If you haven’t seen it already, check out Dosatron Service Manager Virginie Buck’s guest post on Hog Slat’s blog. The post shares all kinds of helpful tips for keeping your medicator working hard for you.
Read the post here: www.hogslat.com/Blog/
Posts Tagged ‘Technical Tips’
Dosatron Guest-Posts on Hog Slat Blog
Friday, June 25th, 2010Catch Dosatron and Geremia Greenhouse on GGTV
Friday, March 5th, 2010In case you missed it, Dosatron recently hosted a spot on GGTV’s Supply Channel with Geremia Greenhouse’s head grower Paul Barnes. In the video, Paul explains how Geremia’s uses Dosatron injectors to direct-inject Zerotol, growth regulators, and other chemicals to keep their crops beautiful and healthy. Check it out:
Thanks so much to Paul for taking the time to talk to us. Did you know that Dosatrons can be used to direct-inject Zerotol? What unusual chemicals do you direct-inject? Tell us about in the comments!
Greenhouse Grower Talks Fertilizer Injection
Friday, January 15th, 2010If you haven’t seen it, Greenhouse Grower ran an amazing article on fertilizer injection this month (click here to see the online version). In the article, Peter Konjoian discusses how greenhouses can use their fertilizer injector set-ups in optimum ways, and features some great installations from several different greenhouses, including our longtime-friends at Geremia’s Greenhouse. Best of all, our own Lela Kelly served as technical advisor on the article, and was instrumental in helping Peter choose these best-of-the-best installations to discuss.
If you’re looking for innovative ways to install your Dosatron, this article will give you lots of ideas. Check it out, and then come back here to discuss your installation and usage insights and questions in the comments.
The Importance of a Well-Mixed Stock Tank
Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
By Lela Kelly
Recently, I paid a visit to a grower who told me that he was concerned that his Dosatron did not seem to be injecting enough fertilizer. When he showed me his stock tank, the problem became clear immediately: the grower was using a lower quality fertilizer which had not dissolved completely, leaving chunks at the bottom of the stock tank.
I run across this sort of thing from time to time. Growers, trying to save a little here and there, use this less expensive fertilizer. What they don’t consider is that this fertilizer will cost them in more ways than just the price of purchase:
- A lower quality fertilizer that does not dissolve well will not inject properly, which means you may need to use more of it to obtain your desired results. If you spend less per bag, but use more bags total, you may actually be spending more on your fertilizer.
- If your fertilizer leaves chunks of un-dissolved matter in the stock tank, there’s a chance that those chunks will end up drawn into the Dosatron, where they will act as debris and possibly impair the check valve or score the inside of your injector. If this happens, you may end up facing additional costs for replacement parts or repairs.
- If you mix your stock tank with a poorly-dissolved fertilizer, even if it does not affect your fertilizer budget or your Dosatron, it may be that your plants aren’t getting the full amount that they need, which could lead to damaged or stunted crops.
This is why it is so important to keep the big picture in mind when deciding on which products to use. We recommend high quality fertilizers with good solubility. Using an agitator pump may also help keep your stock tank mix consistent.
On a related note, I was contacted by grower recently who believed his Dosatron was over-injecting. He was injecting acid, and his pH readings seemed to indicate that the output blend contained too much acid.
Since acid is heavier than water, it needs constant agitation to keep it properly mixed with the water in your stock tank. The method I see growers use most commonly is the highly-scientific “stir it with a stick” technique. This will not work for additives that are heavier than water, and an in-tank agitator will probably yield much better results.
Your chemical manufacturer can answer any questions you have about solubility and the correct method to keep your stock tank homogenous. And if you have any questions about your Dosatron injector, we’re always here for you at 800-523-8499, or drop us a line in the comments.
Lela’s Tales from the Road: Cornell University
Thursday, December 17th, 2009Well, 2009 is drawing to a close, and I’m getting ready to take a short break from traveling so I can recharge before it all begins again in 2010. One of my last stops of the year was the Cornell Research Lab in Riverhead, New York, where they allowed me the pleasure of hosting two maintenance seminars this past weekend.
We had excellent attendance, and as always, it was wonderful to meet the growers in person and discuss their fertilizer injector questions. My training centered on the importance of maintenance, as well as proper injector calibration. Many growers do not realize it, but these topics are closely related, as regular injector calibration is the key to knowing when it is time to perform maintenance on your equipment. Without calibration, it’s almost impossible to tell if an older injector is still dispensing the proper amount of fertilizer. If you calibrate regularly, you’ll know at once if your injector’s seals need to be replaced or if they’re still performing well. In addition to these topics, I also covered pesticide applications and safe handling practices.
I was assisted by Charles Germano from Green Island, who is Dosatron certified in maintenance and repairs.
Many growers called Green Island to tell them the seminar was very helpful and they were happy they attended. That’s what makes all the traveling worthwhile for me.
Stay tuned, because I’ll be back on the road in January, visiting growers and conducting seminars. You’ll also be able to catch me at MANTS in Baltimore on January 6 – 8 (booth #2952). And of course, there will be more Tales from the Road.
Thank you all for reading. Happy holidays, and all the best for 2010.
Lela
Lela’s Tales from the Road: San Marcos, CA
Friday, October 9th, 2009Hello, readers! It’s been a crazy summer, and things are finally winding down… but I’m still on the road, trying to see as many of our wonderful customers as possible.
This week, I was in beautiful San Marcos, California, doing a maintenance seminar with our good friends at Crop Production Services. I always love doing these seminars, because I get to see people’s injectors and how they’re holding up. Lots of people brought Dosatrons that were over 10 years old, and still going strong.
