., while at 17 minutes the automatic switch 

 shut off the power and no higher temperature could be reached. 



As a sterilizer for miscellaneous equipment, and with the compart- 

 ment filled to capacity, the highest temperature recorded was 163° F. 

 in 20 minutes. At this point the switch cut off the power and the cool- 

 ing off started. 



To obtain higher temperatures and increased efficiency, the steriliz- 

 ing tank was insulated, the steam more uniformly distributed, and a 

 manual control switch used to extend the period of operation. 



Steam started in 5 minutes and at the end of one hour and 15 minutes 

 the entire tank and contents reached a uniform and peak temperature 

 of 205° F., showing that insulation and a change in control design 

 would produce more effective action. 



The time needed for arriving at sterilizing temperatures and holding 

 at these temperatures seem to be the main drawbacks to this equip- 

 ment. The average farmer cannot afford to and will not wait too long 

 a time to sterilize a can or other equipment. [State Fund) 



Electric Fence Controller 



Tests conducted since April, 1935, on a ' commercially made electric 

 fence controller designed to operate on 60 cycle, 115 volt, A.C. service, 

 indicate this as a very satisfactory method of temporary enclosure for 

 several kinds of farm animals. 



It was found that the electric current intermittently sent over the 

 fence wire was under a pressure of 90 volts, and that the amperage was 

 exceedingly low — .08 amperes — so that the shock received when the 

 fence is contacted is not injurious to livestock. 



The current consumed was 5.4 kilowatt hours per month of continu- 

 ous day and night operation. A single strand of barbed wire attached 

 to posts 50 feetapart and at about % of the height of the animal from 

 the ground was necessary. One strand of wire— placed from % to % 

 of the height of the animal — was satisfactory for hogs. With sheep, 

 two strands of wire were required at 15 and 28 inches, respectively, 

 from the ground to secure complete enclosure. 



