Spoilage warning signs

The earliest signs of trouble almost always show up in the data before they show up at the bin door. Train yourself to scan for these patterns weekly.

1. A single sensor warming faster than its neighbors

In a healthy bin, all sensors at the same depth track within 1–2 °C of each other. A single sensor that climbs 3 °C above its peers usually means a localized hot spot — often where a previous load of damp or dirty grain was dumped, or where a fines column has formed under the fill spout.

Action: consider unloading and re-blending, or running a coring auger to remove the fines column.

2. The whole bin warming during fan-off periods

If outside temperatures are stable but the bin’s average temperature is climbing during periods when the fan is not running, biological activity (mould or insects) is generating the heat. This is the most dangerous pattern in the dataset.

Action: investigate immediately. Run the fan to cool, and plan to ship or turn the bin within days.

3. Humidity climbing without temperature change

Climbing humidity at constant temperature points to migrating moisture — usually from a layer of damper grain releasing water vapor as the surrounding grain cools. Common in late fall when warm air pockets exist near the centre of the bin.

Action: run the fan for a 24-h cycle to equalize, then re-evaluate.

4. A sensor going flat-line

A sensor that reports the exact same value for hours has likely failed or detached from the cable. The dashboard flags this automatically with a stale sensor warning.

Action: ignore that one sensor and rely on its neighbors until the cable can be inspected.