System Solutions FAQs
1. How many temperature cables do I need in my bin?
2. How do I use the StorMax system to manage and control my aeration fans?
3. How do I use the StorMax system to monitor my Natural Air Drying process?
4. Why should I take a "proactive" approach to managing my grain in storage?
5. What is the typical sensor spacing?
6. What hardware do I require to support cables at the roof of the bin?
7. Do I need to anchor the cables to the bottom of the bin, and if so - what is the best method?
8. How does wireless technology work with the StorMax system?
9. Can I expand the manual StorMax system to the automated StorMaxPro system?
1. How many temperature cables do I need in my bin?
Being that grain is an excellent insulator, temperatures will barely be detected as far as 10' from the sensor. As shown in the Cable Placement section, a single centre cable provides a good sense of overall grain health in bins up to 20' in diameter. For bins 24' - 36' in diameter, 3 cables are required, each being spaced half way out to the wall. From this point, the number of cables grows with the diameter of the bin. Some believe one centre cable is sufficient to accurately monitor larger bins, however using a single a centre cable in a 36' diameter bin means 70% of the grain is not being monitored. As a result, in spring problems such as grain warming close to the outer walls will not be noticed until it's too late. Monitoring with too few cables will lead to a false sense of security, which can have a negative impact your bottom-line. Generally, the number of cables required and recommended for each bin is directly related to the size and diameter of the bin.
2. How do I use the StorMax system to manage and control my aeration fans?
Taking temperature profiles of the grain is the best way to manage fans. By logging temperatures into the StorMax monitor on a regular basis, you will know when and how long to run aeration fans to cool the grain. The rule of thumb is to run cooling cycles every time the outside temperature is 5-10° Celcius below the average grain temperature. Do this until the grain reaches 5-10° Celcius in the Fall. Assuming safe moistures and sound quality, grain can then be stored through to the following summer without having to run your aeration fans, unless one or more sensors indicate a heating trend. At this time, additional cooling cycle through aeration will be required to stabilize temperatures.
3. How do I use the StorMax system to monitor my Natural Air Drying process?
Log readings in the heat of the day to track evaporative cooling associated with the drying front. This drop in temperature can be 5° Celcius or more, depending on the level of drying at the time of reading. You can also consider the StorMaxPro.Gimac system to automatically run fans to achieve specific grain moisture and quality targets.
4. Why should I take a "proactive" approach to managing my grain in storage?
With so much time and resources going into producing a crop, it's surprising that we all too often take grain storage for granted. In reality "grain in the bin" is not "money in the bank". A less than optimal storage environment can reduce grain value. A proactive grain management program is therefore needed to first monitor temperature, then control the balance between temperature and moisture content. This will help to eliminate the possibility of microbial activity, leading to spoilage. A less-than-frequent program, such as "probing" the bin with a rod every so often, can be time-consuming, dangerous (if you fall off the bin) and limited in effectiveness. Being "reactive" by waiting for problems to appear is often too-little-too-late. A proactively management program on the other hand eliminates 95% of the problems before they occur. The StorMax system has been designed to help you remove the guesswork from grain storage, and ultimately deliver grain in peak condition.
5. What is the typical sensor spacing?
Although you can order any custom spacing with up to 100 or more sensors per cable, 4' is the standard spacing for "farm" cables up to 40' in length. For more "commercial" type applications, whereby cables can be 100' or longer, it is more common to go with a 6' sensor spacing.
6. What hardware do I require to support cables at the roof of the bin?
Center cables do not require supplemental roof support, so long as cables are installed as close as possible to the peak. For larger diameter bins with multiple cables, radius cables require supplemental roof support. OPIsystem manufactures four types of brackets, each tailored to a specific length of cable. For more information, contact OPIsystems.
7. Do I need to anchor the cables to the bottom of the bin, and if so - what is the best method?
In order to keep cables from being pushed out of position (such towards the outside wall which leads to erroneous readings) cables need to be secured by tie-down or free-weights. Material used to tie the cable in place such as twine should not be more than 25% of the cable strength allowing it to break, allowing it to act like a "fuse" if loads become excessive. With this approach, the sweep auger will cut the twine during unload. The tie-down can be fastened to a recessed eyebolt in the concrete floor, or a plate screwed into the aeration planking, or a small piece of plywood sitting on the floor. In cases where you don't want to go into the bin to tie the cable down, or have hoppers under large diameter bins where you should not run the cable or tie-down into the hopper because of excess loading, free weights are the best option. Free-weights can be supplied by OPI or from used parts such as cultivator shovels. For more information, refer to the 
Cable Installation Instructions.
8. How does wireless technology work with the StorMax system?
Wireless radios are only offered with our StorMaxPro PC-based automated system. Standard wireless radios come with a stubby antenna that can reach up to a maximum of 2 km. Directional antennas can also be used to extend coverage up to 20 km.
9. Can I expand the manual StorMax system to the automated StorMaxPro system?
Yes, expandability (both to add more bins as well as to upgrade to automation) is not a problem with StorMaxPro. This automated system consists of hardware modules and two choices in PC-based software, either OPIGIMA for automated monitoring and alarms, or OPIGIMAC which includes automated controls.