What are primary advantages and disadvantages of storing grain in steel bins?
Advantages: • Less static resistance to aeration airflow than deep silos allows faster cooling in steel bins. • More uniform grain depth makes aeration in steel bins easier/better than in warehouses. • Suction aeration allows rapid cooling of top 1-2 meters (3.3-6.6 ft) of grain for fast, non-chemical suppression of insects. • Use of aeration ducts for recirculation or closed loop fumigation (CLF) for fast, uniform distribution of phosphine gas during aeration. Disadvantages: • Icing of roof vents can cause roof failures with suction aeration. Many grain bin suppliers in central and northern U.S. will not warranty new bins with suction aeration. • More problems with moisture migration or top crusting than concrete silos due to less sidewall insulation and larger surface to volume ratio. • More difficult to unload than silos makes turning grain much more labor intensive. • More insect access to base of bins due to lack of sealing of conveyors, fans, doors, eaves at the time of installat
