grain drying
Ryan in Ontario
Ryan has been a Dryer Master user since 1999. The first Dryer Master installed was a DM500 model and it went in at their then only drying location. In 2009, with the construction of a new facility at a new location, two Dryer Master DM510s were added for their Dorssers dryer. (For those unfamiliar with the Dorssers dryer it is an Ontario made dryer that you can see at quite a few locations around Southern Ontario.) In Ryan’s case each Dryer Master controls 1/2 of the dryer and so you can have the two sides running at different speeds. Combined, Ryan dries around 750,000 bushels of corn a year.
Why did you buy a Dryer Master in the first place?
The ease of controlling the dryer and improving the output consistency for storage. We also liked the idea that you could run it in an automatic mode which allowed us to focus time on other areas of the business during harvest.
How does the Dryer Master change the way that you dry, or alter your drying operations from an operational perspective?
When operating the Dryer Master, patience is key. You have to have trust in the system to follow the targets that you set out to achieve. It allows you to focus on other areas of operations during the peak time and yet have faith that the targets will be met.
Did anything surprise you about how your Dryer Master worked when you first used it?
It takes a bit of time to have faith that the targets will be met. At the conclusion of the year, it is surprising how close the targets are met when the final report is generated. This goes to show that corrections are made throughout the drying season and in the end you achieve what you had set as a goal going into harvest.
What drying tips (if any) would you like to pass on to other dryer owners about how to get the most out of their dryer and/or their Dryer Master?
Patience is key, give the DM time to learn the characteristics of the grain and it will meet your requirements. Keep an eye on all the moisture pods for blockage as this can give false readings.
How often do you typically calibrate your outlet moisture sensor?
We calibrate quiet often and likely too much.Every half hour if we have issues. On average we likely calibrate every 1.5 hours. When things are busy every 2-4 hours. It is nice to be able to go to the screen and know that the physical product is accurate to what the reading is giving you.
Pete in Michigan
Pete is a long time Dryer Master user. He bought his first two Dryer Master systems (DM150 models) way back 1996, one for an older Delux dryer and one for a Redex. He currently has two DM510 models, one on a 2014 model Delux DPX16GT dryer and the other on an older Meyer 2000 bu./hr. dryer. He uses them for drying over 2 million bushels a year of corn, soybeans and soft red wheat.
Why did you buy a Dryer Master in the first place?
I was unhappy with our drying results. We would over dry and also under dry. Also we had acquired another location where the drying was even more erratic due to varying corn moistures and an inability to control the dryer.
Did anything surprise you about how your Dryer Master worked when you first used it?
Yes it would adjust the speed when we did not think it should but it was correct and the dry corn coming out of the dryer was much more stable.
Have you found a financial difference in your drying performance using Dryer Master? In what way?
Yes we can ship corn right at the target level of moisture that we want to. The over drying of corn costs much more than most people realize. Also we dry wheat to ship to flour mills that have strict moisture requirements.
What drying tips (if any) would you like to pass on to other dryer owners about how to get the most out of their dryer and/or their Dryer Master?
I would stage corn in a wet bin and run air for two days then dry it. This means more wet storage and then drying 24 hours a day when you start to dry. The longer we run the dryer the better job we do.
Any other 
advice or comments you would like to pass on?
We have tried three different dryer controllers that were dryer manufacturer based and the Dryer Master simply works better in my opinion. The experience that they have with other industries and other products gives them much more knowledge than just about grain drying.
Kevin in Indiana
Kevin has two Dryer Master DM510s. The first one he installed about 15 years ago. He then he bought a second one five years ago to go on his new dryer. Kevin’s two dryers are both Zimmerman towers (one is 2,000 bu. and the other 4,000 bu.).
Kevin recently updated his DM510s with DM Mobile, Dryer Master’s remote access application. (DM Mobile is standard on all new DM510s, but it can also be added onto older DM510s allowing owners to add the latest in remote access capabilities to their dryer at a reasonable cost).
What had you heard about Dryer Master before you purchased your first system?
I talked to a guy who owned one and he told me that I would not want to dry another bushel without it.
Did anything surprise you about how your Dryer Master worked when you first used it?
I was surprised with how accurate the sensors are & how well they keep their calibration.
