Silo Inspection Blogs

It's easy to overlook your silo, but it's beneficial to make it part of your routine to inspect it for any signs of alteration, such as concrete cracking or roof-top coatings peeling and flaking. While you should regularly examine your silo exterior, the only reliable way to determine what preventive maintenance is needed is to have a professional inspect the silos.

 

Silo inspection is the most effective, preventive method to ensure concrete and steel structures, surfaces, and silos remain safe and fully operational. Professional silo inspection covers more areas of the silo than an in-house inspection. During a professional inspection, experts with experience in inspection and/or a trained silo engineer will thoroughly analyze your silo(s) to identify any major issues.

 

Artificial intelligence (A.I.) supplemental inspections, offered exclusively by Marietta Silos, remove any guesswork regarding exterior silo inspection. Using drone capture technology, Marietta Silos can quickly and precisely inspect external silos or bulk storage containers with extreme accuracy. These images are then run through our A.I. algorithms, which are able to detect even small defects (smaller than 0.1 mm) and map the precise location onto the captured silo image for future examination.

 

Following a thorough, professional silo inspection, you receive a detailed list of recommended silo repairs. Taking action on the proposed silo repairs and maintenance ahead of time will help maintain the silo and lessen the likelihood of costly silo restoration down the line. The cost of preventive maintenance and silo restoration is minimal compared to the financial and physical toll that a full collapse can have on your company and team.

 

Best practices recommend professional inspections at two- to five-year intervals to help identify any issues that could lead to silo failure. For more information on silo intervals, view our video, How Often Should I Have My Silo Inspected, or plan your next silo inspection.

 

Do address material flow issues as early as possible.   If you've noticed decreased production in your silo, it's best to schedule a professional silo cleaning. Material flow issues cause strain on silo walls that can result in cracking and even structural failure.       Do schedule regular silo cleaning through a trusted professional like USA Silo Service.   Through their proprietary cleaning method, The Boss, USA Silo Service moves more material per hour, saving time, money and downtime during silo cleaning.       Do conduct regular in-house inspections.   It's easy to take your silos for granted, but it's a good idea to get in the habit of inspecting your silo for any changes, including cracking of concrete or peeling and chipping of roof-top coatings.       Do follow up with recommended silo repairs, restoration, and maintenance.   Following a thorough, professional silo inspection, you receive a detailed list of recommended silo repairs. Implementing the recommended silo repairs and preventive maintenance sooner rather than later helps keep your silo healthy and can prevent larger, more expensive silo restoration later.

Don't attempt to clean your silo in-house.   Using unskilled workers to break up material buildup is extremely dangerous for your workers and your silo. Falling materials can cause severe injury or death, damage silo cones, and even cause silo-wall failure.       Don't enter the silo.   Using untrained, in-house workers to enter a storage silo puts workers at risk of injury or death from falling materials as well as toxic fumes and potentially unsafe oxygen levels.       Don't use in-house inspections to replace a professional silo inspection, which should be completed at annual, two- or five-year intervals.   Professional silo inspection is the only way to identify essential preventive maintenance needs. Trained silo inspectors or silo engineers examine your silos in-depth to look for serious issues and provide preventive maintenance suggestions that can help keep your silo in the best shape possible.       Don't attempt to save money by ignoring problems.   When it comes to silo repairs, the earlier they're caught, the better. If you have a crack and it's starting to move and expand, this is a sign of silo failure. Call in the experts.

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.

 

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.

 

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