Emptying a stuck feed silo

[Agric]

I’ve got a 20T fibreglass feed silo which currently has about 5T of mouldy parlour cake stuck in a ring round the outside from the cone upwards.

I don’t much fancy putting my head in there and chopping away with a shovel so are there any other ways to get it emptied, tapping on the outside hasn’t achieved much so far.
Other ideas are hiring a big road compressor and trying to blast it off the sides

 

[ollie989898]

Is there an inspection hatch in the top?

There are specialist companies who can bring a sucker wagon to your farm and suck it out- for a fee.

 

[Suffolk Serf]

Is there an inspection hatch in the top?

There are specialist companies who can bring a sucker wagon to your farm and suck it out- for a fee.

I bet they won’t climb inside and loosen up the congealed feed.

 

[Suffolk Serf]

I’ve got a 20T fibreglass feed silo which currently has about 5T of mouldy parlour cake stuck in a ring round the outside from the cone upwards.

I don’t much fancy putting my head in there and chopping away with a shovel so are there any other ways to get it emptied, tapping on the outside hasn’t achieved much so far.
Other ideas are hiring a big road compressor and trying to blast it off the sides

I think that getting inside is the only way to do it. Needs two people, one outside to raise the alarm if something goes wrong and those two to regularly swap jobs. It’s a horrible job but very satisfying when the last few lumps her dislodged.

 

[ollie989898]

I bet they won’t climb inside and loosen up the congealed feed.

I have done it in the past. It is not a good day out, especially in the heat.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

can it be pressure washed out from below? I have no idea, but would that be a way to try?

 

[Suffolk Serf]

I have done it in the past. It is not a good day out, especially in the heat.

Never a good day at the office when that has to be done.

 

[ollie989898]

Never a good day at the office when that has to be done.

Decent full face respirator and tyvek suit helps.

 

[Oliveau]

As others suggest - Work from inside with respirators. One inside attached to a safety harness and two outside, with harness attached to a rope and pulley for quick evacuation. You probably need to work to confined spaces rules so may be worth consulting a specialist contractor.

 

[Hampton]

I bet they won’t climb inside and loosen up the congealed feed.

Not going to be 5t mouldy though is there? Probably being held by about 100kg of sh!te

 

[PSQ]

Not going to be 5t mouldy though is there? Probably being held by about 100kg of sh!te

Power washer with turbo nozzle and lance extensions, in from the top.
And a volunteer to look up the hole from the bottom, and poke it with a stick...

 

[Water Wheel]

If you find you have to go in, make sure fresh air is being drawn in, we use a vaci tank to suck air out so pulling fresh in when cleaning a small slurry tank, and defiantly wear a safety harness with rope attached.

You can use a vacci. tank as a vacuum cleaner, quarter fill tanker with water to catch the dust rig up a long flexible 2 inch diameter pipe from tanker put a length of ridged plastic on the end to suck up with.

We have cleaned out between loft floor and parlour ceiling, like this.

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

Drain jetter nozzle on end of pressure washer hose, stick in in and leave it running,
Put a screw in the end hole of nozzle to block that hole off, and just use the backward flow off nozzle, it should flail about itself and wash the cake out, needs the pipe tying to a bin leg, once up and running, leave it to work, go do something else

 

[Scholsey]

Best mask you can buy, plastic shovel, take the cone/boot off the bottom of the bin and climb in, should come out pretty quick, failing that 10ft length of alkathene pipe with the end squished in a vice and a hydrovane from local tool hire place, should remove all the dangerous loose stuff from a distance.

 

[vantage]

Volume washer, don’t piddle about with a pressure washer. Stick it in at the cone base and you’ll have it all out in a few minutes.

 

[Happy hillbily]

If you have an inspection hatch , take the auger off the bottom (if you have an auger) or open the slide, and use a pressure washer with a pencil jet. Should be able to get it off without going inside.

 

[Agric]

Went with the volume washer idea in the end, took the inspection hatch off at the bottom, blasted away for a bit then stood back when a lump or two dropped down. When it all went I wouldn’t have wanted to be under it, it came down fast.

A lot of shovelling and some small bits left to clean off tomorrow but the main bits have come out at least

 

[ridger]

Went with the volume washer idea in the end, took the inspection hatch off at the bottom, blasted away for a bit then stood back when a lump or two dropped down. When it all went I wouldn’t have wanted to be under it, it came down fast.

A lot of shovelling and some small bits left to clean off tomorrow but the main bits have come out at least

Pity meal is so expensive

 

[copse]

Take the lid off and throw some crow scaring bangers in