  In a recent paper [Zuriguel et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 278001 (2011)] it
has been shown that the presence of an obstacle above the outlet can
significatively reduce the clogging probability of granular matter pouring from
a silo. The amount of this reduction strongly depends on the obstacle position.
In this work, we present new measurements to analyze different outlet sizes,
extending foregoing results and revealing that the effect of the obstacle is
enhanced as the outlet size is increased. In addition, the effect of the
obstacle position on the flow rate properties and in the geometrical features
of arches is studied. These results reinforce previous evidence of the pressure
reduction induced by the obstacle. In addition, it is shown how the mean
avalanche size and the average flow rate are not necessarily linked. On the
other hand, a close relationship is suggested between the mean avalanche size
and the flow rate fluctuations.
