In the United States, for farmers who participate in the voluntary Dairy Herd Improvement Association, approximately once a month the milk volume from each animal is measured using additional portable metering devices inserted between the milker and the pipeline.
Because the machine is stationary, it can include additional fixed equipment such as computerized milk-metering systems to measure volume, which would be cumbersome to use with portable milkers.
In both cases the pipeline is constructed out of stainless steel, which does not easily corrode and is resistant to most chemicals, though larger operations may use larger-diameter pipes in order to handle greater milk volumes.
This is done by having the milk flow into a receiver bowl or globe, which is a large hollow glass container with electronic liquid-detecting probes in the center.
The transfer pump is then used to move the cleaning solution from the receiver bowl back to the wash-water supply tank to restart the process.
During cleaning the bottom of the overflow chamber is connected to a drain channel on the receiver globe to permit water to flow out.