Many fruit growers are getting close to the start of CA storage.
Hopefully by now those issues with rooms and/or equipment that you experienced last year have been attended to, so now is a good time to carry out some start-up checks on CA equipment.
A short checklist could contain the following:
Gas analysers
- Check you have sufficient calibration gas, remembering that many gas suppliers have long lead times
- Calibrate the analyser to ensure it is accurate
- Clean or replace sample line filters
- Check sample pumps.
CO2 absorbers
- Check the unit is operational, not overdue for a service
- Ensure inlet filters are clean and belts are adjusted
- Did the machine perform adequately late last season when the lime efficiency dropped off, or did the unit struggle to control CO2 levels?
- When was the carbon efficiency last tested?
Gas generators/nitrogen separators
Startup and run for a few hours. Vent the nitrogen to a safe location
If putting nitrogen into a room, ensure that personnel cannot enter the room, and remember to vent the room afterwards
If your system allows you to measure gas flows and purity, then check these values.
These pre-season checks should ensure a less stressful startup at a time when you have many other issues to deal with.
For contact details, see Tree Fruit, January 2013
