Does anyone have any tricks for dealing with this issue?

I filled some feeder this weekend. When I took the lid off, the top of the lid was covered in condensation. I have 10 new protein feeders. I am worried about those.

Thanks!

I wonder if desiccant bags would work???

quote:

Originally posted by Hogbreath:
I wonder if desiccant bags would work???

Perhaps if they are big enough. Some of these feeder are about 6'x6'.

Spray the tops with cans of foam insulation to eliminate the temperature differential that is causing the moisture.

Having lived down the in Fla, I can imagine the humidity buildup. Are these the big rectangular feeders with the flat gasketed top? Is there a vent of any type? Perhaps you could install a curved piping vent to get a little air flow thru it, or even those little 6V or 12V fans, to just move the air.

Put a vent in the lid. Maybe a small turbine or solar powered fan.

quote:

Originally posted by Topgun 30-06:
Spray the tops with cans of foam insulation to eliminate the temperature differential that is causing the moisture.

Interesting. How long does it take this substance to dry?

Thanks all. For those recommending a vent and/ or a fan, I tend to believe the tops are too thin to do so. However, I am thinking of putting weather stripping along the tops except in the corners where the rivets are located. I think this may serve the same purpose.

Consider moving to Texas. Never had that problem here.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:

quote:

Originally posted by Topgun 30-06:
Spray the tops with cans of foam insulation to eliminate the temperature differential that is causing the moisture.

Interesting. How long does it take this substance to dry?

Damn near dry as soon as it's out of the can. I'd do one with it and see if it solves the problem and if it does then do the rest. If it doesn't, you're not out much money and can try something else.

Install 2 small louvered vents on opposing sides. Vent size ratio aspect 1 square inch surface area, per 2 cubic feet of volume.

You need ventilation, not insulation to solve your problem.

Why don’t you just wait and see if you end up having a problem? There’s always a little moisture in the air, especially in Florida, but I dont hear about this problem regularly.
I’m thinking when it heats up the moisture will dissipate.
I doubt it’ll turn to soup. Especially in gravity fed.
Spin feeder would be entirely different.

Keep us posted.

quote:

Originally posted by Vanderhoef:
Why don’t you just wait and see if you end up having a problem? There’s always a little moisture in the air, especially in Florida, but I dont hear about this problem regularly.
I’m thinking when it heats up the moisture will dissipate.
I doubt it’ll turn to soup. Especially in gravity fed.
Spin feeder would be entirely different.

Keep us posted.

I have had a problem last year on a few spin feeders. Rotten corn, bugs, mold and all gummed up.

I had 6 gravity feeders which hold 300 pounds of protein out last year. All 6 gummed up and totally clogged due to the moisture.

All of these feeders had to be taken down, emptied, scrubbed and dried before they could be used again. It is a real problem. I put 7,000 pounds of protein out last weekend into new feeders. I want to avoid further problems.

Some may not believe it but it makes a difference as to what color the feeder is painted. I went from a dark green to a silver color on the outside of my feeders. Made a huge difference in how hot the lid was to the touch. Silo's that farmers use to store grain are silver, never saw one painted dark. May not stop the moisture but it will help. Venting will help, make sure blowing rain can't get in of course.

Larry,

I have two of the Texas Hunter Products molded 1200 lb protein feeders that I run year round. I haven’t had any moisture problems with them. I do have to check the mouth of the feeder tubes and remove rain soaked wet protein from time to time.

I weather strip lids on my square spin feeders that don’t have it. I also flexseal the seams etc on the ones that are mostly bolted together.

I started with 250/300 lb spin feeders but I am slowly replacing them with 400 to 600 lb spin feeders since my son and I are the labor and I like to keep my traffic to a minimum especially during the rut.One feature I like is a little glass window built in to the side of the feeder so I can see it from my stand or drive by and see how much is left.

We have 9 spin feeders and 2 gravity feeders and keeping them and trail cams running is a full time job.

Butch:

I am 150 miles away from my place.

I am running 15 spin feeder the smallest of which is 350 pounds. Some are home made barrels that I got when I bought the place.

I have 6 gravity protein feeders that are 300 pounds each. I have 4 gravity protein feeders that are 1250 pounds each. I have to say that the deer are totally destroying the protein.

I am running 18 cameras.

Charging batteries is a pain in the backside!

I am going to do weather stripping when the weather is good as I refill. The same with Flex Seal. I have some done already.

I have hung some dehumidifiers from the tops. So far so good.

I have looked at the THP feeders. I have thought about them. All of my protein feeders are All Seasons.

Yikes Larry,

I thought I had a lot to do but it is nothing compared to your operation. Your boat is loaded to the gunwales. I'm only 60 miles from my place but my biggest headache is getting some dry weather to work back there. These Louisiana swamp hardwood bottoms stay wet a long time.

I went up yesterday. I had a feeder that was totally blocked with rotten corn. Maybe 20 pounds of it.

The feeder has been there about 20 months. It was brand new. It has been there through a hurricane and some close calls with hurricanes. It has never leaked or had condensation before. Why now?

Larry, I think it's just the natural humidity in your Florida air. In the summer here where I live I get the same issue if I don't use feed for my livestock fast enough. I store it in large metal garbage cans and it will go moldy if not used.

I don't know. The humidity now is nothing compared to say August. Why is the feeder no problem for a year and a half plus then this?

I would guess the corn is higher than usual moisture. Maybe less expensive corn not fully dried. Or being sold less expensive corn for full price...

Larry
Be careful because high amounts of mold in corn can is not good for wildlife. See below chart. I have to use clean and well dried feed in the summer that does not have many foreign objects. The less clean the more mold.


NOTE: Corn storage temperatures shown on the chart are KERNEL temperatures. This chart is based on clean, good quality corn. Corn with 10 percent mechanical damage can cut the allowable storage time in half. Large amounts of fines and foreign material will shorten storage time even more.

Recommended moisture levels for safely storing corn on the farm include:

-- 17 percent, considered low enough if corn is to be fed to livestock during the winter.

-- 15 percent, recommended for corn that will be removed from storage before the start of summer.

-- 13 percent, recommended for corn that is to be carried into summer or stored longer than one year.

Interesting. How does one find out about the moisture content?

Storage time is always short,no more than 30 days. However it can be HOT and, in summer, VERY high humidity.

We have gotten an occasional bag that had mold in it when we opened it on the same day we received it.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
Interesting. How does one find out about the moisture content?

Storage time is always short,no more than 30 days. However it can be HOT and, in summer, VERY high humidity.

We have gotten an occasional bag that had mold in it when we opened it on the same day we received it.

I might try finding another suppler. I have stored corn for many months.