During the course of the drying season, it is important to keep the dryer operating at its peak efficiency by performing periodic maintenance and cleaning of the equipment. When the ducts of a dryer are clean, the air moves freely through the grain walls. As debris builds up inside the dryer, this can result in the combustion of debris which may lead to a fire. As such, cleaning of the grain dryer should be performed on a daily basis. Try to keep the surroundings of the dryer clean at all times to prevent breeding grounds for insects and other pests

The recommended method for cleaning the dryer is air or water, preferably from a compressed-air source or even a vacuum, however, using a non-metallic brush or broom also works. Be aware that if using water to clean the dryer, the combination of water and residue can form a paste, making the surfaces sticky and more difficult to remove.

Outer Screens

For screened dryers, the outer screens of the dryer need to be kept as clean as possible for safety and performance reasons. The perforation of the screens allow heated air, saturated with moisture form the grain, to exit to the atmosphere. This process also crates a damp environment on the outside of the screens, creating a buildup of fines and dust which reduces air flow resulting in a decrease of capacity and higher cost of drying.

Cleaning of the outer screens can be done during the drying process, but it may temporarily affect the discharge capacity if water is used. The preferred way to clean is to brush down the screens while grain is being dried as this will help push material out of the perforations in the screens. The discharge rate should increase after cleaning of the dryer because more surface area is now being exposed to the heated air passing through the gain columns.

Inner Screens

For screened dryers, the procedure for cleaning the inner screens is similar to that of cleaning the outer screens. When cleaning the inside of the dyer, the use of a protective breathing mask is recommended. Using a non-metallic brush or broom, sweep the inner screens and channel rings going from top to bottom. Check the burner to make sure the wires look good and the burner is clean of debris. Sweep and floors and remove and debris.

Inverted Roof

For tower dryers, be sure to check and clean the inverted roof by removing the inverted roof panel for access. Cleaning should be done daily and includes vacuuming all debris inside the inverted cone and on top of the shelf where the inverted cone attaches.

Duct Openings

The duct openings of mixed flow dryers need to be kept as clean as possible for safety and performance reasons. These openings, facing the outside of the dryer, allow heated air, saturated with moisture from the grain, to exit to the atmosphere. This process also creates a damp environment on the outside of the ducts, creating a buildup of fines and dust which reduces air flow resulting in a decrease of capacity and higher cost of drying.

Cleaning of the outer ducts can be done during the drying process, but it may temporarily affect the discharge capacity if water is used. The inside ducts will need to be done when the dryer is off and locked out.

Inside Plenum

When cleaning the inside of the dryer, the use of a protective breathing mask is recommended. Using a non-metallic brush or broom, sweep the inner panels. Check the burner to make sure the wires look good and the burner is clean of debris. Sweep the plenum floors and remove any debris.

The following pre-season checks are intended to prepare your dryer for operation and bring any issues that may be present to your attention. Performing these check no later than 1-2 months before you intend to use the machine is recommended so that proper service can be performed and/or replacement parts can be ready before the harvest season begins.

Grain Fill & Discharge System

The following procedure will guide you through the grain fill and discharge system pre-season check. If the results of any of the following procedures are not consistent with what you should observe, service and/ or replacement parts may be required. Contact your dealer or refer to the Troubleshooting section of this manual for more information.

1. Turn all of the circuit breakers in the cabinet on. Turn the electric power supply to the dryer on.

2. On the Remote Control Cabinet, turn Power On through one of the HMI's by pressing the Control Power TURN ON button on the Controls page. The button should read ON and be illuminated green with a surrounding glow.

3. On the same Controls page, press the Takeaway START button. For level auger equipped dryers, pressing Takeaway START button should make the level auger start immediately.

4. On the same Controls page, press the Discharge START button. For profile style dryers, the discharge auger or conveyor (if equipped) should start immediately.

5. On the same Controls page, press the Metering START button. The metering rolls for profile dyers and the sweep arms for tower dryers should start turning.

Belt Adjustment

All belts will eventually seat themselves in the pulley grooves and the tension may have to be re-adjusted. If the belts squeal when the motor starts, they are not tight enough. Never apply belt dressing as this will damage the belt and cause early belt failure.

Discharge Auger Belt

To adjust the belt tension on the discharge auger, if equipped, loosen the unload auger motor mounting locknuts. Turn the locknut on the J-bolt to adjust the tension.

Level Auger Belt

Adjust the belt tension for the level auger, if equipped, by loosening the locknuts and raising the motor mount plate evenly with the four adjusting nuts, and then tighten the locknuts

Fans & Burners

The following procedure will guide you through the fan and burner system pre-season check. Perform this procedure for all fans and burners installed on the machine. If the results of any of the following procedures are not consistent with what you should observe, service and/or replacement parts may be required. Contact your dealer or refer to the Troubleshooting section of this manual for more information.

1. Turn the electric power supply to the dryer off.

2. Close the burner gas manifold hand valve for each burner (handle 90° relative to the piping).

3. In order to test the burners without grain in the dryer, the air pressure switches will need to be jumpered. To do this, place a jumper between terminal 343 (power) and 912 (air pressure switch 1) to jumper air pressure switch 1. If equipped with additional air pressure switches, place the jumper between 343 and the following terminals respectively: 922, 932, 942, 952, 962, 972 and finally, 982 in order to jumper air pressure switches 2 through 8.

1. Open all manual gas supply valves so that fuel is free to flow to the burner once the gas valves controlled by the ignition system are opened.

2. Turn the electric power supply to the dryer on.

3. On the Remote Control Cabinet, turn Power On through one of the HMI's by pressing the Control Power TURN ON button on the Controls page. The button should read ON and be illuminated green with a surrounding glow.

4. On the same Controls page, press the Fan START button. The Fan should start immediately and the air pressure light should illuminate.

5. Open the manual gas valve 1/4 of the way open to control the fuel flow to the burner once it has been lit

6. On the same Controls page, press the Burner START button. The burner should go through it's sequence and light.

7. Let the burner run for at least two minutes to verify that it is properly operating.

After the drying season, the following steps are recommended to put your dryer into a condition suitable for an extended period of non-operational time.

1. Disconnect all power and turn off the gas supply.

2. Perform one final cleaning of the dryer inside and out as previously explained in the Seasonal Cleaning section of the manual. Use a power washer on the outer panels if dirt has built up in hard-to-reach areas.

3. Open the plenum access doors and sweep out all foreign material.

4. Visually inspect all bearings to see if there is indication of one in need of replacement. Inspect the drive belts and chains and note if any are in need of replacement or lubrication.

5. Grease all fan motor bearings and fan bearings as recommended in the Lubrication section of the manual.

6. Use a vacuum cleaner to remove any dirt from the control cabinet.

Maintaining proper lubrication of all moving components of your dryer is key to its efficient and safe operation. The following table below outlines all recommended lubrication. Note that some of the items may not be applicable based on configured options, model or accessories.

Lubrication Table for Profile Style Dryers

Lubrication Table for Tower Style Dryers