Weather forecast, yikes!!

[biglentil]

A horsepower is equivalent to 735watts. An electric fan about 85% efficient. So 10hp is about 9kw/hr or $1/hr in sask.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

The Swather turned out to be the best wind powered solar collection grain drying machine on the farm this year!!!

With no frost… the swathed wheat turned out #1 13.5px12.6 moisture… can’t get more a efficient zero carbon system than this!!!

Swathed Canola dry… same results!

Cheers

Every area and every year is different, but here, I think a swather would have been the death knell for any hope of harvesting towards the end of harvest this year. We've had showers or rain every few days. Standing crop drives enough to continue on without much delay. Swans never do later in the fall. The same seems to be true most years around here.

[Guest]

I will check again , maybe I’m wrong?

Checked with the power gods
$23.16/day/5 hp (21 amp) aeration fan !

[Guest]

A horsepower is equivalent to 735watts. An electric fan about 85% efficient. So 10hp is about 9kw/hr or $1/hr in sask.

They’re saying Amp x volts x 1.73 = watts
5 hp (21 amp) x 208 volts x 1.73 = 7556 watts @100 % efficiency
Still $20.95/day at 85%
One of us is wrong ? Probably me ?

[Guest]

That's some expensive electricity.

At 14 cents per kwh (SK farm price) it works out to about half that cost here. And that is only if the fan is moving max air and max rated power, which a bin full of grain will not allow a fan to do.

We’re at $.1666/kWh all said and done

[biglentil]

They’re saying Amp x volts x 1.73 = watts
5 hp (21 amp) x 208 volts x 1.73 = 7556 watts @100 % efficiency
Still $20.95/day at 85%
One of us is wrong ? Probably me ?

5 hp at 21amps at 240v sounds about right. Unless you have 3 phase case? Amps X Volts = Watts 21 x 240 = 4800 watts or 4.8kw


4.8kwh x 16cents = $18.43 a day. So we are close

[ColevilleH2S]

Does a fan that is rated to pull 22 amps actually pull 22 amps when the bin is full, or half full of grain?

I suspect as air flow is reduced because of heightened back pressure, so is the load on the fan motor.

[Sodbuster]

Would have to use a clamp on ohm meter to measure the amps and voltage to get a true wattage number.

[biglentil]

Does a fan that is rated to pull 22 amps actually pull 22 amps when the bin is full, or half full of grain?

I suspect as air flow is reduced because of heightened back pressure, so is the load on the fan motor.

Static pressure goes up with a full bin so I would expect load would increase as well as the fan must work harder to maintain rated rpm.

[Guest]

5 hp at 21amps at 240v sounds about right. Unless you have 3 phase case? Amps X Volts = Watts 21 x 240 = 4800 watts or 4.8kw


4.8kwh x 16cents = $18.43 a day. So we are close

Yea we’re just single phase
I will check amps and volts for the hell of it tomorrow
This is a 8000 bu hopper bin full of barley
Just surprising a lot of people are unaware how much it costs to run fans , that’s why we giver shit with dryer in August when necessary

[shtferbrains]

Amp probe is a handy tool to confirm how much load you are drawing.

Can also use it to check how big aof a draw you have on your panel when running multiple fans or moving grain with electric motors.

[Guest]

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Amp probe is a handy tool to confirm how much load you are drawing.

Can also use it to check how big aof a draw you have on your panel when running multiple fans or moving grain with electric motors.

Yea best thing ever , I have 2 of them , use them very often

[Guest]

Same one on Temu
Not sure how many use this website , usually at least half of Amazon, free shipping

[seldomseen]

Cheaper to just fire up the truck and grain auger and turn the grain on a cool day.
Just not the most fun job.

[biglentil]

Cheaper to just fire up the truck and grain auger and turn the grain on a cool day.
Just not the most fun job.

Running the fan over night usually cools it down pretty good. Maybe two nights. Ill take 20 bucks in electricity over the wear and tear of running augurs, pto's and trucks any day. Compared to the cost of producing the grain the air is peanuts.

Lets say Case runs his fan for a week to condition his 8000bus bin of Barley. Lets say its $150 in electricity, the barley in the bin is worth around $50k. A lifetime of electricity cost to run fans would likely not equal the value of one lost bin to heating. I would rather overdo running the fans to be safe, especially canola.