Looking for ideas on how to cool grain - something we need to get better at.
We currently use pedesatals, but with a shed width of 33' per side, they're a bit wide for one but too narrow for two. Arguably more fans and auto controls would help improve things and is an option worth considering.
Part of the problem is the front half of the wheat shed can be emptied and refilled a few times over harvest, and its a pain scrambling up the heap to take the fans on and off the pedestals all the time - invariably sometimes they're too late been put back on.
They're ok but it strikes me that often we're just recirculating the same ever warmer air through the grain and not pulling enough cold air in from outside to cool effectively. On cold days we'll open the door to help but its not that effective really.
Its a bulk store with a good polished concrete floor 90' front to back. I don't really want to dig the floor up or overlay it with wood.
Anybody use twinwall pipe? We use them in 5' lengths in another shed for short term potatoes which work ok, but the fans on those are at the front of an open fronted shed - the forklift drives between them to outload in one shed. In the other they are fed from a central tunnel and are 90degrees to the direction of the forklift - definitely not an option in the grain shed that way.
I'm considering 9" twinwall lengthways up the shed - probably two of them about 15' apart, with a 90 at the back of the shed then an upright to a small platform on the wall top onto a fan drawing air in from outside? Better ideas welcome.
If we put two pipes each side we may need an exhaust louvre but that's doable.
I'm also considering upgrading the cropscan 16 controller in my potato store and using the cropscan to control the grain shed fans and make temp recording easier.
While we're on the 30yo Kentra dryer is at a crossroads. The control system is way out of date and some auto functions don't work well. The infrastructure around it is worn out and the steel pit liner leaks. Its a 10.5t continuous flow drying 2-3000t per season.
I've priced a 20t/hr of a different mfr that will fit in the same shed but needed a sit down when the quote arrived!
Options (and please suggest others)
1 Upgrade the electrics and replace the elevators and conveyors. Increase pit size from 3t to 15t. Keep 25t wet bin. Automate as far as possible.
2 Replace the entire system with one of similar capacity
3 Increase capacity as far as space allows with new
4 Replace the existing with a large static mobile dryer of some sort (outside mobile isn't practical)
5 Replace existing with a larger but s/h dryer with new or s/h infrastructure
100kva 3ph electric supply and kero pipe fed into the shed. (the front of the same shed as where the cooling needs improving above)
Thanks all
We currently use pedesatals, but with a shed width of 33' per side, they're a bit wide for one but too narrow for two. Arguably more fans and auto controls would help improve things and is an option worth considering.
Part of the problem is the front half of the wheat shed can be emptied and refilled a few times over harvest, and its a pain scrambling up the heap to take the fans on and off the pedestals all the time - invariably sometimes they're too late been put back on.
They're ok but it strikes me that often we're just recirculating the same ever warmer air through the grain and not pulling enough cold air in from outside to cool effectively. On cold days we'll open the door to help but its not that effective really.
Its a bulk store with a good polished concrete floor 90' front to back. I don't really want to dig the floor up or overlay it with wood.
Anybody use twinwall pipe? We use them in 5' lengths in another shed for short term potatoes which work ok, but the fans on those are at the front of an open fronted shed - the forklift drives between them to outload in one shed. In the other they are fed from a central tunnel and are 90degrees to the direction of the forklift - definitely not an option in the grain shed that way.
I'm considering 9" twinwall lengthways up the shed - probably two of them about 15' apart, with a 90 at the back of the shed then an upright to a small platform on the wall top onto a fan drawing air in from outside? Better ideas welcome.
If we put two pipes each side we may need an exhaust louvre but that's doable.
I'm also considering upgrading the cropscan 16 controller in my potato store and using the cropscan to control the grain shed fans and make temp recording easier.
While we're on the 30yo Kentra dryer is at a crossroads. The control system is way out of date and some auto functions don't work well. The infrastructure around it is worn out and the steel pit liner leaks. Its a 10.5t continuous flow drying 2-3000t per season.
I've priced a 20t/hr of a different mfr that will fit in the same shed but needed a sit down when the quote arrived!
Options (and please suggest others)
1 Upgrade the electrics and replace the elevators and conveyors. Increase pit size from 3t to 15t. Keep 25t wet bin. Automate as far as possible.
2 Replace the entire system with one of similar capacity
3 Increase capacity as far as space allows with new
4 Replace the existing with a large static mobile dryer of some sort (outside mobile isn't practical)
5 Replace existing with a larger but s/h dryer with new or s/h infrastructure
100kva 3ph electric supply and kero pipe fed into the shed. (the front of the same shed as where the cooling needs improving above)
Thanks all