Why Sows Need to be Cooled

Sows are stressed when temperatures exceed 21ºC. They breathe faster, reduce feed intake, reduce milk production and produce more stillborn pigs. Under the extreme hot weather conditions common in Asia, sow deaths occur from heat stress. COOLsow includes an electronic unit, a temperature probe which hangs at sow level, a solenoid valve to operate the water supply and all power connections.

During extremely hot weather, or during a sudden heat wave before sows are acclimatised to high temperature COOLsow drip cooling systems save lives. COOLsow reduces respiration rate, keeping sows more comfortable. Stillbirths are lower. Pigs weigh more at weaning because cooled sows produce more milk.

How COOLSOW works
COOLsow is flexible. You can set it to turn on at any temperature you choose between 22ºC and 32ºC. When this temperature is reached at sow level the system can be adjusted to drip for one minute in every 5, 10 or continuously. Wiltronics suggests that the best results are achieved when the system is set to turn on at 24ºC and run for 1 minute in 10. When the temperature falls below the temperature that you have set, the COOLsow controller will turn the cooling system off.

Field trial results from drip cooling sows using COOLSow during summer.

	Drip cooled	Control
No. of sows	96	112
Born alive	10.8	10.7
Born dead/litter	0.23	0.33
Litter weight weaned (kg)	62.6	59.2
Pig weight weaned (kg)	7.2	6.8
Pig growth weight (g/day)	196	181
Breaths/min (at 31°C shed temp)	38	68

(Shepparton, Australia)

Technical Details and Features

Electrical

Input Voltage (Switchable)
Voltage Selector Switch
Set to 230 220 - 240 Volt AC (50 HZ)
Set to 115 110 - 120 Volt AC (60 HZ)
Input Wattage
2 watts normal
15 watts max (when solenoid on)
Operation Temperature Range 0º C ~ 50º C
Solenoid Output Voltage 12 Volt DC
Solenoid Hold Current (typical) 0.29 Amps (Hardie Mini Barb 24Vac)
Solenoid Hold Current (max) 0.33 Amps
One solenoid only on each output
Internal Fuse
240V 100mA Time Delay
M205 (5mm x 20mm)

Mechanical / Enclosure

Size 140 x 175 x 110 (H x W x L) mm
Weight 800grams
Environmental Rating - IP55 (Provides limited protection against dust ingress and limited protection against low pressure water jets from any direction, when installed correctly)

Compliance
EMC EN55014 (CISPR14) / AS/NZS1044

Temperature Settings

Range 22º C to 32º C in 2 Deg steps
Accuracy ± 1º C

Temperature Probe

System is designed to be used with PigTemp Probe, it will not function with other types of Temperature Probes.
Operational Temperature Range 0º C ~ 50º C
Accuracy ± 1º C

COOLSOW Drip Times

1:5 Drips 1 min in 5 mins (4 minutes OFF then 1 minute ON)
1:7.5 Drips 1 min in 7.5 mins (6 minutes and 30 seconds OFF then 1 minute ON)
1:10 Drips 1 min in 10 mins (9 minutes OFF then 1 minute ON).
Accuracy : ± 1 second.