We discussed proper seal maintenance, and as always, I stressed how important it is. Many of the growers in attendance had never done any maintenance on their Dosatron, but they were all amazed at how easy it is. Changing out your seals annually really is one of the easiest, best things you can do to lengthen the life of your Dosatron and keep it working properly.
After the seminar, CPS served a barbecue lunch and I got to eat with all the growers, which was a blast. I had a great time meeting them, and getting to hear their stories.
That’s it for now; next week, I’m off to Amsterdam to attend Horti Fair 2009. Keep an eye out for my updates on the show!
Until my next tale from the road,
Lela
Sometimes the Devil’s in the Details
Friday, July 17th, 2009
By Albert Hernandez, Service Technician
During the course of our days, we in the tech support department deal with troubleshooting matters large and small, trying to help our customers get operational as quickly as possible. Sometimes, a troubleshooting matter can be complex and take up to an hour to pin-point and fix, and sometimes, it’s incredibly simple.
For example, take this recent call: a swine farmer called, stating that his newly-installed Dosatron diaphragm medicator was allowing his pigs to drink, but some were still getting sick. He checked the medication stock tank and all appeared to be well. I was stumped, until the customer gave the vital clue – he said that he loved how quiet the new medicator was, compared to his previous system, and that he couldn’t even hear it.
Ah-ha! A properly working medicator is supposed to click. I asked the customer if he could hear any clicking coming from the medicator at all, to which the customer answered no. My next question was, “Is the arrow on the bottom end of the blue body pointing in the same direction the water is flowing in?” The customer said he didn’t know, but would check.
The arrow printed or etched on your injector shows the direction in which water should flow through the unit.
Later on, the customer called back to say that no, the arrow wasn’t pointing in the direction of the water flow. Mystery solved – the medicator was facing in the wrong direction! The customer reinstalled the medicator correctly, and since then, the few pigs that were separated from the healthy ones are well on their way to getting better. Needless to say, the customer was very pleased.
This just goes to show that sometimes the tiniest detail can make all the difference. When you install your injector, make sure you follow the set-up instructions carefully, and check to make sure the equipment is working properly afterwards.
If you are unsure or have any questions, just give us a call at 800-523-8499. We’re always here for you!
Dosatron Helps Use Less Water At Your Carwash
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009
By Craig Peterson, Vice President – Vehicle Wash
If you’re using Dosatron at your carwash, you already know it provides you the most consistent chemical dilution for the best results on your customer’s cars. But did you know it can help you save on water usage also? By simply closing down the manual valve before the Dosatron, you reduce the volume of mixed chemical and water applied!
For example, let’s say your drying agent is working great at 400:1 and you’re applying it at 6 gallons per minute. Slowly begin to close the water supply valve, making sure you continue to get complete coverage on the car and you’re still rinsing any foam from the surface. As you close the valve, you continue to apply at the same dilution, so performance should remain unchanged. BUT, if you reduce the volume being applied from 6 gallons per minute to 3 gallons per minute, you have cut the amount of chemical AND water used on each car by half!
Call us at 888-523-8499 for details on how to do a simple 15 second test to determine how many gallons per minute is flowing through YOUR Dosatron!
Technical Tip: “Self-Rinsing” Your Dosatron
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009When using a Dosatron injector that is open to the heat and UV rays of the summer sun, your chemical solution can be intensified by exposure. Since it is the start of the hottest months of the year, June is a good month to start the practice of periodic maintenance to rinse your injector. Suggestion: Let the Dosatron injector do the work for you.
Simply put your stock suction tubing in a bucket of fresh water and run the injector until the fresh water is almost gone. (Note: Do not let the fresh water rinse bucket run empty. A suction chemical line inside a dry stock bucket could potentially roll off the plunger seal or damage the inside stem.) Performing this maintenance on a regular basis will help preserve your seals and other wear parts from the intensified effects of heated chemicals.
Do you have any special maintenance you perform in the summertime? Share your tips with other readers in the comments.
Need Help Setting Your Injector?
Wednesday, May 27th, 2009Well, you’re not alone!
Every day, we receive questions from customers about how they should set their Dosatron. The majority of our questions come from the Horticultural industry, with “How should I mix my fertilizer?” and, “What setting should I use on my injector?” being the two most common types of inquiries we receive.
One place to start would be on the back of your fertilizer bag. Typically, recommendations are made on which setting you should use for an injector and then how to mix the fertilizer. If that is not listed, we usually recommend calling the 800 number of the fertilizer manufacturer. Let the chemists guide you; there are so many great fertilizer companies with helpful customer service. Another option is to use our on-line calculators.
One quick thing to note: a common misconception that we hear a lot is, “If I set my Dosatron on 1:100, does that mean it will give me 100 PPM’s (parts per million)?” The answer is: NOT necessarily! If you are using a 1:100 setting, you will need to know how to properly mix your fertilizer to achieve 100 parts per million. It is important to understand the difference between ratio or percentage settings on the Dosatron and parts per million. Basically, they are not the same. As Lela explained in her recent article in GPN Magazine:
Most growers are used to thinking about fertilizer in terms of parts per million (ppm). Fertilizer manufacturers put directions on the back of the fertilizer bags which tell you how to make up the ppm you need for the crop you are growing. However, when using a fertilizer injector, the measurements are usually listed in ratios. A 1:100 ratio means that one gallon of concentrated fertilizer will automatically be injected into 100 gallons of water. Your fertilizer injector will do this automatically for you.
If you need help, please do not hesitate to call us at 800-523-8499 with your questions. We may not have all the answers, but we can definitely point you in the right direction.