While the mental picture of cows lazing beneath barn fans may bring a smile, the truth is, maintaining consistent airflow for livestock is essential. Heat stress, poor air quality, and stagnant air can harm cows and other livestock, leading to reduced performance, increased mortality rates and compromised overall health. However, there is a solution that addresses these concerns: High-Volume, Low-Speed (HVLS) barn ceiling fans.
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In this article, we'll explore the benefits of installing a Hunter HVLS fan for livestock, highlighting its ability to improve air circulation, prevent heat stress, reduce the effects of humidity, enhance air quality and ultimately create the most comfortable, productive environment for both animals and farmers.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What an HVLS Fan Does Why Industrial Agricultural Fans Are a Necessity Benefits of Livestock Fans HVLS Barn Ceiling Fans: Case Studies & Success Stories Types of Agriculture FansAn HVLS ceiling fan is a large industrial fan that's engineered to move a high volume of air at a low rotational speed. Unlike traditional fans, HVLS fans operate at a slower pace, typically between 50 and 150 revolutions per minute (RPM). The primary function of an HVLS fan is to provide efficient and effective air movement and circulation in large spaces such as warehouses, commercial buildings, and livestock barns.
When the HVLS fan blades rotate at low speed, they create a gentle breeze that spans a wide area. The airflow displaces the stagnant air, creating a cooling effect and promoting better air circulation throughout the space, efficiently distributing conditioned air, balancing temperature variations, and reducing hot/cold spots.
HVLS fans' large diameter – from 7 to 24 feet – enables them to move a lot of air without generating disruptive drafts or noises that could disturb livestock or distract workers.
The benefits of HVLS industrial outdoor fans may be obvious for commercial applications, but how, precisely, are they relevant as livestock fans? You may be surprised to learn that barn ceiling fans offer many benefits to agricultural settings.
HVLS barn ceiling fans generate a gentle breeze that spans a wide area. This ensures adequate air circulation throughout the entire barn, eliminating stagnant air pockets and promoting consistent temperature distribution. The improved air circulation mitigates temperature variations, reducing hot and cold spots within the barn, creating a more comfortable environment for livestock and enabling them to effectively regulate their body temperature.
Heat stress is a significant concern for livestock, especially in hot and humid climates. Industrial outdoor fans help prevent heat stress. The gentle breeze produced by HVLS fans facilitates the evaporation of moisture from the animals' skin, allowing them to dissipate excess heat and maintain a comfortable body temperature. By reducing the risk of heat stress-related illnesses, such as heat exhaustion or heat stroke, HVLS barn fans contribute to the livestock's overall well-being and health.
Excessive humidity levels and condensation lead to unfavorable conditions in livestock barns, promoting the growth of mold, mildew, and bacteria. This poses a risk to animals and farm workers. HVLS livestock fans assist in controlling moisture levels by promoting air movement and aiding in the evaporation of excess moisture. This helps to reduce humidity, preventing the accumulation of moisture and the subsequent growth of harmful microorganisms. By maintaining appropriate humidity levels, HVLS fans create a healthier and more hygienic environment.
Livestock barns are prone to poor air quality due to the accumulation of dust, gases, and odors. HVLS agriculture fans effectively combat this issue by creating a constant flow of air that helps to remove airborne contaminants. The gentle breeze generated by HVLS fans facilitates the dispersion and dilution of dust particles, reducing their concentration in the air and minimizing the risk of respiratory problems for both animals and humans. Additionally, HVLS fans aid in dissipating unpleasant odors and gases, providing a more pleasant and healthier working environment for farm workers.
The optimal ventilation and comfort provided by HVLS barn fans positively impact livestock productivity and performance. By maintaining a consistent and comfortable environment, HVLS fans help to reduce stress among animals. This, in turn, promotes better feed intake, improved growth rates and enhanced overall productivity. The reduction in heat stress and improved air quality created by HVLS fans contribute to the overall well-being of livestock, leading to better health, lower mortality rates and increased profitability for farmers.
HVLS barn fans are designed with energy efficiency in mind. They consume significantly less energy than traditional high-speed barn fans or air conditioning systems. The low rotational speed of HVLS fans results in lower power consumption while still providing effective air movement and circulation. Additionally, agricultural fans are controlled remotely, so you can change the settings based on current needs, thereby delivering the most efficient airflow and maximizing energy output.
