Pan Flush Solves Toxic Gas Problems

Pan flush solves toxic gas problems HOG EQUIPMENT & IDEAS Hog Equipment & Ideas (351) 10-2-2 If you've got an older farrowing or nursery barn with a gas problem from an underground pit, or you're planning to put up a new building, you'll want to take a close look at this new in-floor flush system put together by Better Way Products, Milford, Ind. The system consists of a network of individual pans that install below floor level. The old grates install normally above the pans and once a week or so the pans are unplugged and waste "self-flushes" out through PVC drain pipe. If installed over an existing pit, waste simply flows to the pit below. If there's no pit, waste is carried out of the building to an outside lagoon or slurry tank. "It seals off below-barn pits so no gases reach the animals and yet allows you to still use your conventional equipment. Some farmers have put cement caps over their pits and installed raised farrowing crates with flush pans. That works, too, but it's a lot more expensive and inconvenient," says Bruce Korenstra, who developed the flush system in partnership with his father Francis. Korenstra says that in addition to causing health problems in pigs, pit gases also corrode equipment and cost money because of the increased ventilation and heat needed to keep the air fresh. He says one farmer who capped his pit with the pan flush system now saves 2/3 of his heat bill. The flush pans are 6¢ in. deep with steep sloping sides. They vary in size from 4 by 8 ft. to 5 by 10 ft., made from wood filler reinforced fiberglass that's designed to stand up to the weight of a full pan of waste. The pans are sized to fit most sizes of slats so that once installed you can simplyreposition the slats on top. They're designed to fit most existing pits without extensive modification. Korenstra says some farmers still install them over new pits even in new barns if they don't have room for other storage. He says there's little demand for the idea in finishing barns because gas isn't considered as much as an irritant to older animals. The pan flush system sells for about $5.50 per sq. ft. of pit coverage. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Better Way Products, P.O. Box 52, Milford, Ind. 46542 (ph 219 658-9633).

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