Solid Silo Support.
Understanding the Cement Silo Cleaning Procedure
Having a proper silo cleaning procedure in place is crucial for any company looking to keep dried material at bay — and cement storage silos healthy. And there’s more to it than meets the eye. When handled incorrectly, such maintenance practices can result in issues such as damaged silos, compromised cement and even injury or death. Put simply, it’s best to trust the work to a licensed company with specific training in the silo cleaning procedure — and the health and safety practices that go along with it. Read on to learn more about how the silo cleaning procedure works, why it’s so important and the safety concerns surrounding it.
Contact Us to Book Your Next Silo Cleaning
A Quality Silo Cleaning Procedure Clears Silos of Clumps and Clogs
The cement stored inside your silos must remain dry in order to flow as needed. Excess moisture, be it due to a damaged cement storage silo or unavoidable outdoor humidity, leads to clumping that can affect your concrete blends, slow the flow of your dry material and, in extreme circumstances, clog your silo altogether. (And when your company can’t access that dried material, it can’t carry out work for clients. Nobody wins there.) Cement silo cleaning services are aimed at removing those headache-inducing clumps and clogs so material continues moving as it should — and business remains ready to roll.
How Does the Silo Cleaning Procedure Work?
Silo cleaning requires trained crew members to don personal protective equipment (PPE) and enter silos from above. Once inside, these team members inspect the silo for defects and damages, scope out clumped cement that is either currently causing issues — or which could in the near future — and break it down into smaller, more manageable chunks. At that point, they usher the clumped material down and out of the cement storage silo while leaving the usable material inside, ready for future concrete work. As a general rule, experts recommend booking cement silo cleaning appointments on three-month intervals to ward off troubles. At General Chipping, we encourage folks to book such services at the same time they schedule concrete chipping and central mixer cleaning appointments. That way, everything is taken care of in one fell swoop.
Safety Concerns Associated with the Silo Cleaning Procedure
Although silo cleaning services sound simple enough at face value, the process can be dangerous — and even deadly. Untrained team members who attempt to clear clogs by prodding at them from below risk releasing material that could bury themselves and those around them. Meanwhile, those who enter the silo from above — but without proper PPE — risk deadly falls or, if they happen to become pulled into the dry material, asphyxiation. A quick search on the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) website details hundreds of injuries associated with silos. A licensed silo cleaning company will understand how to tackle such maintenance in a way that keeps everyone protected — including your valuable silos. Of course, that’s not to say your crew can’t play a role in that ongoing maintenance. We recommend carrying out regular inspections and tackling minor repair work, when necessary, to keep things running smoothly between those cleaning appointments.