I started to use Val6 radiant heaters to dry corn about 4 years ago and have been adding Val6’s to do more bins, every year since. Using 50 HP fans on 50K – 55K bins and 30 HP fans on 30K bins. Bins with 2 fans usually get a Val6 by each fan. For an example, we’ve had corn in an 18-20 harvest moisture range, fill up the bin, level it, and run the Val6’s for 2-3 weeks and they’re dry.

Easy to look for signs that the Val6 drying is working by using dry air, you don’t see the humidity accumulation in the morning from roof condensation. You always have heavy corn with Val6 drying because you’re drying with dry air, not hot air that over-heats / over-dries and scorches out the grain oils that contribute to test weight.

Another drying cost comparison example:
50K bin X 22 moisture grain
24 hours / day X 24 days = 570 hours X @ 1G/Hr fuel consumption = 570 G of #1 diesel @ 3.50 / G = $2010.
$2010 divided by 50K bushel = 4 cents per bushel dried to 15-16
Electrical costs are considered even regardless of drying model used.
Conventional burner-ring propane drying is now @ 7 cents / bushel plus electrical.

By comparison, elevators that take 1 1/2 % shrink w/ no drying charge compared to actual shrink is more expensive yet. I’ve added more Val6’s for drying to more bins. My low drying cost is just part of it. When it’s time to harvest, I have just too much investment waiting to be harvested, and I don’t want to stop and lose time shuffling grain around, I need to keep rolling. It’s easier and faster to add Val6’s to more bins to dry, than save pennies and maybe lose dollars drying and moving grain. Plus cutting out unnecessary grain moving and handling keeps my grain quality as good as possible. I have about 15 bins w/ LP and Shivers systems and no longer use them.

Furthermore, bin drying equipment is at the mercy of the elements…..
whether it’s wasps/insects building nests and hives or mice dragging in trash and storing food, or rats and mice chewing through electrical insulation, or an accumulation of chaff and dirt building up in equipment / controls or the deterioration that goes with equipment over time, as equipment ages / fatigues, whether you use the equipment or not, the cost of drying bin maintenance is not cheap. Val6 equipment is fairly easy and inexpensive to maintain and Val6’s always have other uses, too.

For 2013 crop year

I had 7500 bushel bins and put 22% moisture corn in / filled bin. Ran non-stop 7 days and nights. Burned 110 gallons of diesel X $4 per Gallon = $450. Cleaned the bin after 7 days & nights, corn was 15.5% – 16.5% average moisture. Corn weighed great, 63#. Took 6 points of moisture out of 7500B for $450 = 6 cents / bushel or 1 cent / point.
Ordered an additional EPX Val6 and EconoDri Combo in 2013, and dried 2 X 7500B bins at a time = 15000B, then transferred to storage.

Conclusion:
Figured the economy of drying easily paid for the Combo and the Val6 EPX and EconoDri Combo consistently proved itself. Evaluating the value of getting a Combo for each bin, and reducing / eliminating the time to transfer and the improved grain quality from reducing handling, so I purchased another Val6 EPX / EconoDri Combo for 2014.
When unloading bins, I consistently got an even 15-16 moisture and did not over-dry the bottom 25% of the bins like he typically did with open-burner conventional drying, and again, grain weight was a heavy 63#.
Also liked the versatility and additional uses for the Val6.

Originally purchased a diesel Val6. Now the Val6 and EconoDri made believers out of us for drying grain. We purchased a propane Val6 because it was a good jump bigger plus the convenience of not needing to refill the diesels.

Using them on 45,000 and 20,000 bushel bins and used to use a continuous flow and we’d go through 1000 gals of propane. The Val6 EconoDri combo can’t be beat. Then after we are done drying grain, we have many other winter uses for the Val6 heaters.

In 2009, we had real wet corn and it wasn’t drying, we didn’t have drying bins, and the snow was coming. I tried the VAL6/EconoDri Combo by the bin fans and I was happy with the drying. AND happy enough to buy more Val6’s and EconoDri’s because they work!

The nice part, after the drying’s done, we use the Val6’s for winter shop work. Any bin dryer would never have done all of that!

We bought 2 EconoDri’s & 2 KBE5L’s. We had 35,000 bushel bin with 2 fans. Had 21 moisture corn & dried it to 16% in 3 weeks! 20 gal per day x 2 = 40 gal x 20 days = 800 gallons. So 800 gallon @ 2.50/gal = $2000 ÷ 35,000 bushel = 5.7¢/bushel. Excellent product!