aeration fans

[mbdog]

Just asking around...anyone having electric motor failures on aeration fans. Reason I ask is I've had 4 motors less than 5 years old go down.

[farmaholic]

What brand of motors and aeration fans?

We have quite afew and have the metal Grain Guard fans and I beleive baldor motors on them. Never had one fail "yet".

[Braveheart]

We've had issues with a couple of Caldwell fans. It happened just off warranty (of course).

[bucket]

Mbdog

From your name I take it you may be from manitoba.

Just blame the ndp.

Lol.

[MBgrower]

I dont think ive ever had one go? Who did your hydro hookup, you sure everything is installed correctly?

[Braveheart]

Closer to the truth than you think Bucket. MB Hydro, NDP financier, is getting very difficult to deal with re installation of higher hp aeration fans. It's like their infrastructure was designed for the 1970s. The inspector this fall said, "If farmers are going to build bins and put in fans every year I'm going to have to rethink where farms are going". What?!!!

[Braveheart]

We have probably the best electrician in MB. My son in law. He was an industrial electrician before starting his local contracting firm. These fans have an internal defect. The local dealer has had a few. This dealer has a reputation for buying discounted lots of items. There could be reason for the discount.

[mbdog]

Farma...3 are Balder motors
MB...that's what I'm trying to determine... all installs by qualified electricians with hydro oversight. Suspecting motors are issue.
Bucket...its to early for that!

[Kihei]

Is it valley agro by any chance ?

[mbdog]

Farma...3 are Balder motors
MB...that's what I'm trying to determine... all installs by qualified electricians with hydro oversight. Suspecting motors are issue.
Bucket...its to early for that!

[bucket]

Braveheart

One of my pet peeves as you know is farmers building storage.

From what you just said, wouldn't it make more sense to have that space and air at the elevators?

They could blend more, air more etc and grain would be in position to move.

It comes down to logistics about some of these issues. Not just from farmers but from the other side of power supply as well.

Gets pretty expensive to upgrade the rural power network for something that could be positioned better and for less cost by just using paper drying/blending.

And who will pay for the system upgrades?

[fjlip]

33 year old caldwell with a Baldor, still running. Never been fixed. Sold by Flaman in 1982.

[Braveheart]

Becket, I used to share your thinking re storage. Now I want the storage, and control. We don't haul as much locally as before. Most canola to crush plants, soy to US so far, wheat sometimes US when it makes sense.

Our bins also are our harvest aid. That's why we need bin fans we can count on.

Re the fan motors, there's a place in Rosenort that repairs them. When my dealer phoned they snapped at him that this wasn't the time of year for that, they're too busy.

[blackpowder]

Agree with Braveheart on storage.
Dont need any inspector here....yet.
Considering genset rental for next bins.
Never hear of motors going. Although some do require crazy amps on startup over others.
Question. What inspector for???

[Braveheart]

Black powder, MB Hydro requires new installations to be inspected. Crazy new regulation says fans must be hard wired in, no plugs to unplug. We put up some hoppers for combo grain/fert storage which need the fans removed for fert storage. Those bins did get a plug but needed a $100 disconnect on each bin to pass inspection.

From now froward, big genset and screw MB Hydro. Side benefit would be the light plant that might go with it.