Tuesday, December 17, 2013

The Importance Of Grain Level Indicators On Large Farms

By Eugenia Dickerson


Large farms require all sorts of systems and controls, as well as equipment, in order to function to their maximum potential. They also have storage facilities that house their produce. Farmers who sell grains will be familiar with large silos, also known as elevators, which are today built of concrete or corrugated steel. Years back, they were only of wood. Farmers need equipment within their silos, such as grain level indicators, to help them keep track of their produce.

As of late, farms and communities in the same area have also started using one nearby storage facility, and these constitute huge silos. New inventions have enabled farms to operate more efficiently, and to help avoid potential problems, such as explosions caused by the dust of grains. The gauges that have been invented have also solved the problem of silos overflowing with grains.

A gauge, or indicator, can serve two purposes. One purpose is for the monitoring of inventory, while the other is to ensure that each silo is not overfilled. The gauges for inventory are more expensive, and show a farmer how much produce is in each silo. The other gauges will indicate when the silo is full.

A tilt switch indicator is an example of a type of gauge that farmers use to prevent the overfilling of their storage facilities, and there are several ways in which these switches operate. One has a steel ball that turns on an electric switch, while another is based on a mercury concept. Others with no mercury are also available. Farmers should consider the positive and negative aspects of each type of tilt switch before they decide which one to purchase.

The cheapest of the above-mentioned is the mechanical switch, and its main advantage is that it does not work with mercury. It does have several parts that are in constant motion, however, and it cannot be used in areas where explosions are a problem. Mercury is a harmful substance, and this is naturally a disadvantage of the mercury switch, but it can be remotely operated, with is one of its advantages.

The solidstate switch contains no mercury, but is the most expensive design. It is also only driven by remote control, and cannot be directly connected to the control system. The type of tilt switch indicator a farmer chooses to buy may depend on the price he can afford, or upon the environment in which it will be placed.

Gauges that are also available for preventing overfilling include the rotary paddle varieties. An 'arm' swings above the contents of the silo, powered by a motor, and either moves without hindrance if the silo is below its full capacity, or it stops if the silo has been filled. The motor turns off when the arm is slowed, and indicates that the grain levels are high.

Elevators of grains can be put to work much more efficiently if they are installed with grain level indicators. Although the equipment will cost a bit of money, the farmer will find it a necessary expense. Farmers may also wish to consider purchasing the gauges that measure inventory levels.




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