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Posted by Dennis Blauser, August 23, 2023
Minimizing Costs with Silo Vacuum Truck Services
 
USA Silo Service is proud to offer our customers a range of services that can be tailored to their specific needs. Whether you require a complete silo cleaning, a silo inspection, or a one-time silo maintenance service, we have the experience to get the job done quickly and safely. We are also committed to delivering excellent customer service and strive to make sure our customers are 100% satisfied before we leave the job site. Our team of experienced professionals is available 24/7 to help you with any questions or concerns.
 
When silo capacity starts to decrease and production schedules slip, material buildup is usually to blame. That’s when it’s time to schedule a professional silo cleaning. Sticking to a routine silo cleaning schedule will help avoid additional costs associated with emergency silo cleaning and emergency plant outages.
 
USA Silo Service's vacuum truck service can help you remove, recover, and recycle all kinds of materials during your professional silo cleaning. Our vacuum truck services provide a convenient, environmentally responsible way to remove loose material freed up when silos, storage bins, or domes are cleaned. USA Silo Service evaluates the material recovered to identify any that can be sold and then transports the material to a secure location.
 
Our services help to expedite the entire cleaning process. Following a professional silo cleaning, we carefully evaluate all material removed from your silo, bin, or dome. Anything that cannot be recycled back into your product inventory is removed from the site using our vacuum truck services before being disposed of in an environmentally responsible way.
 
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.
 
 

 
Posted by Dennis Blauser, July 25, 2023
The best way to guarantee the stability and ongoing performance of your silo is to take preventative measures, including regular inspections and maintenance.
 
Catching potential issues as early as possible helps prevent silo failure and keeps repair or restoration expenses low.
 
How long can I wait between silo inspections?
 
Best practices recommend silo inspection intervals between two and five years, depending on several factors.
 
What does a silo inspection include?
 
Silo inspections should include examining the main aspects known to be potential areas of failure. These inspections should include the foundations, walls, cones, discharge configuration, floors, shelves, tunnels, and roofs. For the most thorough inspection, the silo should be empty and a professional cleaning should be scheduled simultaneously. This allows silo cleaning technicians to remove material buildup that could hide signs of internal damage.
 
How can I reduce silo repair or silo restoration costs?
 
While a silo inspection is a great start, it is only as good as your follow-through with recommended repairs, restoration, or other silo maintenance. The sooner you complete a silo repair, the better, as minor silo repairs are always less expensive. To reduce silo repair costs further, complete your silo inspection and silo restoration or silo repair in one mobilization with the Marietta Silos, or USA Silo Service, Mobile Inspection Trailer. Finishing small silo repairs at the same time as your silo inspection reduces additional unplanned downtime and additional trips necessary to get your silo back up and running.
 
Marietta Silos Mobile Inspection Trailer
 
Our mobile staging trailer is designed to carry the essential tools, support equipment and other tools needed for our field crews to work safely and efficiently on silo inspections. Our standard on-site equipment package includes all materials and equipment required to maximize personnel safety per the OSHA Confined Space Standard 29 CFR 1910.146.
 
When requested, Marietta Silos can also transport equipment and materials to complete small and silo restoration and repairs on-site during the inspection. This allows us to complete silo inspections and repair quickly, safely and efficiently in one mobilization.
 
Contact us to schedule your next silo repair, restoration, or inspection.
 

 
Posted by Dennis Blauser, June 13, 2023
What is silo engineering?
 
Silo engineering takes into consideration numerous elements to ensure the structural integrity of a silo design. The storage capacity you need helps determine the correct silo size, though other factors, including the seismic probability of your location, are also considered.
 
When designing concrete silos, Marietta Silos follows the silo design codes outlined in the American Concrete Institute (ACI) 313-16: Design for Concrete Silos and Stacking Tubes for Storing Granular Materials. As a member of the ACI Committee, we stay on the cutting edge of the latest industry standards and updates. We also often work with an experienced silo engineer to help ensure the structures are designed to withstand external forces and the static pressures exerted by the type of stored material at rest and during flow.
 
What are some important considerations when designing a storage silo?
 
Cement silo construction and concrete silo design consider the stored material, flow patterns, size, and more when creating a custom storage solution. All stored materials flow at different rates and via different flow patterns through a silo. Understanding how a stored material flows through a silo determines whether the silo should be designed with a flat bottom, funnel flow, mass flow, or expanded flow.
 
In addition to considering static pressures of the intended bulk storage material, silo engineers also determine reinforcement arrangements necessary for the silo size and silo construction type, Jumpform, Slipform, or Stave. Loading and unloading needs are also important considerations, as the most critical portions of this design involve the lower part of the silo. This is where large loads from the stored material are channeled. An efficient flow pattern allows for the effective unloading of the silo.
 
Marietta Silos' knowledge and experience mean that our designs will be the best possible designs to fit your needs. Our engineering practices conform with the method that our construction crews utilize for our Jumpform and Slipform systems, so it's important to use Marietta Silos for your silo engineering as well as the silo construction.
 
How much does it cost to build a silo?
 
On average, concrete silos are typically lower in cost than metal silos. However, because so many factors must be considered during silo engineering, setting one standard or fixed price is impossible. When determining the cost to build a silo, it’s best to start with a consultation with a professional silo engineering and construction company, like Marietta Silos, which uses a silo engineer to ensure your silo is designed to be structurally sound and economical for your unique application.
 
What is the difference between a tank, a silo, and a stacking tube?
 
While tanks are used to store liquids, silos are used to store bulk solids for a variety of industries. Stacking tube are much smaller than traditional storage silos. They are often used in coal plants, mines and storage facilities, shipping terminals, and limestone storage. The stacking tube format facilitates an even distribution of coal or limestone into neat piles. While stacking tubes can be constructed using the same Jumpform technology as much larger storage silos, their comparatively small size makes them a less expensive option for industries that do not have as much material to store.
 
What are the advantages of using a silo for bulk material storage?
 
Storage silos let you store materials in a smaller footprint when compared to a horizontal warehouse. When compared to piles, they also provide better protection from the elements.
 
What construction material is better for silos concrete or steel?
 
Concrete offers numerous advantages and provides better structural stability than steel or aluminum in constructing storage silos. Concrete better resists internal pressure that causes buckling, splitting, and other failures of steel silos, like abrasive inner wear from stored materials and corrosion. Using concrete instead of steel to construct storage silos eliminates these risks when combined with proper maintenance and inspection.
 
Concrete silos require minimal maintenance as they are not typically weakened by abrasive or corrosive materials or moist environments that lead to rusting in steel. However, when steel silos experience wall thinning from abrasive storage materials, corrosion from internal or external moisture compounds the risks of silo failure.
 
Ready to start your next silo design project?