Aeration.. what was that again?

[pourfarmer]

Thanks Blackpowder, not stuck just wondering.

BigLentil, I might try your suggestion of the diesel burner pointed at the fan. Do you shroud it in at all?

[Guest]

our grain gaurd works good . you don't want too much heat or all the moisture can't get outta bin quick enough and runs down inside walls . i just ran heater 4 hrs this morning and opi cable read 29 degrees c on bottom sensor and 22 on second . I do this 4 days in a row and its dry .

[LEP]

I think blackpowder is talking about the aromatic preheated. Our neighbor mentioned that last night. He has one.

I may borrow it and try the 4 hours in the morning thing. Thanks guys.

[biglentil]

no shroud i dont know what percentage makes it in 80percent maybe. hold a thermometer on a stick or better a temp gun at center of aeration fan inlet, keep heater far enough back to ensure temp isnt above 40 degrees C or could cook motor. From my experience lucky to get a 10 degree C rise in inlet temp but cfm varies on the static pressure experienced in bin and motor size.

Use at own risk under close supervision☺

[hobbyfrmr]

Air-O-Don airomatic.
I have one and use it every year for something. Used to be for harvesting malt barley early.
I just spent a week pushing 11% water out of hemp . I added extra vents to bin roofs.
It cost me $336.00 in propane to dry 3000 bushels of hemp from 19% to to 7%.
The air o don is basically a big furnace/ heat exchanger. It cycles on an off like a furnace so you dont cook the grain.
Its pretty weird walking up to the bin in the morning and seeing a puddle of water under the chute of the hopper and weeping out of any pinholes of the bin.
It has auto shut off if the fans stop.
It has made me a lot of money
Another money maker was installing OPI moisture cables. Walk up to the bin, plug in the reader and know whats happening inside. Compare with the day before and watch the water move up and out of the bin. Over dry the grain by 2% then cool off the grain.
Basically I am too inept, broke, and lazy to set up an automated grain dryer.

[biglentil]

propane is preferrable over diesel

[bluefargo]

hobbyfarmer I found your comments very interesting. I bought an Air O Don 5 or 6 years ago and never used it.
But I have some very tough grain this year and am going to have to do something. I also have some CPS wheat still in the field. We left it standing till a few days ago. We have about 17 gazillion freaking geese who have not found this field yet but its only a matter of time. The damn wheat simply won`t dry down. How wet do you think I could combine the wheat and dry it down. I think I will be lucky to harvest it below 20%. I have a 1500 bu twin air that I thought might work well. Any advise you can give me would be appreciated.

[bluefargo]

hobbyfarmer I found your comments very interesting. I bought an Air O Don 5 or 6 years ago and never used it.
But I have some very tough grain this year and am going to have to do something. I also have some CPS wheat still in the field. We left it standing till a few days ago. We have about 17 gazillion freaking geese who have not found this field yet but its only a matter of time. The damn wheat simply won`t dry down. How wet do you think I could combine the wheat and dry it down. I think I will be lucky to harvest it below 20%. I have a 1500 bu twin air that I thought might work well. Any advise you can give me would be appreciated.

[bluefargo]

Forgot to mention I did install OPI moisture cables. I love the temp sensing ones in other bins. Looking forward to trying the moisture sensors.

[LEP]

Don't believe those cables as being accurate. They are a guide only.

I had a bin of durum that went in at 16.

The cables showed it was only 14.7 to 15 after three days on the fan and when I hauled it it was 15.4 to 15.8.

[pourfarmer]

Thanks for the insight BigLentil, I'm going to try it on some tough wheat.

HobbyFarmer, I will look into a airomatics. Seems like a better system then a grain guard heater, and nice that it is easily movable.

[hobbyfrmr]

Agree the moisture cables are a guide, i usually dry it down an extra 2% to make darn sure its dry. Reheating a big volume again is expensive.
The aerodon is easy to move but its a bit of a wrestling match, i have the heater in a wagon.