Barn and bin checklist

Walking a grain bin site

This is the order we walk a bin in, from the roof down to the ground. We look from outside, and we never ask anyone to climb into a bin.

1
Roof peak and vents
Missing caps and torn screen on the roof vents.
2
Access door
A door that doesn't close flat against its frame.
3
Wall seams and bolts
Gaps along the sheet laps, and loose or missing bolts.
4
The base of the wall
Where the steel meets the concrete pad: gaps, and holes under the sill.
5
Unloading doors and chutes
Doors left cracked open, and chutes that don't seat.
6
The ground around the pad
Weeds, spilled grain and stacked pallets within a few feet of the base.

Barns, feed rooms and sheds

What goes on the list inside the barn

Everything we check once we're through the door. You can walk it yourself before we come.

Feed and tack rooms
Where the food is, they are. Bags off the floor, lids on bins, and a good door.
- Door sweeps and thresholds
- Lidded bins for loose feed
- Pallets, not floors
Livestock areas
Around pens and alleys, never in them.
- Where feed troughs meet the wall
- Gaps around waterer lines
- Bedding stored off the wall
Walls and vents
The wall is only as tight as its worst hole.
- Wall vents and louvers
- Siding at the base
- Cupola and loft screens
Pipes, conduit and wires
Every line that goes through a wall is a hole.
- Water and heat lines
- Electrical entries
- Foam alone is not a seal
Shop and machine sheds
Quiet in winter, which is why they use it.
- Overhead door seals
- Wire harnesses and seats
- Shelving against walls
Outside
What's close to the building brings them to it.
- Weeds and brush at the wall
- Stacked tires, lumber, pallets
- Spilled grain and feed

Before we arrive

Helps
Someone who can open the bins, the feed room and the shop. Pets and animals kept out of the areas we're in. A note of where you've seen them and since when.
Doesn't need doing
Emptying a bin. Moving feed. Cleaning up droppings first. We walk the buildings as they are and tell you what to do about the rest.

Tell us which buildings and which weeks, and we'll set a walk-through.