Do you think your silo is leaking?

By The Silologist | March 29, 2019
Diagram illustrating air circulation in a grain silo, showing warm moist air rising and cool air descending, with annotations about grain temperature and potential spoilage.

A few times a year, we receive a call from a customer concerned that their silo is leaking. In very rare occasions, this may be the case, BUT…… in the overwhelmingly majority of cases, what the customer is seeing in their silo is MOISTURE MIGRATION.


And below is a diagram that gives a great visual on exactly how this happens, and for what reasons.

But what we see in almost 100% of these cases is the same thing – a lack of Grain maintenance.

It’s easy to fall into the trap that once you store your grain in a sealed silo, you can forget about it. Nothing could be further from the truth.  A ‘SEALED’ silo should be only sealed during the fumigation period. Warm grain and cool nights will produce condensation inside the silo, if the silo is ‘locked’ up (sealed) then the condensation has no way to be removed.
Grain Maintenance involves the following;
  • Monitoring the grain- every fortnight in summer (life cycle of some insects can be over as little as 3 weeks) and monthly in winter. 
  • Use Aeration to remove moisture migration.

Before filling your silo

  • Check your seals! When performing your silo maintenance, check the seals around the lid and manhole. Especially when filling or out loading
  • Pressure test your silo- So, once your silo is sealed, perform a pressure test.

So make sure your silos, and grain are working for you by practicing good silo hygiene and monitoring, and preventative maintenance.
Mold found in Grain Sealed Silo


Grain germinated in silo due to moisture migration

There are a number of other factors that can cause moisture migration, and the stored grain website has a host of valuable information, fact sheets and videos including videos on how to maintain your silo and how to perform a seal test. This information can be obtained at www.storedgrain.com.au

If you have any question regarding Moisture Migration or think your silo is leaking, don’t hesitate to give us a freecall on 1800 046 046 or send an email to reception@hesilosforbes.com.au

About The Silologist