Can i use AIV without a Silo Vent or mechanical air system?
Yes, on unsealed silos they will assist in moving air through the grain. On sealed silos they will have little effect without a Silo Vent.

Where do you position the Silo Vent unit on a silo?
The best location is on top of the silo lid, the Silo Vent unit can be fitted directly to the lid, allowing for normal access for the auger to fill silo. It tilts with the opening of the silo lid.

If the top silo lid can’t be used, the Silo Vents come with a variable pitch so they can be position on the side of a silo roof. In Damper models for sealed silos if wishing to locate unit other than on silo lid, please contact your nearest Silo Vent distributor to arrange a variable pitch attachment.

How do you fasten the Silo Vent unit to the silo lid?
Silo Installers who retrofit your older silo with a ground level opening lid kit are able to install a Silo Vent unit at the same time as renewing your new ground opening lid and cable.

For the D.I.Y. please comply with your states OH&S requirements for working with heights, steel, confined spaces and general building construction requirements.

However if all of the above requirements are meet, by removing the silo top opening lid, a 300mm hole (depending on the ventilator size purchased) is cut in the centre of the lid, the flashing is moulded to silo lid, with waterproof sealant applied to the underside of the flashing and silo lid, position and attached tech screws to fasten unit. Reposition lid and it is ready for use.

How long will the Silo Vent last before the bearings wear out?
Alsynite Roofing Products in Sydney manufacture the Silo Vent wind driven ventilators and they come with a 10 year warranty, they have 2 stainless steel bearings in each ventilator.

Will rain get in the ventilator?
Independent laboratory trials the Alsynite range of ventilators withstood the equivalent to 160 Km/h winds combined 200 mm of rain per hour, showed no damage or water entry.

How much air is removed from the silo?
On a standard 300mm Silo Vent the exhaust Capacity in litres per second are as follows.

Wind @ 6km/h             Wind @ 12km/h           Wind @16km/h
270L/sec.                     480L/sec.                     620L/sec.

How is the air exhausted out in sealed silos?
With a Silo Vent Damper unit on the top of the silo and Air Intake Vents positioned in the cone at the base of the silo, a natural convention of air current is drawn in at the base level and passively moves through the silo and is extracted out the top of the silo by the Silo Vent unit.

Why not just use an aerator to cool the grain?
The Silo Ventilation System products are designed to be used where there is no power source. SVS units are driven by the wind and sun and run for free at no cost to you.

If you have an aerator in a silo, a Silo Vent unit located at the top of the silo will help the aerator work more efficiently. Better than leaving the silo top lid open to exhaust the air forced through by the aerator. By leaving the silo open rain and birds can get in and damage the stored commodity.