Feed&Grain.com |

Ever try driving a car that hasn’t had an oil change, a tire rotation or its fluids checked in a year? Chances are you haven’t, and if you did, you were blinded by the check engine light the whole way to your destination. All those maintenance issues, when not properly tended to, can cause a major breakdown. Handling each tiny maintenance procedure at its scheduled time is simple and will save the driver from a serious headache.

Fortunately, cars come equipped with manuals that contain maintenance schedules and procedure instructions to help their user keep the vehicle in top condition. For those who aren’t inclined to carry out their own maintenance duties, they can simply pay a mechanic to periodically perform routine maintenance.

Ethanol plants, like any other agricultural facility, need routine maintenance as well. But ethanol plants don’t come with owner’s manuals, and there aren’t several “ethanol plant mechanics” in town who can fix all your needs in an afternoon for under a hundred bucks.

Vita Builders, a millwright services firm located in Fall River, WI, is the equivalent of a car mechanic in the ethanol plant world. Vita Builders has long been doing repairs on feed mills and grain operations, but some of its newest customers now include ethanol plants.

John Biel, sales and customer service representative, has an ample degree of knowledge and experience to offer when it comes to the upkeep of an ethanol plant. Biel shares some of his insights on how to keep key areas of the plant in optimum-running condition, from receiving to material handling to energy.