Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between indoor and outdoor dairy tanks?

Outdoor dairy tanks are designed to withstand external conditions and typically feature weatherproof control housings and protective finishes suitable for exposed installations. Indoor tanks are intended for installation within a dairy building or tank room, where protection from the elements is already provided.

What is the difference between a milk tank and a milk silo?

A conventional milk tank is generally installed horizontally and is well suited to dairies where sufficient floor space is available. A milk silo stores milk vertically, allowing larger capacities to be achieved within a smaller footprint. This can make silos particularly useful where floor space is limited or higher storage volumes are required.

How does a falling film chiller work?

When used alongside a plate cooler, a falling film chiller can form part of a closed-loop milk pre-cooling system. Warm water returning from the plate cooler flows over the chiller’s refrigerated pillow plates as a thin film, allowing heat to be removed efficiently. The chilled water is then returned to the plate cooler, where it absorbs heat from the incoming milk.

Falling film systems are particularly suited to larger dairy operations where high volumes of milk require consistent pre-cooling and conventional chilled-water storage systems may be less practical.

How does a plate cooler work?

A plate cooler passes warm milk and cooling water through separate channels on opposite sides of thin stainless steel plates. Heat transfers from the milk into the water without the two fluids coming into contact.

This pre-cools the milk before it enters the storage tank, reducing the refrigeration load on the milk tank and helping the overall cooling system operate more efficiently.

What is an ice builder and how does it help with milk cooling?

An ice builder produces and stores ice, often during periods of lower electricity demand or lower tariff rates. When cooling is required, water is circulated over the stored ice to produce chilled water.

This chilled water can then be used with a plate cooler to pre-cool milk before it reaches the bulk milk tank, helping reduce the load on the tank’s refrigeration system.

Can Fabdec dairy equipment be integrated into an existing milking system?

Many Fabdec dairy products can be retrofitted or integrated into existing dairy installations. The suitability of individual equipment will depend on the existing system layout, milk flow, cooling requirements and available services, so each application should be assessed individually.

Does Fabdec supply dairy equipment outside the UK?

Yes. Fabdec dairy DX-CO milk tanks have been supplied to customers in more than 75 countries worldwide, including markets across Europe, North America and Asia.

What is an unvented hot water cylinder?

An unvented hot water cylinder stores mains-pressure hot water without the need for a separate cold-water storage tank. Because the cylinder is connected directly to the mains supply, it can provide strong hot water pressure throughout the property, subject to the available incoming mains pressure and flow rate.

Unvented systems also include dedicated safety and expansion controls to manage pressure as the stored water heats and expands.

What is the difference between a direct and indirect hot water cylinder?

A direct hot water cylinder heats the stored water using electric immersion heaters built into the cylinder itself.

An indirect cylinder is heated by an external heat source, such as a boiler or heat pump, which passes heated water through an internal coil. Many indirect cylinders also include an immersion heater as a secondary or backup heat source.

What is the difference between domestic, commercial, industrial and marine water heating systems?

Domestic water heaters are designed for homes and smaller residential applications, with capacities and connection sizes suited to typical household hot water demand.

Commercial and industrial applications are covered by the same EXCELSIOR product range, with larger-capacity units designed for higher hot water demand, greater flow requirements and more demanding installations. The same core units can therefore be specified across commercial buildings and industrial environments depending on the required capacity and system configuration.

Marine water heaters are configured specifically for use on boats and other marine installations, with suitable mounting arrangements and connection options for vessel applications.

Fabdec’s EXCELSIOR range covers all three application areas, with different capacities, coil configurations and installation options available to suit the project.

How does the WXI internal expansion system work?

The EXCELSIOR WXI uses the Venturi effect to maintain an internal air gap within the cylinder. As water flows through the system, the Venturi device draws air into the cylinder, creating the expansion space required as the stored water heats and expands.

This removes the need for a separate external expansion vessel, helping simplify the installation and reduce the amount of ancillary equipment required.

When should you choose a pre-plumbed cylinder?

A pre-plumbed cylinder is particularly useful where installation time needs to be kept to a minimum. Key valves, controls and associated components are supplied pre-assembled, reducing the amount of work required on site.

This can make installation quicker, more consistent and easier for installers, particularly on larger housing developments or projects involving repeated installations.

Can Fabdec manufacture bespoke hot water cylinders?

Yes. Fabdec can manufacture bespoke hot water cylinders and vessels to suit specific project requirements. Options can include customised connections, cladding, mounting arrangements, coil configurations and other design features.

Bespoke requirements are assessed on an individual basis to ensure the finished system is suitable for the intended application.

What cylinder capacities does EXCELSIOR offer?

EXCELSIOR products typically cover capacities from approximately 20 litres up to 4,000 litres, depending on the product range and application.

For projects requiring capacities outside the standard range, bespoke options may also be available following technical review.

What is a buffer vessel used for?