The sensors are also very durable, I had one sitting in rotten corn and water all summer and did not know it, cleaned it off and it still worked as it should.
What drying tips (if any) would you like to pass on to other dryer owners about how to get the most out of their dryer and/or their Dryer Master?
We found that the Zimmerman dryer will make fairly large swings in moisture at first, 1.5 – 2 pts, but once it found its sweet spot it stayed on target.
Longer Runs = Better
How much difference does it make to have real time moisture information versus having to go out and take a sample?
It is a huge difference being able to walk in the office and know what my moisture is in real-time and be able to keep an eye on it while unloading trucks and all the other things that are going on.
It’s great knowing how accurate it is vs. taking a sample from say maybe 2 columns at best, whereas the sensor (through the printout) gives me summaries every 10 minutes from a much larger sample size, giving me not only more accurate information, but also more useful information, and it’s better than doing it myself.
Do you use DM-Mobile? If so how do you use it (phone/PC/home/at night?), how often do you use it?
Yes, on an iPhone and on a PC
All the time when it is running, I no longer have to make midnight runs to the dryer to check on it, I can check on it without having to get out of bed.
Dryer Master Experiences: Larry in Ontario
Larry dries about 15,000 tons a year of corn, wheat, soybeans and canola and he has used Dryer Masters for the last 3 years.
Larry has a rather unique setup with 2 Dryer Master DM510s on his Grain Handler 4020 grain dryer (40 feet long, 20 sections high). Each DM510 controls one side of the dryer, with each side having its own separate drive. And yes, the two sides of the dryer will often run at different speeds. The picture to the side shows two of the newest Dryer Master sensor chutes with a rotary feed (highlighted with the black circles).
Why did you buy a Dryer Master in the first place?
To get a reliable controller for the dryer.
How does the Dryer Master change the way that you dry, or help your drying operations from an operational perspective?
Makes life easier not having to keep adjusting the output of the dryer.
Did anything surprise you about how your Dryer Master worked when you first used it?
We had had one on our older dryer (an MC 1195) but with the Grain Handler it seems to want to take control faster and is more consistent.
How much difference does it make to have real time moisture information versus having to go out and take a sample.
It’s a huge difference because at harvest time it gets busy unloading trucks and grading samples. I used to take moisture samples every hour but now with where the inlet and outlet sensors are, they are really accurate, so now if there is a lull with crop coming in I will take a sample, maybe twice a day.
What drying tips (if any) would you like to pass on to other dryer owners about how to get the most out of their dryer, their drying operations, and/or their Dryer Master?
After talking to Wolf at Dryer Master we started using 2 wet bins, so we dry the corn that came in yesterday, today (having let it sit a day). Really made the corn easier to dry – especially the first of the harvest. It seems to bring the moisture closer to the tip of the kernel.
Dryer Master Experiences: Anthony in Ohio
Anthony has 2 Dryer Master DM510 systems, the first of which he added in 2007. He runs them on his two Zimmerman dryers, drying about 1.5 million bushels/year of corn and soybeans. This year he will be adding the DM Mobile remote access functionality so that he can check on his dryers at any time from anywhere.
Why did you buy a Dryer Master in the first place?
We purchased DM because any of the factory controls we had tried just did not work. We spoke to a neighbor that was running a DM at the time and they were completely satisfied. The DM was money well spent and I would not run without.
How does the Dryer Master change the way that you dry, or help your drying operations from an operational perspective?
The DM allows me to be more available during harvest season. I do not have to babysit the dryers all day and night. I just have much more confidence in the DM sensors and don’t feel I have to check constantly.
How often do you calibrate the moisture sensors?
I try and calibrate every chance I get. It seems once the dryers have been running a while I have to calibrate less often. I try to check it every couple hours.
And what is your calibration procedure?
My sampling procedure is this, for the input sensor I take several samples from the leg that is feeding the dryer. I average the moistures and wait about 12 min and start the calibration on the DM.
For the output sensor I hit the green button and take small samples the entire time the light is flashing (30 seconds). I run that sample through the tester about 3 or 4 times and enter in the average moisture.
You run two dryers. How do you allocate product between the dryers?
