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Diesel Bin Fan Heaters/Dryer

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    Diesel Bin Fan Heaters/Dryer

    What have people’s experiences been with using Flagro or Frost Frost Fighter Heaters to dry down tough grain?

    Are they effective? Efficient? How big of bin would you recommend putting them on?

    How expensive are they to run?

    We are traditionally not an area who would need a grain dryer so looking for a reasonable solution in a challenging fall.

    #2
    The system has to be kind of balanced. For September October temperatures id go 9000 btu heat per hp of fan. Bare minimum 1 hp fan per 1000 bu of grain. Only efficiency is having an easy way to refuel in the morning,they are kind of thirsty. Solar and wind power is the most efficient if you are setup for that. :-)
    :-)

    Comment


      #3
      Removing the moist air out the top of the bin is tricky before it condensates and runs back down the walls inside the bin. Then it moulds and sticks to the walls and makes a mess. Lots was done around here over the last couple of years like that out of desperation but very few were happy with its outcome. Maybe if it’s rotated a couple of times during drying it might be better but time consuming. Maybe if you could get a small fan on the roof to suck air out it would work better? I love our cheap little vertec............ once it’s dialed in you just fill the propane and shuffle grain.

      Good luck

      Comment


        #4
        I've done a ton of bushels this way. 9000btu/hp in positive ambient temperature would probably be about right...

        My setup:
        9000bu flat bottom in floor aeration, 10hp centrifugal. 4 roof vents. 180,000btu heater.

        I typically put ~3000bu in which leaves me just enough to squeeze in the top door panel. I then shovel the peak off to level it out.

        It's about 1.25pts per day. I let the entire 3000bu "overdry" to like 10-10.5% then blend off with stuff out of a tough bin/pile to average 14ish in small quantities. I've never seen the tough/wet spots show up when I haul it out as the moisture seems to equalize fairly well.

        When ambient temp falls below about 5C I stuff a 3/4hp exhaust fan in the roof fill hole to keep air moving and prevent wet air from condensing on the roof/side panels.

        You cant leave it alone though... I've had power bumps where the fan disengages, but the heater keeps going... you run like hell to re-engage the fan from the house, and you dont really sleep particularly well if you're drying 24hrs a day, always worried that the power might bump.

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by helmsdale View Post
          When ambient temp falls below about 5C I stuff a 3/4hp exhaust fan in the roof fill hole to keep air moving and prevent wet air from condensing on the roof/side panels.
          .
          This sounds like a great idea.

          Comment


            #6
            Last I checked, propane worked out to half the price of diesel, and a lot less work than refilling the diesel everyday. Propane tank on wheels does the job.

            As long as you are prepared to move the grain from bin to bin, and blend the over dry with the wet, after it dries( or multiple times if it is really wet), it will work fine. Lots of dead air spots, especially in a smooth wall hopper. Full floor aeration, bins with lots of leaks at every seam, and really big vents would be best.

            I couldn't find much benefit to an exhaust fan, but I tried that in the winter, and it condenses so fast in the cold, might work better in warm weather.

            It is always disconcerting when brown goop starts oozing out of every bin seam...

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by helmsdale View Post
              I've done a ton of bushels this way. 9000btu/hp in positive ambient temperature would probably be about right...

              My setup:
              9000bu flat bottom in floor aeration, 10hp centrifugal. 4 roof vents. 180,000btu heater.

              I typically put ~3000bu in which leaves me just enough to squeeze in the top door panel. I then shovel the peak off to level it out.

              It's about 1.25pts per day. I let the entire 3000bu "overdry" to like 10-10.5% then blend off with stuff out of a tough bin/pile to average 14ish in small quantities. I've never seen the tough/wet spots show up when I haul it out as the moisture seems to equalize fairly well.

              When ambient temp falls below about 5C I stuff a 3/4hp exhaust fan in the roof fill hole to keep air moving and prevent wet air from condensing on the roof/side panels.

