Required Ventilation for a Mash Tun Loaded with Bags

[Triangle Distiller]

There's a bit of re-working due to space limitations in our distillery and our mill is being relocated off-site. The plan is to hand load milled grain bags (50 lb sacks) into the mash tun. Yes, up the ladder and into the top of the 15 bbl tank. In the existing on-site mill room, which is being de-constructed,  there is an exhaust fan which could be re-positioned about 4 feet. Thoughts on hand loading grain other, than that's a lot of physical work? I'm concerned about the sparking and approval.

 

[kleclerc77]

I'd recommend using a set of rolling cantilever stairs vs. a ladder.

[Thatch]

2 hours ago, Triangle Distiller said:

I'm concerned about the sparking and approval.

We use the rolling stairs as pictured above.  I'm not sure about your concerns on approval or sparking, this is the way most brewery and distilleries start out.  I'd be more concerned about OSHA showing up when someone is hauling a bag up the ladder.

[Skaalvenn]

You want to send employees up a ladder and have them try to dump 50lb bags into a steaming tank?

I get that many of us are true small businesses, with actual tight budgets, and that most of us WANT the best and safest equipment/processes but lack the funds to put those expensive things in place.  However, regularly going up a traditional ladder, more than a step or two, with a 50lb bag is a serious injury or death just waiting to happen.  You'll want a catwalk with a platform where you can set a pallet of grain for the worker to safely handle it.

As far as dust goes, we used to mill on site with a grist mill and that produced a lot of dust in the bags. Now we have it crushed by a malt house and the dust has been significantly reduced to the point where I don't even consider it a problem.

[Triangle Distiller]

 Rolling/locking cantilever stairs are already in place (not a standard ladder - thanks for the correction),  but the situation is more about space limitations than cost in an urban location.  There is also a local malt house that mills nearby. I had an electrical engineer raise the question about spark control when dumping in bags of milled grain. Yes, it's a chore but in order to make room, the mill had to go. 

[Thatch]

2 hours ago, Triangle Distiller said:

spark control when dumping in bags of milled grain

Is he saying the the actual dumping is an ignition source?  If so, you should read this article on brewery and distillery hazard assessment.  Although it is an article from the UK, they do not consider the dumping of milled grain as an ignition source.  But, they do say that thermal decomposition can cause dust to self ignite.  

http://www.hazardexonthenet.net/article/60418/Hazard-assessment-in-the-brewing-and-distilling-industries.aspx

[Triangle Distiller]

Thanks, Thatch! I'll pass this along.

[Tom Lenerz]

The brewery I previously worked at we hauled anywhere between 300 and 800 pounds of ground specialty malts up a 6 foot step ladder and into a hopper, twice a day. It wasn't fun but it is definitely doable. 

[SlickFloss]

Set up a fork lift with grain bags already cut and ready to dump next to the platform, have worker grab off of fork when bag needed. No need to overload the pallet, taking a break to reload it will help with clumping and all that jazz.