Normally for the first half of harvest one dryer is drying corn and the other soybeans. When I have them both in corn If we are harvesting inconsistent moistures I try to keep one drying higher moisture and one in the lower. We then unload both dryers into the same bin to get some blending between both of them.
Have you found a financial difference in your drying performance using Dryer Master? In what way?
The DM system has saved us time and money. I have consistent moistures coming out of the bin, we are not over drying like we did with previous controls, and the system is user friendly.
Dryer Master Experiences: Jon in Ontario
Jon is relatively new to Dryer Master but he is great example of how moisture control is no longer just for big elevators, and how more and more it is making its way into smaller operations.
Jon has a DM510 system and has had it for 2 seasons now. He added it as a retrofit onto an MC dryer and dries about 300,000 bushels a year of corn and soybeans.
Why did you
buy a Dryer Master in the first place?
We had been having issues with the original controller, the dryer had to be babysat 24/7. With just myself looking after the elevator during harvest it became very necessary to find a controller that I could trust so that I could get some sleep and be functional the next day.
How does the Dryer Master change the way that you dry, or help your drying operations from an operational perspective?
It has given me a lot more confidence in my drying system which allows me focus on other parts of the system which need my attention during the course of the day. Once its up and running I check the calibration once in the morning and once more before I head to the house for the night. With the Dryer Master running I just don’t stress about my dryer anymore.
Did anything surprise you about how your Dryer Master worked when you first used it?
I thought it would be more complicated to run than it is. I was completely comfortable running the system within just a couple of hours. The over the phone support is great, everybody at Dryer Master seems to know the system like the back of their hand.
What drying tips (if any) would you like to pass on to other dryer owners about how to get the most out of their dryer and/or their Dryer Master?
Give the system time to react if you make changes to the settings. 1-1.5 hours depending on how fast the dryer is running. Too many changes in a short period of time will have you frustrated and chasing your tail. Once the Dryer Master is up and running it takes very little interaction to keep it going. Let it work and find something else to fuss over.
Have you found a financial difference in your drying performance using Dryer Master? In what way?
The biggest financial gain for us would be the accuracy that it can discharge grain at the correct moisture. We have noticed that when shipping grain out, our bins are much more even top to bottom, with no wild swings in moisture. Over and under drying used to cost us every year, now its pretty much a non issue.
Do you use DM Mobile? If so how do you use it (phone/PC/home/at night?)
Yes, definitely. This is a huge benefit to my operation. I use it throughout the day from my Iphone, and also at night from my Ipad or Iphone. I can wake up a couple times through the night, see whats happening and get back to sleep. It has made the harvest season mush easier to get through. My days run much smoother because I’m not completely exhausted from being up all night with the dryer.
Dryer Master Experiences: Myron in Illinois
Myron has worked with Dryer Masters systems for over 10 years. He currently uses two DM510s on two Zimmerman 4500 tower dryers, typically drying around 4 million bushels of corn a year. In the first photo you have the DM510’s sitting side by side, along with the printers that Myron makes good use of. The bottom picture shows a slightly unusual sensor placement (the conduit runs to the back of the moisture sensor).
How does the Dryer Master change the way that you dry, or help your drying operations from an operational perspective?
We can generate a printout tape to evaluate the functions over night or during the day. To monitor moisture ranges.
Did anything surprise you about how your Dryer Master worked when you first used it?
The ease of operation.
What drying tips (if any) would you like to pass on to other dryer owners about how to get the most out of their dryer and/or their Dryer Master?
During start up – give it plenty of time to learn and if possible they work the best if you don’t shut down, and run 24 – 7.
Have you f
ound a financial difference in your drying performance using Dryer Master?
Yes, more consistent for moisture blending.
What’s your “Dead Time”?
Imagine you are at your dryer and you have just taken a moisture sample.
The corn tests at 14.2% in your bench top, but you want 15.2% coming out of the dryer. What do you do?
Let’s say you decide to increase the metering roll speed (discharge rate). You make the change, but right away two thoughts strike you. First did you make a big enough change, or maybe too big of a change, and second, just how long will it be until you know the answer to your first question.
Just like there is a lag between when you turn on the shower and when you actually get hot water there is a lag between when you make a change to the metering roll speed and when you see the impact of that change. This is what is called “dead time”.
