Getting Your Dryer Ready for Harvest · • Burner Maintenance • Sweep, blow, or vacuum all debris out of burner • Spray burner ports with manifold cleaner or oil • Cover burner!

Getting Your Dryer Ready for Harvest

• Preventative Maintenance • Avoiding Down Time

• Success and Safety

• Efficient Drying

• Post Harvest


• Let’s Work Backwards • Beginning with Post Harvest

• Emptying the dryer • When does harvest really end???

• Unload vs Wait • Do not store grain in dryer!

• Grain draws in moisture • Causes grain to swell Water increases in volume 9% when frozen • Stored wet grain = concrete


• Post Harvest Cont. (Housekeeping) • Clean off plenum roof, roof cap, and cushion box • Some of these parts are designed to be replaced • Replacing plenum roof is very costly


• Post Harvest Cont. (Housekeeping) • Clean out grain exchangers • Remove dust and debris from divider hopper

• Most common cause of fire in a dryer is debris in divider hopper

• Sweep/Clean cooling section floor • Remove unload access covers for water drainage


• Burner Maintenance • Sweep, blow, or vacuum all debris out of burner • Spray burner ports with manifold cleaner or oil • Cover burner!

5/64” bit to clean holes on burner


• Unloads, cleanouts, and gas train • Water is the enemy • Remove all cleanouts from dryer floor on sweep and auger style discharges • Remove discharge transition or drain on unload conveyor of hopper bottom dryers • Open drain on gas train • Remove pilot valve


• End of Season Maintenance-Recap • At the end of the season dryer should be cleaned inside

and out. Pay special attention to: • Inner roof • grain exchangers • divider hopper • burner • cooling floor • unload floor


• Preventative Maintenance • Regarding tower dryer’s this activity is most often refereed to

as a Pre-Season. Objective of a tower dryer preseason: • Pin point items that may cause down time or inefficiency • Complete routine maintenance items • Make sure dryer is safe and operational


• Preventative Maintenance Typical preseason activities include: • Lubrication/ greasing of all necessary apparatus • Check/ fill all gear cases • Full inspection of pipe train • Inspection and cleaning of control/power panel • Inspection of all motors/belts/sheaves • Startup of unload, blowers, and burner/ignition system • Maintenance of burner • Inspection and testing of temp sensors, moisture sensors, overheats • Physical inspection of physical structure of dryer


• Preventative Maintenance Unload’s and metering apparatus • Starting outside the dryer

• On older model Zimmerman dryers the unload motor and (1) gear box is located outside underneath the dryer • Verify oil is up to check plug, grease u-joint

• Hopper bottom bearings can be reached from outside dryer through access door

• Inside the dryer • Check oil level and clean vents on gearboxes for

unload


• Preventative Maintenance Blowers and Blower Motors - Revision • Use high quality, grade #2 lithium based grease on blower bearings • Bottom bearing on blower grease while periodically spinning blower until grease

comes out of seal. Clean excess grease if possible. • Lubricate top bearing with same number of pumps as bottom bearing • Blower motors - put in one pump of grease per ten horsepower of motor -Refer to motor manufacture specifications per brand and model of motor for type of grease as well as frequency of greasing (most motors use require a Polyurea-based lubricant) • Check blower belts

• Belts should be evenly tight • Belts should be tensioned to flex one belts width in from one another


• Preventative Maintenance Pipe Train Inspection

• Verify maxon valves, CV valves, and ball valves move freely • Inspect pipe train for water damage • Clean all drains and vents • Verify all gauges are reading accurately

Control Panels • Check and tighten all connections • Check for moisture issues • Verify heater is working • Clean/vacuum all debris • Blow air switch lines out with compressor


• Preventative Maintenance Burner Maintenance • Older burner should be drilled out with a 5/64 burner bit • Blow Pilot line out with air compressor • New aluminum alloy burner may not have to be drilled, but any clogged holes should be

poked out and cleaned • verify flame and spark plug are in good condition • Check connections for flame rod and spark plug • Verify flame rod is not grounded to side of burner veins


Inspection Report

Tower Dryer Inspection Review-Attn: Company: Product- VT-4036 1990 Inspection & overview of tower dryer at each specific site. Follow up to be a report that identifies needs of each tower dryer and educated projections of repairs required in the near future.

