CATEGORIES
Addressing Silo Emergencies
From unplanned downtime and lost revenue to silo failure and loss of life, the consequences can be dire when emergency silo issues arise. Without routine silo inspections, silo repair emergencies and structural failures can seem like they came out of nowhere. Failing to complete preventive maintenance is a leading cause of costly, dangerous silo failure. Addressing minor issues as soon as they arise helps keep the costs of silo ownership low as major repairs, emergencies, and structural failures are more expensive up front, take longer to correct, and inevitably result in unplanned downtime.
When emergency silo issues arise, Marietta Silos' team acts quickly to offer emergency services that meet all of your silo needs. Our experts have the experience and expertise to fix your silo problems for good.
Preventing Silo Emergencies
Though many silo emergencies can be fixed, the best way to protect workers and keep costs low is to prevent silo emergencies from happening in the first place. Regular maintenance and silo inspections are necessary to ensure that silos remain in good working condition and that any issues can be identified and addressed before they become larger problems.
Scheduling routine maintenance during temperate times of the year can help you reduce expenses by catching and addressing problems early and reducing downtime. Times of the year with mild weather, like the spring and fall, tend to provide better working conditions for various silo repairs. These ideal weather conditions can make a repair or restoration go more quickly – reducing the cost of labor and your downtime.
Contact us to schedule your next silo repair, restoration, or inspection.
Silos can be costly to maintain if you don't do the essential repairs to prevent further deterioration of the silo. In any repair, Marietta Silos tries to identify the root cause of the damage to the silo and incorporate those findings into our restoration and design procedure.
Silo Roof Beam Repair
The silo beam pocket rests on a bearing plate to support the roof. Beam pockets are a critical point in the silo as these roof beams hold up the roof slab and all the necessary equipment to operate the bulk storage system. Often the concrete under the plate spalls leaving the beam pocket at risk for failure. The structural integrity of the beam pocket is reestablished by having structural steel placed to ensure the integrity of the repaired beam pocket. A high-strength, non-stick grout is used to patch the spalled area.
Silo Wall Delamination
Delamination of concrete is caused by the lack of bonding to the interior structural steel reinforcement of the silo, which weakens the silo's structural capacity. To repair silo wall delamination in extreme cases, additional reinforcement may be added to the silo wall or a new concrete steel reinforced liner can be installed, returning the silo to normal operating conditions.
Be proactive with silo repair – schedule your silo inspection.
When to schedule silo restoration depends on more than the condition of your silo. While it is never advisable to postpone necessary silo repairs, the time of year you schedule your silo repair or restoration can impact your bottom line.
4 Weather Conditions That Can Impact Silo Restoration
The same weather conditions that can impact the performance and lifespan of your silo, extreme heat or cold, heavy rain, and severe wind, can also affect silo restoration. Work undertaken during extreme temperature conditions can be slower, while heavy rain can make it difficult or impossible to repair concrete or apply waterproof coatings. When the silo roof or other high areas of the silo need to be repaired, high winds can pose safety risks during the restoration process.
Spring into Silo Restoration
Scheduling routine maintenance during temperate times of the year can help you reduce expenses by catching and addressing problems early and reducing downtime. Temperate times of the year, like the spring and fall, tend to provide better working conditions for a variety of silo repairs. These ideal weather conditions can make a repair or restoration go more quickly – reducing the cost of labor and your downtime.
Types of Silo Repairs
Emergent silo issues or a silo that shows signs of new or worsening damage should be inspected as soon as possible. Regularly viewing the silo exterior can help facilities find new or worsening issues that might necessitate earlier or more frequent inspections. For silos that were properly designed and constructed, much of this damage is preventable or can be minimized by regular inspections, silo maintenance and a full understanding of proper procedures.
Routine inspections identify minor issues as well as more serious problems that can lead to preventable structural failures like silo collapse. Common problems that cause concrete structure and concrete silo failure include foundation deterioration, roof collapse, unsuitable material filling and unloading procedures, silo wall delamination or deterioration, and silo discharge cone or bin floor issues. Additional important silo maintenance includes airflow unit inspection and regular, professional silo cleaning to avoid material buildup issues. When it comes to steel silos, they often suffer from corrosion and buckling, which can be inspected using wear-measure thickness ultrasonic gauges. Marietta Silos can address these concrete silo issues and any other necessary silo restoration types, regardless of stored material.
Repairing silo problems quickly, before they become an emergency, helps save money and can reduce or eliminate safety issues. The long-term savings, reduced liability, and reduction of unplanned downtime that results from professional silo inspections and silo restoration should be seen as an investment as it is far cheaper to address issues early before they lead to silo failure.
