# Vacuum Pump



## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

What size vacuum pump is needed for milking 2 goats at once? Would something like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Yellow-Jack.../181099650638?pt=BI_Pumps&hash=item2a2a615e4e work? I'm not necessarily going to buy that one specifically right now, just thinking about getting a new (used) pump or one for shows in the future.


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## Pronking Publius (Mar 29, 2012)

EXACTLY the question I have Nancy. You commented on one of my posts regarding some EZ milker infro. Not sure if you saw, but earlier in that post Vicki commented that a 3 cfm (cubic feet per minute) pump is probably adequate for ONE goat at a time. Not sure if you saw that in the thread. It's good for me to know if I can't figure out the answer to your question, I can have that as a fallback. You can get those from Harborfreight for a little over $100. I am NOT mechanically inclined at all so I could be wrong on this, but as an aside, I think whatever pump you get needs to either have a place for or have a gauge of some kind so you know its not putting too much pressure or too little pressure on the goat. Not even sure what such meters are called or if all vacuum pumps have an attachment for one...shows you how much I know about it. Perhaps someone else could answer that, as well as your question about whether the 7 cfm pump you listed would be adequate. Good question. I hope someone can enlighten us.


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## Pronking Publius (Mar 29, 2012)

I found this response to a different thread to a similar question: 

"3 CFM is just barely enough to run a Surge bucket and that's with no vacuum leaks. I would recommend 6 cfm, but prefer 8 cfm or better. I run my Surge bucket milking two goats at once on 10 cfm at 12 in./hg. You'll get better results if you put a balance tank between the milk bucket and the vacuum pump because any drop in vacuum (e.g. an inflation being kicked off) will probably cause the pulsation to stop."

I also read some other threads where someone said they had a 6 cfm pump they use. It SOUNDS like a 7 cfm pump like the one you listed in your question would probably work from what I have seen, but that most people, like the person in this thread, had "balance tanks" as well, That's ANOTHER thing I'm going to have to look into. Again, I'm no authority at all. Hopefully someone else can shed some more light on the pump you listed, but those are some observations I have had so far....still looking into it.


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## Ozark Lady (Mar 21, 2010)

I am following this thread and the other one with interest, reading all the information. And I am about as confused as I was when I started.
I have learned that the funny looking box on my surge bucket is a pulsator, but not sure how it all fits together, or how to test it to see if it is any good.
The balance thing I am completely lost on.
Also, how does one get the milk out of the surge bucket, do you have to pick it up and pour it?
The surge bucket alone is heavy, add 2 gallons of milk, and all those hoses etc. That will be a lot to lift and accurately pour up. Or does one siphon the milk out of the bucket in some way.
The more I learn, the more I don't know.
How does the milk get from the bucket even if it is a laval to a milk holding tank or jars?
Does it take more Cfm whatever that is to move the milk once you have it in a bucket?
I am so very lost on this subject.
And someone talked about getting one on ebay, how would we know if all the parts are there, and whether they are working right or not?
This whole subject is so confusing, and I will be hand milking 6 does this year! 8 next year... I need a better way, but just don't understand it at all.


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## Pronking Publius (Mar 29, 2012)

That's quite a few questions MaryAnn. Probably enough to even start another thread or so. The specifics are definitely confusing if you have never used a milking machine and have only ever seen pictures of one, which is the boat I am in. Just have to take it a piece at a time I guess. I'm learning more every day, like for example about specifically what kind of pump one needs to milk two goats at once like Nancy was asking about in this thread. These rooms have certainly been invaluable with figuring that stuff out. With all the questions you still have, I might suggest trying to find a farm willing demonstrate milking with a machine in person, or maybe watch some youtube video's of people milking with a machine and whatnot. I know I am personally a very visual person with this kind of stuff. It'll come together, but I'm not informed enough myself on it all to be able to comment too much.


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

What I started with, was a vacuum pump, which I think already has a balance tank built into the system (or maybe I don't have one) and surge bucket and pulsator from my neighbor that he bought from another neighbor and never used. I found a local guy who puts together BIG pipeline milkers to help me get my vacuum pump going, and bought the surge 2-goat set up from parts dept (just call, their website didn't even list it at the time that I could find). You can't test the pulsator without a vacuum source-it doesn't move without one. A surge pulsator has these little leathers inside (that's what they are called, but they're made out of metal) that move back and forth. As for pouring the milk up, yes, you just pour it from the big fat stupid surge bucket. I am thinking about getting a delaval at some point. I have this rack that used to be a seed rack or something, that I normally hang the hoses on between does, and I just take the lid off the bucket, which has the pulsator with all the hoses attached, and hang that on the rack as well...then all you have is the bucket with the milk in it. I pour mine through a filter into a milk tote.

