Need some grain bin advice

G.Fields · Dec 15, 2015

This is the first year I will be putting my grain into a bin and I have some questions. I have a 14ft tall x 15ft wide bin with a blower. The bin is half full, with beans ranging from 13 to 16%. I really didn't want to cut the wet beans, but due to the circumstances, it was get them now or never. What are ideal conditions to run the blower and try to bring the moisture down. Im guessing you would want a cold, low humidity day, but Im just guessing. If you guys with some experience could give me the list of things to do, and probably more important what not to do I sure would appreciate it!

notjustair · Dec 15, 2015

This is advice from two generations back, so take it as you will.

I was always told when you start the bin you start the fan and don't shut it off. I usually run the fans a couple of weeks tops. I don't bin anything over 14, though.

I'd say cold days or days with low humidity. Ideally, you would get a very cold snap so you could run it when the air is cold and dry. They say that "freeze drying" is a wives tale, but it works for some reason. Probably because the air has lots of moisture frozen out of it. Are you feeding it or selling it it? How much are we talking? Drying down my 5000 bushel bins is different than a small Butler bin.

Pair-a-dice farm · Dec 15, 2015

It's been 25 years since I took care of a grainery so things may have changed. I always dried the grain down to about 13%. If I needed to dried it more I waited for a low humidity cool day and ran the fans. I also monitored the temperature of the grain closely. And time there was a big fluctuation tin the ambient temperature I ran the fans. That kept the bins from sweating.

coonie minnie · Dec 15, 2015

The advice below is good. It'll dry the most on a warm, dry day, or a cool dry day. If the weather is fit to harvest beans, odds are it is fit to run the fan. Most people would tell you to run the fan constantly for a good week or so... but it'll vary with how deep the grain is in your bin, how big your fan is, etc. as well as the weather.

If your bin has a good aeration fan, a load or two of 16 % beans won't spoil, and hopefully it blends in with the dry ones on the way out.

Frank41 · Dec 15, 2015

You made a lot more money than I did. My beans were too dry and that is costly, some down to 8%.

With a bin that small and no deapeer than the beans are, with dry weather it should not take too many days to dry if you got enough air. That is if you have a FULL drying floor, not just a tunnel. If it is a tunnel, that works like tile and is dry center and wetter farther away. Probe a sample and test it. When it gets to 13 then cool it at 10-20 degrees and forget it. Do NOT waste money to warm it up come summer unless you have still got 16% beans, which you shouldn't.

Heat Houser · Dec 15, 2015

You need an equilibrium chart for grain.
I have added a link but the air temp in in C not F.
You will dry if conditions are in the red, you will add moisture if conditions are in the green.

There are many converter apps on the web to convert from C to F, just Google it.
Equilibrium

Need some grain bin advice

G.Fields

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notjustair

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Pair-a-dice farm

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coonie minnie

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Frank41

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Heat Houser

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