Why Pigs Must be Cooled

When shed temperatures exceed 22-24ºC pigs become hot and food intake is reduced. As a consequence growth rate slumps by at least 10%. Cooling growing pigs provides relief from the heat in two ways. The pig is cooled and the evaporation of water from the concrete floors also has a cooling effect on the shed.

Spray cooled pigs grow as much as 33% faster and feed efficiency improves by around 11%. Spray cooled pigs continue to eat even during the hottest part of the day.

How COOLGRO works

The system consists of an electronic controller, a temperature probe and one solenoid valve. You set the controller to turn the spray cooling system on at your pre-selected shed temperature between 22 & 32ºC. COOLGRO then operates a variable spray cycle either 2, 4 or 6 minutes every half hour the shed temperature exceeds the temperature you selected. One controller can run up to two solenoid valves. For example, if your water pressure is restricted or your sheds are very long, you can run two separate water lines from one COOLGRO controller. When the temperature falls below your setting, the COOLGRO turns the system off.

Some Tips for Spray Cooling Systems

Install the sprays (droplets - not a fine mist) so that water sprays onto the pig's back. Put them 1.8m to 2.0m above the floor over the slatted area. Spray cooling requires only 300ml/hour per pig. In hotter parts of Asia there are in excess of 1500 hours per year when temperatures exceed 22ºC. About 500 litres of water per pig are required per summer.

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) 0.36 Amps (Richdel 205MT 24Vac)
Solenoid Hold Current (max) 0.50 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

CoolGro Spray Times

2:30 sprays 2 mins in 30 mins (28 minutes OFF then 2 minutes ON)
4:30 sprays 4 mins in 30 mins (26 minutes OFF then 4 minutes ON)
6:30 sprays 6 mins in 30 mins (24 minutes OFF then 6 minutes ON).
Accuracy : ± 1 second.