If you have them in your barn, what brand and are you still happy with them?
TIA
People I have talked to about them say they are wonderful to keep air moving and so temperature more even.
Especially in the summers they help keep the barn from getting quite so stuffy and hot.
The down side, well, they keep the air moving.
In a barn, that means so much more dust/dirt up in the air than when they are not running.
That is not helping air quality in there much.
A trade-off every barn owner will have to make, what is more important to them there.
What some then went back to in their next barn, or say they would, is small individual fans for a spot in each stall, not the ceiling ones.
They seemed to think they could be hung where stirring up dust would be minimal.
I am not aware of any studies on what is best or why.
Will be interesting to hear what others say.
I too am wondering if we even need some and if we do, which kind would be best.
We don’t have “ceiling fans” per se. But we do have fans in each stall and in the wash stall area. For safety reasons, it is important to get something that is sealed and designed for agricultural use. We have these and they are great:
https://www.globalindustrial.com/p/hvac/fans/agricultural/18-fan-with-wall-ceiling-bracket-black
Yes you get a little more dusk floating around, but it is a reasonable trade-off to keep the horses more comfortable.
Following as I need to get some too!
Contact us to discuss your requirements of Agricultural Ceiling Fans. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
These are the ones I got - love them! https://www.globalindustrial.com/p/hvac/fans/agricultural/18-fan-with-wall-ceiling-bracket-black
Tried to post a link to the ones I got - they are J&D 18" models rated for outdoor use. (Message on post said “unapproved” whatever that means. But I like my fans!
Your post was sent to be checked by Moderator by this site’s filters, in case it was spam.
As soon as it is approved, it will show up, just be patient.
Nice to know fans work for you and what kind they are, thank you!
Thanks, Bluey, never saw that message before! They are great fans though. As I recall, I got them after seeing another post here on COTH a few years ago recommending them
We have the same fans. Highly recommend. I also tried to post with a link and was “unapproved”. You can find the fans on Valley Vet to see what they look like along with the specs. You can find them a lot cheaper than Valley Vet if you shop around. And cheaper still if you buy in bulk.
Ok, those are the smaller ones that can be directed just to where a horse may stand, don’t move all the air in the place around and so all the dust also.
Here is a link with valleyvet, see if that goes thru:
https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail…SABEgLgUfD_BwE
Hey, what do you know, that link did go thru!
A friend’s indoor arena is closed in and has those huge fans.
They say it is not any dustier in there with those on than off, but they water that arena all the time, we are so dry here.
In aisles and stalls, you could not keep everything watered down to keep dust from flying without having then moisture problems?
I wanted to put in ceiling fans but my ceilings are too low since I have a loft.
i put in the closed engine single fans Ram sells. They are great and move a ton of air! I actually was able to angle them so one serves 2 stalls. Eventually I may go back and add one per stall but this has worked great so far. We did a lot of standing in the stalls and shimming to get ideal placement, but that was worth it. I put them where I tack up too…summer is more pleasant when between horses I get cooled off.
ramm has sales… I got them for a good price. They are a bit spendy full price so I would wait if you can.
we don’t have a dust issue with them but I angled them to the walls to prevent that. At the wrong angle they absolutely will kick up the bedding.
I have these I think, will check with hubby
http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/prod1;ft_cooling_fans-ft_ceiling_fans;pg.html
they don’t blow hard enough to stir up dust, think ceiling fan in your house. They give a nice breeze, not a hard airflow like the fans you mount on the stall. I think they are less noisy than those. So it depends on what you want. I put one over each stall, wish I had put them in the aisle too!
Cool! They are $115 on globalindustrial dot com…
Thanks @Lucassb ! I just ordered them.
You are very welcome, @Dressage59! Enjoy!
Thanks Lucassb! You are my hero today!! I am in the process of building a barn and an arena, and you have been a great help. I am ordering these fans and am in contact with Jack Pollard at Futuretrack from the footing thread. Thanks again!!!
You are so welcome!!
@Lucassb Just installed one of my fans yesterday. Absolutely fantastic and couldn’t be happier!
tt
Last two posts spam and reported.
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