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When material buildup is cleaned from silos or storage domes, it has to go somewhere. Our vacuum truck services make it easy to relocate loose material dislodged during the cleaning process without slowing down the total project time. When USA Silo Services conducts a professional silo cleaning job, we evaluate recovered material to see if it can be salvaged for sale. Through our material disposal and vacuum truck service, valuable material is moved to a safe place while any debris that cannot be sold is taken to the dump.
USA Silo Services uses the industry's most powerful silo cleaning technology. Our cleaning methods include the proprietary cleaning method, the Boss™, which is two-thirds more powerful than conventional silo cleaning techniques. In addition, the Boss silo machine is designed to accommodate variable unique clean-out head attachments selected by our field crews to match the type of material being removed. As a result, the Boss accelerates the cleaning process by removing more material faster and more efficiently than any other clean-out method, even on the toughest jobs.
USA Silo Service is your go-to silo cleaning company for expert silo cleaning. Our team of experts is equipped with the industry's best silo cleaning techniques and proprietary equipment, so the job is done quickly and correctly. No matter your silo type or stored material, we leave your silo and your facility cleaner than when we found it.
Concrete silos have four different flow patterns depending on the construction, cone angles, and stored material. These flow patterns dictate how stored material moves through your silo.
Mass Flow
- First out flow sequence
- Segregated particles remix as discharged
- Ideal for coal, other combustible or perishable materials
Funnel Flow
- Middle first flow sequence
- Should be emptied regularly
- Ideal for coarse, non-degrading solids with minimal segregation and free flow
Expanded Flow
- Middle first flow sequence
- Should be emptied regularly
- Ideal for large diameter silos with short-term storage
Fluidized Flow
- Fluid-like flow sequence
- Fine powders are aerated as discharged
- Not suitable for combustible materials
Once a silo begins to lose flow, this accelerates the buildup over time and can lead to additional blockages. While these are the standard flow patterns for concrete silos, the unique shape of concrete domes creates a non-standard flow pater that can increase the likelihood of material buildup. The shape also makes removing said buildup from dome walls and fluidizing equipment more difficult. In both concrete domes and concrete silos, however, once material flow begins to slow, material buildup accelerates and can lead to additional blockages.
Proper material flow in silos is important for more than just production schedules. Issues with material flow can cause increased stress on silo walls that may go beyond what the silo was designed to withstand, causing cracking, spalling, wall separation, or structural failure.
Proper cleaning and care will increase your silo's useable lifespan and minimize big-ticket repair and cleaning costs. It can also allow you to recover stagnant material that has built up inside the silo.
Find out more about the different types of concrete silo flow patterns or schedule your next silo inspection.
Maintaining your silo for years to come starts with just that - maintenance. While you might not be able to control every factor that can impact your production schedule, you do control your silo maintenance. Proactive maintenance is the most effective method to ensure the integrity of concrete and steel silos.
If a silo falls and no one is around to get hurt, does it still cost you big time? Keeping up with preventive maintenance is crucial to increasing the life of your silo, as silo failures are often easily prevented. Many structural silo issues can be easily and economically addressed if caught and addressed early.
Prevent the Problem with Regular Silo Maintenance
A silo maintenance program should be comprehensive and include routine silo cleaning as well as inspection. Bundling these services allows a professional silo inspector to view all areas of the silo interior and catch any causes for concern before they become major and expensive problems. Regular silo inspections should happen either annually or at two to five-year intervals, depending on several key factors that influence how often you need a silo inspection. Sticking to a schedule recommended for your specific industry and practices ensures the early identification of problems that increase the risk of silo collapse or structural failure.
So how do you know what silo maintenance is needed to prolong its useful life? Following a thorough, professional silo inspection, you receive a detailed list of recommended maintenance. Implementing the recommended repairs and preventive maintenance sooner rather than later helps keep your silo healthy and can prevent larger, more expensive repairs later.
Just as routine silo inspections are an essential component of your maintenance program, so are regular cleanings. Regularly cleaning your silo can help keep it operating efficiently and limit potential liabilities. With rising temperatures comes rising humidity - a natural enemy of many stored materials that hydrate and cause blockages as well as lost product. Regular cleanings also increase your silo's usable lifespan, minimize big-ticket repairs, and avoid more costly cleaning expenses. Silos that are emptied regularly and refilled will not have the same buildup issues as silos that are kept topped off, but every silo can benefit from a regular cleaning schedule.