Thanks Matt for your post. I'm still a little unsure of the balance tank too...I know its purpose, but not sure how you make one. Like I said, I think I have one, but not sure. If my goats kick off the shells, the machine will lose pressure, but it's slow, so I think that means I do have a balance tank. I also have the little flutter valve thingies (don't htink that's what they are called with milk machines), that if one shell comes off, the little doohickymabob makes a seal to where the pressure can't leak out and make the other one come off, and both on the other goat. The pressure gauge is just put in to the system at any point past the vacuum, so you could just put it in the spot where your vacuum hose attaches, I think...you just have to find one with the same diameter as the rest of the setup.


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

I would also suggest going to a goat show. There are always people their with their little travel milking machines, and I'm sure if it is not too terribly busy, they would be willing to show you theirs.


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## Fiberaddict (Jun 4, 2009)

I did a blog post in 2010 with pictures:

http://fiberaddict.livejournal.com/541279.html

Hope it helps!


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## Goat Town (Nov 20, 2010)

Here's a thread we started last year talking about milking machines and vacuum pumps:

http://www.dairygoatinfo.com/f19/milking-machine-review-thread-30667/


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## Goat Town (Nov 20, 2010)

Here's a link showing a set up of the HVAC style pump Nancy asked about:

http://awesomealpines.com/Articles.php#Milking_Machines


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## Ozark Lady (Mar 21, 2010)

I have taken several turns milking hundreds of goats in a commercial goat dairy. They didn't have buckets with lines, there were vacuum lines on the rafters, and had just individual claws for each goat that dropped down, then it all went into another room with big machines and you could see the milk in lines, and it went into a huge milk tank. The milk truck came and picked it up every so many days, and the tank had to reversed to wash it out prior to the next milking.

I have used that system many times, but it was many years ago. He had adapted a huge cow milking system and simply modified a few things, not sure what all, but I know the claws were different.

So, in my limited experience, the huge set up for a large herd of animals, that milks 30-40 at once and takes several hours to process the entire herd, just didn't help me to understand a smaller system, where I can milk 2-4 at one time.

My neighbor bought one of those little jar things for $65.00 and she loves it. But neither she nor her partner know how to milk in the real sense. 

My husband has arthritis in his hands, so he can't milk at all. Something like that would back me up. In the picture it is just a squeeze gun type thing, with lines, a jar, and syringes for claws. I think it would be slow, and just not efficient for me.


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## Junkscouts (Jul 18, 2010)

The balance tank also acts as a reservoir for the vacuum so that if an inflation does fall off the vacuum in the tank will act as a "buffer" (if that makes sense) so the vacuum won't drop to zero immediately. The bigger the tank the better it will handle a vacuum leak, but also the longer it will take to get down to vacuum when you first turn the pump on.

What I haven't found is a reasonably priced vacuum regulator, does anyone know where to get one?

Also you can take two smaller pumps and hook them both up say with a Tee to get to the higher CFM if it's cheaper than buying a big pump. Two 3 CFM pumps hooked together = 6 CFM


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## Goat Town (Nov 20, 2010)

Here's the type I use on my portable pump:

http://www.mcmaster.com/#vacuum-relief-valves/=lx3gds

Here's the type I use on my main pumps:

http://www.partsdeptonline.com/VACUUM-REGULATOR-VALVE-3_4/productinfo/45270/


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

Ozark Lady said:


> So, in my limited experience, the huge set up for a large herd of animals, that milks 30-40 at once and takes several hours to process the entire herd, just didn't help me to understand a smaller system, where I can milk 2-4 at one time.


That's why I suggested going to a show and talking with the goat people there and see if anybody will show you their system. Nobody at shows, as far as I know, has a pipeline milking system.


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## doublebowgoats (Mar 6, 2008)

Nancy, just a little more info on the surge pulsator, there are actually leather things inside all the metal stuff. I am now more intimately acquainted with my surge pulsator than I want to be! LOl.


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

Oh, interesting. My husband has taken ours apart and cleaned it, but I haven't done that yet. I just tell him, "Make sure you know how it goes back together!!".


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## Junkscouts (Jul 18, 2010)

Thanks Nicole. That is definitely a more reasonable way to go. I was thinking I had to keep the reservoir tank at a lower vacuum and then have a regulator to raise the line vacuum to the proper amount (like the way a most air compressors are set up), but the ones you posted will keep the whole system at the proper vacuum. Thanks again for posting the links.


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