Operation-Manual-2017
20Pages

Storing the nations grain Operation Manual

Storing the nations grain Silo Operation Manual Silo Operation Guide HE Silos Gunnedah Borthistle Road, Gunnedah NSW 2380 T 02 6742 6355 F 02 6742 6366 For onsite bulk storage contact Free call: 1300 764 700 HE Silos Forbes 1-8 Jones Street, Forbes NSW 2871 T 02 6852 3488 F 02 6852 3619 Free Call 1800 046 046 Revised October 2015 Compiled by HE Silos SILO OPERATION GUIDE • 1

Dangers Vehicle Movement Soil Specification Elevated Silo Pad 3 Concrete Specifications Reo Bar Fixing Silo to Silo Pad 4 Clearances Hold Down Points Site Maintenance 4 Precautions SILO SAFETY Safety in HE Silos 4 Features Precautions Silo fixture to concrete pad 12 Critical Safety Maintenance 14 Sensible Grain Storage 15 Flat Bottom Silos Unloading Procedures 16 Outlets, eg Bagging Off Chute 5 Ladders 5 How to Fill a Meal Mix Site (60° cone) 7 Maintaining Grain Quality 8 Entry into Silo 11 FOR MORE INFORMATION Please refer to the GRDC (Grain Research and...

The concrete pad should be on flat level ground with ample truck access. Precautions to be taken: • Concrete silo pad must be level as well as surroundings. • The ground must be natural hard compacted soil. • Truck must be able to easy access the point for loading and unloading. • Maximum clearance to power lines Proposed location of the container to be evaluated? Elevated Silo Concrete Pad • Minimum 25mps strength • F82 mesh required embedded 50mm • Concrete slab specifications available by contacting HE Silos SILO OPERATION GUIDE • 3

Fixing Silo to Concrete Pad • More than 3mm clearance between silo base ring and concrete pad must be filled with spacer. • Fix with eight 10mm screwbolts at four points • HE Silos will bolt down the silos, but accept NO responsibility and offer no guarantee that the silo will not blow over, due to concrete slab strength quality. Site Maintenance • Silo site needs to be free of livestock. • Beware of water erosion around concrete pad. HE Silos - Silo Safety • DANGER! - Insure the lock ladder is in the closed position after use. • The remote lid opener handle is under tension. Beware when...

Silo Operation Lid Opener - by pulling the lid handle down, the lid opens by pulling against a spring, to allow the lid to close, return handle to close position. CAUTION Lid handle under pressure. Outlets - ensure all outlets (including manhole) are closed before loading silo. - remain on ladder when accessing centre hatch. Safety harness must be worn when climbing the ladder to access centre inlet. Fasten safety harness line to safety ring on top of silo. Enclosed shoes must be worn when climbing ladder. Lock ladder into closed position after use. Maximum load on ladders is 150 kgs....

Annual Checks • Silos must be inspected regularly for corrosion. Corrosion of the lower sheets of any silo may eventually lead to failure. • Once a year, pressurize your sealed silos to check if they are gas-tight. A silo which does not meet the standard, will allow gas to leak out. The concentration of the fumigant will be reduced, and there is a chance of insect survival. These insects will have a resistance to the fumigant. • Sealing can be checked using a standard portable medium size farm air-compressor attached to the tubeless valve fitted to the silo wall. The pressure needs to...

How to Fill a Meal Mix Silo • Open top hatch and fill through centrefill. • Connect camlock fitting to blower pipe, and commence filling, ensuring that product is not blowing out the breather pipe. This would indicate that the silo is full or has too much pressure. How to Unload the Silo • Open top centre fill • Start auger • Open outlet to the desired rate determined by the size and speed of the auger • Once the required amount of product is withdrawn from the silo, close the outlet, allowing the auger to empty. • Close top centre fill after completion SILO OPERATIO

Maintain Grain Quality • Store only dry and clean grain to ensure quality is maintained and a good product is retrieved. As a guide, the commodity should contain no more seconds or foreign seeds, or other material, than is allowed by central storage operations. • Moisture control in on farm-stored grain is essential. The drier the grain, the better. In a silo which will remain sealed, do not store cereal grain above 12% moisture content. • If the silo is fitted with aeration fans, a higher moisture content product may be stored. Consult a storage specialist before putting high-moisture...

Fumigation Chamber A sealed silo is an excellent fumigation chamber. It’s design enables it to hold a lethal concentration of gas long enough to control insects at all stages of their life cycle (egg, larvae, pupae and adult). Fumigation will fail if the silo leaks. When wind blows across a leaky silo, the “chimney effect” caused by the pressure differences, which draws gas out of the silo. Adult insects may still die because they can tolerate only low concentrations of gases. Most eggs and larvae will survive because they are more tolerant to the gas. Sufficient time must be allowed to...

Fumigation • Fumigation must be carried out only in a well-sealed silo. Be careful with Phosphine. • Phosphine is lethal to all forms of life. Read the label and follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully. • Open the phosphine container in the open air, not in a shed or silo. Stand upwind and hold the container away from your face when opening it and/or applying the tablets of sachets. • Wear PVC gloves and mask when handling phosphine tablets. Have another person standing by when you are fumigating. • Refer to the manufacturer’s safety instructions when using cylinders of phosphine...

Entry Into Silo The only entry into a silo is through the manhole hatch. Wear an air-supplied respirator when fumigating or working in a silo that has been fumigated and not ventilated. Phosphine levels must be checked with gas indicator tubes. Before entering the silo, open top hatches and bottom hatches. Then allow 7 to 10 days ventilation to clear the gas. This depends on wind conditions and size of silo. Forced ventilation, using aeration fans if fitted, reduces the period needed to clear the gas. A silo is considered a confined space by having limited means of entry, therefore,...