- Type
- Horizontal bunker / clamp
- Different asset
- A liquid-tank bund is secondary containment
- Include
- Floor, wall joints, channels and effluent route
Bunker silos and horizontal stores
Bunker silos are horizontal stores with retaining sides. Silage clamps and trench silos are related terms, but the floor, wall and drainage construction determines which surfaces and containment features are involved in cleaning.
This type of store is different from an upright grain silo and from a bund around a liquid tank. Cleaning an empty floor and drainage channels is also different from working around retained silage or external surfaces.
Drainage and effluent containment
For silage installations in England, government guidance covers impermeable bases, effluent collection systems and collection channels. Cleaning therefore needs to account for how liquid and removed residue will be contained within the site’s drainage arrangements.
Washwater should not be assumed suitable for discharge to a nearby drain. The route for recovered liquid depends on the site drainage system and the material involved, particularly where silage effluent or slurry could cause pollution.
Surface condition and structural defects
Cracks, damaged joints and channel defects may become visible once residue is removed. Cleaning does not repair containment or establish structural integrity, so suspected defects need separate inspection or repair.
Remaining silage can collapse, and mobile plant may be operating around the store. Work near retained silage or plant movements needs its own controls; an open-topped store should not be treated as unrestricted access.
Condition before the next fill
Before refill, it should be clear which walls, floor areas and drainage features were cleaned and what condition was required. Defects or contamination outside that work should remain clearly distinguishable from the cleaning result.
The cleaning method needs to reflect the store construction, retained material, drainage and effluent-containment arrangements.
Sources and further reading
- Penn State Extension: horizontal silo safety — Bunker and trench terminology and physical hazards; US operating guidance is not UK law.
- GOV.UK: silage, slurry and agricultural fuel oil — England agricultural storage and effluent containment, with separate national regimes.
- GOV.UK: pollution prevention for businesses — Containment and drainage pollution prevention within the page jurisdiction.