Proper air flow is life or death for cattle. Wet bedded pack leads to bovine respiratory disease. This is why HVLS Barn ceiling fans keep your livestock barn comfortable while shrinking your electricity bills.
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Many farms have high-volume, low-speed (HVLS) ceiling fans installed in their bedded pack barns. When installing fans, have clearance underneath for tilling tractor or skidloader to work. The manure pack at max depth may reduce clearances by 3ft. If you don't have enough room in your livestock barn, adding bumper guards to your AmeriWind fans allows you to have the fan blades with 12 inches of trusses
Regardless of the type of fans chosen, spacing is vital to minimize dead spots. The purpose of fans is to achieve air flows of 400-600 feet per minute (5-7 miles per hour) at cow level. Big ceiling fans have the advantage of covering a bigger pen, energy efficient, and being able to run at lower speeds during the winter. Even at top speed, they may only achieve the bottom limit of the needed air speed to cool cattle. On the other hand, panel fans readily achieve the recommended airspeeds - but the side-to-side spacing required for equal air dispersion requires a large number of panel fans.
Space fans at least 2-2.5 times their diameter. A 20-foot HVLS fan, for example, will span 40-50 feet. Some manufacturers may prescribe spacing at 3-4 times the diameter. These recommendations are not accurate because they focus on people comfort rather than livestock. AmeriWind normally recommends 2 times fan diameter for lactating and dry cows. Heifers, calves, and small animal applications can have the fans spaced at 3x fan diameter.
They are useful for cattle barns and reduce the risks of shipping fever and bovine viral diarrhea. Fans help by keeping the air moving at cattle's nose level.
Running the HVLS fan in forward or reverse, changes the air. When running forward, it generates a column of air that is the same size as the fan diameter . The 20 ft fans emits a 360-degree wave of air out about 4 feet high. The air travels over the animals, cooling them. We build the fans up to 30 feet in diameter.
Reversing HVLS fans forces air upward during cold weather. Kevin Hoover recommends maintaining a 20% reverse speed to fix winter condensation. This will destratify any heat that is stacked along the ceiling It makes for less dripping. Gently air circulation works wonders in the winter.
Reversing is easy with the variable-speed control. Using a natural ventilation system in reverse moves air over the sidewall curtain fabric. This reduces the risk of barn moisture during cold weather.
Kevin Hoover designed the HVLS fans to run automatically with a temperature controller. They are variable speed for hot or cool temperatures. He recommends starting your fans start at 32° and then start speeding up at 65°. Rampied to full speed in the upper 70s. This is particularly useful in the spring and fall when there is a significant 24-hour variation in the outside temperature.
Compared to small high-speed fans, the operating cost of HVLS fans will be reduced. Because they cover a bigger area and use a variable motor. Energy rebates are available in certain electric company areas. This encourages the purchase of HVLS fans in various by providing sizable discounts.
Birds don't like the slow-moving blades. Pigeons can get cut apart by flying thru the fan. However, birds likely will roost and nest if perch points are all over the barn. Bird droppings on the cattle's backs increases the chances of salmonella. We recommend designing the barn to minimize perch spots.
The fan blades should be higher than the sidewall curtain openings in freestall or livestock barns. The blade may bend under windy circumstances. This is why we developed the FanChief to turn off the fans when windy. The diameter of HVLS fans normally ranges from 8 feet to 24 feet, with the smaller models proving to be more resilient to wind damage.
Avoid putting a fan just under a light fixture. It can make a strobe light effect.
Speak with a ventilation consultant, simply by calling us. Get help determining the optimal configuration and size of HVLS fans for both you and your cows
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