If your dryer has a cooling zone, then the absolute minimum dead time before you see any change in your outlet moisture is the time it takes for the grain to get from the bottom of the hot zone to where you take your moisture sample. This is because the grain that was already in the cooling zone will not see any change in moisture because of your rate change. In reality though you should be looking at up to a full dryer load before you see the full impact of your change. Only then can you know if you made the right change.
So, if your dryer has only a 60 minute residence time and a cooling zone, you are probably still looking at about 50 minutes to see if the rate change was correct. If you have a rack style dryer with say a 3 hour residence time then you could be looking at well over 2 hours to see the impact of your change.
Let’s use as an example the sample dryer at the right with a 3 hour residence time – 2 1/2 hours in the hot zone and 1/2 an hour in the cooling zone. If you make a discharge rate change the grain in the cooling zone will not be impacted by the change. The final moisture of this grain has already been set at this point. The grain in the bottom half of the hot zone is also unlikely to see the full impact of the change. Again in our example, by the end of the hot zone if the grain is over dried it can not be undried at this point. Therefore it is likely that to see an impact from the rate change the grain will have to at least be in the top half of the hot zone. That means you would have to wait at least 2 hours for it to exit the dryer before you might start to know if your rate change decision was correct. That’s why it is called “dead time” – time you have to wait not knowing if the right decision was made, and it is one of the reasons grain drying is so tough.
It is no wonder that so many dryer operators prefer not to make too many rate changes, and prefer to err on the side of caution (over drying a bit). If they make the wrong decision it can take up to a dryer load to get things back in order.
In our next post we will look at how Dryer Master handles the “dead time” problem to help users take the guesswork out of drying their grain.
DM-Mobile from Dryer Master: Adding mobility and peace of mind to your drying season.
DM-Mobile brings true real time remote moisture monitoring and drying control to the grain industry.
Now your moisture and drying information can be easily accessed through your web browser on your smart phone, tablet or PC. There is no app to run. Just open your browser and go to my.dryermaster.com and log in to your Dryer Master DM510*
With DM-Mobile you can view real time moisture and drying information (including alarms) as well as up to 24 hours of historical data. You can also even make changes to moisture and rate set points all directly from your browser. Now you no longer always have to be close to the dryer to know what’s going on.
Why not try out DM-Mobile at my.dryermaster.com (log in: demo, password: demo). If you are not yet familiar with the DM510 you might want to take a minute to read the help page for a quick run down of DM-Mobile’s features.
To help promote this valuable new feature Dryer Master is adding DM-Mobile as a standard component to its industry leading DM510 computerized drying control systems at no additional charge for 2014.
If you would like to learn more about the DM510 and how it can add profits and peace of mind to your next drying season why not check out our product page on our web site or one of our DM510 training videos on our YouTube channel, or even better give us a call at 1-888-318-0009 (toll free in North America) or at 1-519-725-4700.
* requires connection of DM510 to an internet enabled router
How “Representative” is Your Moisture Sample?
Taking a moisture sample when you are drying may seem like an easy process, and in some ways, it is. But it can also give you a false sense of having a very precise result.
Take the case of when you go to the dryer and take a grab sample. You take the sample back to the bench top tester and get a digital readout. Let us say this time the readout is 15.2 percent… So, what does this number mean?
It does not mean that all the grain coming out of the dryer is at 15.2 percent. One way to easily see this is to watch the continuous readout from the Dryer Master, which can move up and down a few tenths of a point over a few minutes.
Another way to see this is to take three samples three or four minutes apart and see if the three samples give you the same reading. In most cases, they will not be exactly the same. The questions begin: Which one is right, and which one should you be using to make any adjustments to your drying?
Small differences are actually a very normal part of sampling. It is all but impossible to get an exact reading that covers all the grain exiting the dryer. There is simply too much inherent variation. This also explains why you may see small differences with your readings and the Dryer Master readings when you are doing calibrations.
That brings us to one of the benefits of Dryer Master. The DM510 continually (6 times a second) samples the grain moisture at the outlet of the dryer, and at the inlet too, so you always have a good idea of the moisture levels going into and coming out of the dryer. The Dryer Master is also aware of these variations and takes them into account when making its control (discharge rate) adjustments.
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