Priority Levels High, Medium, & Low

Inspected By: Ryan Seger Reviewed By: Nick Flynn Date: 2-11-15

Priority Area . High Gas Train Main gas valve leaks when closed in closed position- 3" ball valve (pic 1) High missing bolts (1) missing bolt and several loose nuts at 2nd catwalk (pic 2) High safety cage Safety cage at top of ladder is separated and resting on top of dryer (pic 3)

Medium patches sheets Multiple patches inside cooling section on (5) sheets (pic 4-6)

Medium unload motor Dryer has Woods DC drive and 10HP DC motor-parts are obsolete should be converted to AC controls (pic 7&8)

Medium tempature Controls Partlow controls are obsolete and should be upgraded to Honeywell UDC2500 (pic 9) High overheats (2) over heats are sagging and not wrapped around dryer. Aerial lift needed to reinstall (pic 10)


Inspection Report Pictures


• Safety and Success • LOTO • Don’t rush • Inspect ladders and catwalks • Be careful entering and exiting burner


• Understanding Efficient Drying • House keeping and efficiency

• Training operators

• Watchdog systems

• Capacity checks


• Understanding Efficient Drying • Housekeeping and Efficiency

• “We can’t afford to shut the dryer down” YOU CAN’T AFFORD NOT TO!!!

• Grain dryer sheets are perforated for a reason

• Air needs to be able to flow across the grain in the heat section as well as in the cool


• Understanding Efficient Drying • Training Operators

• Operators running the dryer need to understand the importance of running the dryer efficiently

• Grain dryers need to be run at the correct temperature (manufacture rating)

• Louvers need to be adjusted properly • Need to keep dryer full of grain • Set unload at proper speed per moisture

• Why do we need qualified operators?


• Understanding Efficient Drying • Proper Settings


• Understanding Efficient Drying • Proper Setting

• Shrink Factor






• Understanding Efficient Drying • Capacity Check

• Final step for harvest is checking capacity of your grain dryer

• Capacity is controlled by air flow, temperature and time



• Utilities

Gas pressure should be between 8-15 PSI coming in and should not lose pressure (<2 PSI, minimum 8 PSI) when dryer is running.

Voltage should be consistent at all times.



• Airflow · Blower/motor direction must be correct. If a blower is rotating incorrectly, you may have an issue with an air switch on that blower. · Belt tightness-Belts should all be tight and “deflect” a belt width if pushed in with one finger. If belts are replaced, all on each motor/blower should be replaced so tightness can be consistent. · Belt alignment-Belts must be level from motor to blower. · Dryer must be filling properly/evenly to get the “seal” of grain throughout the dryer. Columns should flow evenly as sweep rotates. ·



Airflow Cont. · Roof must be sealed to sides of dryer. This allows heat/air to be forced out through the grain and the sheets of the dryer. · Open louver doors will gain more air flow which increases capacity but keeps your grain warmer. (Less than 5 points of moisture close louvers more than 5 open louvers) · Dryer screens need to be cleaned often during harvest.



• Temperature · Dryer is rated at 5 points (20% to 15%) with plenum temperature @ 200 degrees. Are burner ports open? When was burner last drilled? Was burner covered between use? Is CV/Modulating valve opening all the way? Is the CV valve clear and easy to move if Modulating linkage is disconnected? Valve should move easily with one finger! · Heat chamber temperature should be similar to set operating temperature. A small thermometer can be put through the heat door between the gasket and door to check plenum temperature.



• Unload · What is unload rate?

Dryer is at rated capacity when unload rate is at 50.

· Verify proper operation of sweep. Is it level? Is grain filling the sweep to capacity? Does sweep speed change when unload rate is changed?

Thank You! Questions? If you would like more information about Tower Dryer Maintenance, please call or email us! Email- [email protected] or [email protected] Phone- 217-794-3412 office or 309-253-6477 mobile

mailto:[email protected]



Documents

Getting Your Dryer Ready for Harvest · • Burner Maintenance • Sweep, blow, or vacuum all debris out of burner • Spray burner ports with manifold cleaner or oil • Cover burner!