Silo Repair Blogs

Silos can be costly to maintain if you don't do the essential repairs to prevent further deterioration of the silo. In any repair, Marietta Silos tries to identify the root cause of the damage to the silo and incorporate those findings into our restoration and design procedure.

 

Silo Roof Beam Repair

The silo beam pocket rests on a bearing plate to support the roof. Beam pockets are a critical point in the silo as these roof beams hold up the roof slab and all the necessary equipment to operate the bulk storage system. Often the concrete under the plate spalls leaving the beam pocket at risk for failure. The structural integrity of the beam pocket is reestablished by having structural steel placed to ensure the integrity of the repaired beam pocket. A high-strength, non-stick grout is used to patch the spalled area.

 

Silo Wall Delamination

Delamination of concrete is caused by the lack of bonding to the interior structural steel reinforcement of the silo, which weakens the silo's structural capacity. To repair silo wall delamination in extreme cases, additional reinforcement may be added to the silo wall or a new concrete steel reinforced liner can be installed, returning the silo to normal operating conditions.

 

Be proactive with silo repair – schedule your silo inspection.

When to schedule silo restoration depends on more than the condition of your silo. While it is never advisable to postpone necessary silo repairs, the time of year you schedule your silo repair or restoration can impact your bottom line.

 

 

The same weather conditions that can impact the performance and lifespan of your silo, extreme heat or cold, heavy rain, and severe wind, can also affect silo restoration. Work undertaken during extreme temperature conditions can be slower, while heavy rain can make it difficult or impossible to repair concrete or apply waterproof coatings. When the silo roof or other high areas of the silo need to be repaired, high winds can pose safety risks during the restoration process.

 

 

Scheduling routine maintenance during temperate times of the year can help you reduce expenses by catching and addressing problems early and reducing downtime. Temperate times of the year, like the spring and fall, tend to provide better working conditions for a variety of silo repairs. These ideal weather conditions can make a repair or restoration go more quickly – reducing the cost of labor and your downtime.

 

 

Emergent silo issues or a silo that shows signs of new or worsening damage should be inspected as soon as possible. Regularly viewing the silo exterior can help facilities find new or worsening issues that might necessitate earlier or more frequent inspections. For silos that were properly designed and constructed, much of this damage is preventable or can be minimized by regular inspections, silo maintenance and a full understanding of proper procedures.

 

Routine inspections identify minor issues as well as more serious problems that can lead to preventable structural failures like silo collapse. Common problems that cause concrete structure and concrete silo failure include foundation deterioration, roof collapse, unsuitable material filling and unloading procedures, silo wall delamination or deterioration, and silo discharge cone or bin floor issues. Additional important silo maintenance includes airflow unit inspection and regular, professional silo cleaning to avoid material buildup issues. When it comes to steel silos, they often suffer from corrosion and buckling, which can be inspected using wear-measure thickness ultrasonic gauges. Marietta Silos can address these concrete silo issues and any other necessary silo restoration types, regardless of stored material.

 

Repairing silo problems quickly, before they become an emergency, helps save money and can reduce or eliminate safety issues. The long-term savings, reduced liability, and reduction of unplanned downtime that results from professional silo inspections and silo restoration should be seen as an investment as it is far cheaper to address issues early before they lead to silo failure.

 

Plan a Silo Restoration

Silos are unique structures, and waterproofing coatings are not created equal. Silo coatings like floating membranes and roofing tar are some of the cheapest to acquire. However, they are also the most likely to fail during the normal use of a metal or concrete silo. Membranes are easily punctured during routine loading and unloading or even through heavy foot traffic. Roofing tar, on the other hand, cannot tolerate foot traffic. Tar also naturally softens by the sun, allowing stored material to stick into the surface and create buildup that is extremely difficult to remove. In cold weather, tar solidifies and can easily crack and allow moisture to penetrate the silo and jeopardize stored material. Sprayed polyurethane coatings similarly do not tolerate foot traffic, are easily punctured and are sensitive to humidity.

 

The most effective, monolithic barrier against moisture is a rubberized coating that bonds directly to various surfaces to repair cracks and seal penetrations, laps and fasteners. Rubberized coatings have a high elasticity coefficient that moves with silo vibration caused by roof-mounted equipment or loading and unloading.

 

Our rubber coating reduces costly reapplications of surface protectants and can be applied to many surfaces. As a silo roof coating, our rubber coating can fix both metal silo roofs and concrete silo roofs. In addition, our silo roof-top coating has the flexibility to maintain its integrity through the changing seasons, protect against oxidation, humidity and corrosive environments while resisting alkali, salts, abrasions and fumes.

 

 

Our roof-top silo coating method is a proven industrial roof coating system that keeps elements out and stored materials dry. Request a quote from us today.