              You cant leave it alone though... I've had power bumps where the fan disengages, but the heater keeps going... you run like hell to re-engage the fan from the house, and you dont really sleep particularly well if you're drying 24hrs a day, always worried that the power might bump.
              Yes, I forgot about shovelling the peak down, but that also depends on what type of aeration, the point being to keep the distance from the aeration to the top of the pile the same at all points, so it doesn't just take the path of least resistance. With rockets, a peak is needed. cross duct, a lower peak, single duct, just heap it over the duct. In all cases, fill with a downspout so the pile is in the center, and wetter or drier loads aren't in a heap.

              I bought a Meridian fan and it has a much better motor start switch, it doesn't need to be reset everytime the power goes off, wish I'd known that before buying all the Flaman type fans.

              Inline fans will switch themselves off due to the thermal switch in the motor being exposed to the heat, either need to keep the heat way down( or bypass the switch, but I didn't tell you that).

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by helmsdale View Post
                I've done a ton of bushels this way. 9000btu/hp in positive ambient temperature would probably be about right...

                My setup:
                9000bu flat bottom in floor aeration, 10hp centrifugal. 4 roof vents. 180,000btu heater.

                I typically put ~3000bu in which leaves me just enough to squeeze in the top door panel. I then shovel the peak off to level it out.

                It's about 1.25pts per day. I let the entire 3000bu "overdry" to like 10-10.5% then blend off with stuff out of a tough bin/pile to average 14ish in small quantities. I've never seen the tough/wet spots show up when I haul it out as the moisture seems to equalize fairly well.

                When ambient temp falls below about 5C I stuff a 3/4hp exhaust fan in the roof fill hole to keep air moving and prevent wet air from condensing on the roof/side panels.

                You cant leave it alone though... I've had power bumps where the fan disengages, but the heater keeps going... you run like hell to re-engage the fan from the house, and you dont really sleep particularly well if you're drying 24hrs a day, always worried that the power might bump.
                Putting a thermostat in the tube saves worry if the fan quits since that would make the heater cut out also.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by the big wheel View Post
                  Putting a thermostat in the tube saves worry if the fan quits since that would make the heater cut out also.
                  Yup. You can get a "remote thermostat" for them, but I keep telling myself it's not worth the bother cause it's just an abnormal year... if mother nature doesn't get her shit figured out this year it'll be 3 of the last 4 years I've done it. At what point does it become a trend?

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by helmsdale View Post
                    Yup. You can get a "remote thermostat" for them, but I keep telling myself it's not worth the bother cause it's just an abnormal year... if mother nature doesn't get her shit figured out this year it'll be 3 of the last 4 years I've done it. At what point does it become a trend?

                    I would say when it is 3 out of every 4 years!

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Thanks for the replies.

                      For those who’ve done a lot of this. Have you had better luck running your heater continuously or by running the heater during the day and then cooling the grain at night?

                      How hot do most try to keep the air going into the bin?

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Flat lander u have to watch how quickly u dry the grain as the stuff on bottom becomes lighter and the tougher grain on top is heavier and can bugger up your rings depending on the type of bin u are using. More stiffeners is better

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by Flatlander9 View Post
                          Thanks for the replies.

                          For those who’ve done a lot of this. Have you had better luck running your heater continuously or by running the heater during the day and then cooling the grain at night?

                          How hot do most try to keep the air going into the bin?
                          I try for 135f if the humidity is high I shut it down at night

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Inboard temp increase above ambient is what drops the relative humidity. Typically I can raise it about 60-70°f.

                            I've never tried "sweating" it by running half the day with heat and half without. It takes such a pile of diesel to get the grain up to temperature that I typically just let it buck till it's done.

                            Only thing I shut down for is freezing fog and snow storms as it'll ice up my air intake on the heater.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              From this point in the year onward, removing moisture out the top of the bin will be necessary.

                              Comment

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