A buffer vessel stores a volume of heating or cooling water within a closed-loop system. Its main purpose is to increase system water volume and provide thermal stability, helping reduce rapid cycling of equipment such as heat pumps, boilers and chillers.

Buffer vessels can also help manage changes in demand and maintain more consistent system temperatures.

What is heat recovery?

Heat recovery is the process of capturing heat that would otherwise be wasted and reusing it for another purpose. This can include recovering heat from refrigeration systems, industrial processes or other thermal sources and transferring it into water or another useful medium.

How can waste heat be reused?

Waste heat can be reused to reduce the amount of energy required elsewhere in a system. For example, the SPAR-HEAT can use recovered heat to preheat water before it enters a water heater, meaning less additional energy is required to bring the water up to its final temperature.

How does the SPAR-HEAT heat recovery system work?

The SPAR-HEAT recovers heat from the hot refrigerant gas leaving the compressor within a refrigeration system. Instead of allowing this heat to be rejected entirely to the atmosphere, it is transferred into water stored within the SPAR-HEAT vessel.

This produces preheated water that can then be used elsewhere on site, helping reduce overall water-heating energy demand.

What is an Energy Blade?

An Energy Blade is a water-source heat exchanger typically constructed from an array of four stainless steel pillow plates. The system can be submerged in a lake, river, pond or other suitable body of water, where it exchanges thermal energy with the surrounding water.

When connected to a heat pump system, this provides a means of extracting usable low-grade heat from the water source.

How much heat can an Energy Blade recover?

The heat-transfer performance of an Energy Blade depends on several factors, including water temperature, water movement and the conditions surrounding the installation.

A warmer body of water with good natural or forced water movement will generally provide greater heat-transfer performance than colder, stagnant water. The final system should therefore be specified around the conditions of the individual site.

Can you purchase pillow plates separately?

Yes. Although Fabdec pillow plates are frequently incorporated into our vessels and heat-exchange systems, THERMOPLATE pillow plates can also be supplied as standalone components for suitable customer applications.

Are Fabdec pillow plates manufactured in the UK?

Yes. Fabdec THERMOPLATE pillow plates have been manufactured at our UK facility since 2016 using our in-house laser welding equipment.

This allows Fabdec to control the design and manufacture of the plates directly, including their dimensions and internal flow paths.

Do pillow plates have a standard size?

No. THERMOPLATE pillow plates can be designed around the requirements of the individual application rather than being restricted to a single standard size.

Plate dimensions, connection positions and internal flow paths can all be tailored to achieve the required heat-transfer performance and suit the intended installation.

What dairy equipment does Cookes service and repair?

Cookes specialises in Fabdec dairy equipment and has broad experience across milk cooling, refrigeration and associated dairy systems. Our engineers can service, maintain and repair a wide range of Fabdec equipment, as well as many comparable systems from other manufacturers.

Does Cookes provide emergency dairy refrigeration repairs?

Yes. Cookes provides emergency support for dairy farms experiencing refrigeration or milk cooling breakdowns.

Rapid response is particularly important in dairy applications, where prolonged downtime can put stored milk at risk and disrupt the milking process. Our engineers work to diagnose faults and restore systems as quickly as possible.

Is 24/7 emergency call-out available?

Yes. Cookes provides a 24/7 emergency call-out service for dairy refrigeration and milk cooling systems.

Where does Cookes provide service coverage?

Cookes provides dedicated service coverage across Shropshire, Staffordshire, Cheshire, North Wales and Mid Wales.

How often should a milk cooling tank be serviced?

As a general recommendation, milk cooling tanks and associated refrigeration equipment should be serviced at least once a year.

Regular servicing can help identify developing faults, maintain cooling performance, improve reliability and reduce the risk of unexpected breakdowns during operation.

How do I arrange a service visit?

To arrange a service visit, contact the Cookes team at info@cookesfabdec.com with details of your equipment, location and the nature of the service or repair required.

Where can I buy Fabdec spare parts?

Fabdec spare parts can be purchased or enquired about through our online webshop. The webshop provides access to a range of replacement components for Fabdec equipment and associated systems.

What spare parts does Fabdec supply?

Fabdec supplies a broad range of spare and replacement components, including genuine Fabdec parts alongside compatible components used within our dairy, water heating and associated equipment.

If you cannot find the part you need online, our team can help identify a suitable replacement.

Can I buy spare parts for older Fabdec equipment?

In many cases, yes. Fabdec continues to support older equipment wherever possible and can often supply either the original component or a suitable modern replacement.

Availability will depend on the age and specification of the equipment, so providing the model and serial number can help us identify the correct part.

How do I identify the correct spare part for my equipment?

Identifying the correct replacement part is not always straightforward. If you are unsure which component you require, contact the Fabdec team with as much information as possible about your equipment.

Useful information can include the product model, serial number, photographs of the existing component and any visible part numbers or markings.

Can Fabdec ship spare parts internationally?

Yes. Fabdec regularly supplies spare parts to customers outside the UK and can arrange international shipping to many overseas destinations.