TRANSCONA, Man. – One heavy shot of anhydrous ammonia to the face can kill a guy, says Jim Ross, owner of Canadian Spectrum Equipment in Transcona.
Ross’s company specializes in anhydrous ammonia equipment and he has been a certified technician for 38 years. In that time, he has inspected a lot of faulty equipment relating to accidents.
Ross estimated there are 100 anhydrous tank rollovers every year on the Prairies. As well, there are situations where the wagon breaks loose but doesn’t roll.
“Any of these situations can have serious consequences for the operator and other people around the equipment. Anhydrous ammonia can be a very safe way to apply nitrogen fertilizer, but you have to respect it. It is absolutely necessary to maintain the breakaway couplers and the other equipment.”
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Ross thinks the trend away from anhydrous ammonia to liquid fertilizer will probably reverse in the near future as nitrogen prices rise.
“Another thing I hear about from farmers who have switched out of anhydrous is they don’t like the mess with liquid fertilizer or even with granular in damp weather. It’s like working with large volumes of glue or molasses. With anhydrous, you can wear your tuxedo all day long and not even get it dirty.
“As for safety, I’ve been doing this for 38 years. I know that anhydrous ammonia is safe if a person follows all the handling rules and does all the required equipment maintenance.”
Ross’s list of clients includes Agricore United.
He said the company has strict guidelines for the inspection and maintenance of its
anhydrous equipment.
Ross’s main contact at AU is Al Eleniak, manager of NH3 plants and equipment for Western Canada, the person responsible for anhydrous safety. Eleniak, who works out of the AU elevator at Sylvan Lake, Alta., said if an item of equipment is questionable, it goes into the trash.
While he can ensure that AU’s equipment is up to par, he has concerns about some of the on-farm equipment he has seen, especially swivel breakaway quick couplers that do not swivel or break away when they should.
“It is absolutely essential that the swivels are free to move up and down, left and right,” Eleniak said.
“You’ve got the anhydrous wagon back there going up and down behind the cultivator. And when you’re turning, it has to go left and right. So the swivels have to be capable of that full range of motion. If not, you can tear the hoses.”
One problem is the two-piece bracket that holds either coupler in place. It is a two-piece design because it has to move in both directions to do its job.
“I see guys installing the coupler with only half the bracket. That won’t work. And I’ve seen them screwed down so tight you can’t even move them. That defeats the purpose. The two pieces of the bracket must be free to move in both directions, like a universal joint.
“If there’s an accident, neither Pioneer or Squibb (the manufacturers) will consider a claim if the brackets are installed wrong. If there’s an accident, the farmer has no legal recourse.”
Eleniak said there are three possible consequences if the breakaway system fails: the hose breaks apart; the valve is ripped off the bottom of the anhydrous tank; the coupler is ripped off the back of the cultivator frame.
“In any of these scenarios, you have a sudden uncontrolled release of a large volume of anhydrous ammonia. You should drive upwind and do it quickly,” Eleniak said.
Ross echoed that warning, and added, “anhydrous ammonia is a heavy gas. It goes down to the ground. Unfortunately, we’ve been taught all our lives that in case of a fire or smoke or other such dangerous situation, we’re supposed to get down on the ground to access better air.”
But not with anhydrous.
“Do not get down on your hands and knees in the presence of anhydrous ammonia. The anhydrous ammonia is heavy and you’ll breathe it in. Get up as high as possible. Up high and upwind – fast.”
Ross warned against trying to fix the broken hoses or valves. He said while anhydrous ammonia is a lethal commodity, it is also a cheap commodity.
It’s not worth risking a life for $200 worth of fertilizer.
“I’ve heard enough tragic stories of guys getting down on their hands and knees to try fixing a leak just so they can save some ammonia. They breathe it in and that’s it.”
Eleniak said the best plan is to check the couplers once a year, before hooking up to anhydrous. It’s a simple procedure and doesn’t require specialized tools or test equipment.
It doesn’t take much time and it can all be done with the couplers mounted on the cultivator. If a farmer applies anhydrous both spring and fall, it’s a good idea to check the equipment before each season.
“The equipment sits a long time between uses, so you really don’t have any idea how much corrosion is growing,” Eleniak said.
“The outside appearance of the coupler doesn’t tell you anything about its condition inside. You have to take it apart for an honest inspection.”
Eleniak reminds producers to use the bleeders to bleed off any residual gas that may be in the system.
“You need to open it up and visually check every component. Carefully inspect the O-rings and backup seals and bearings. The balls are spring loaded, so you have to make sure all the springs have good tension and the balls are working in the groove.
“Make sure the male nipple can be turned easily when it’s in the coupler. Make sure it releases and it’s not seized up with corrosion.
“One thing you really need is the self discipline to toss it in the scrap pile if there’s any sign of wear or corrosion. A badly corroded coupler will not release. It will jam tight and something else in the system will break wide open, spilling anhydrous all over. Nobody can repair corroded parts. Throw them away.”
