Barn Ventilation Fans

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Barn Ventilation Fans

Barns are agricultural buildings that serve the dual purpose of a storage area as well as a sheltered workplace. As a storage space, barns may be used to house livestock or farming equipment and vehicles. Mostly found in rural areas on farms, these multi-purpose structures are of great use. Modern barns may be made of lumber, or may be steel buildings.

What are Barn Ventilation Fans?

Barns are huge structures with typically a few or no windows. Being enclosed spaces, stale air tends to get trapped inside. Moreover, if a barn is used to house livestock, the air inside could get very congested and smelly due to manure, hay, urine and grasses. The situation would be no different if farming vehicles were stored in the barn. In such a situation, it becomes extremely important to maintain a uniform, cool temperature within a barn

To combat the problem of poor air circulation within barns, some sort of system of mechanical ventilation must be installed. Barn ventilation fans are the most commonly used devices to improve the circulation of fresh air. Types of Barn Ventilation Systems

To maintain proper circulation of air, barn ventilation fans or tunnel ventilation may be used. Let’s take a look at these in detail.
  • Barn Ventilation Fans: These fans are typically much larger than those used in home environments, but somewhat similar in their functioning. Large barn ventilation fans are strategically installed at different locations within the barn, to successfully eliminate stale air and bring in fresh air. The CFM required for the barn depends on what is being stored, how big it is and the natural weather conditions. For instance, in a horse barn, each horse would require 300 CFM in warm weather and around 25 CFM in winter.

    Similarly, the required CFM needs to be calculated and the barn ventilation fans installed accordingly. It is recommended that at least two fans be installed with a variable speed feature, so the CFM can be adjusted according to need. Automatic fans that sense the temperature in the barn are also a good option.

  • Tunnel Ventilation: This is a different system of ventilation that does not require the use of barn ventilation fans. In this system, stale air is drawn mechanically, at high speeds, throughout the length of the building. The roof and walls of the barn are built solid, without any air inlets, in order to achieve the rapid movement of air.
Thorough research is required while designing barn ventilation systems. Usually the correct provisions need to be made right from the construction stage of the barn, to make sure that the area is well ventilated right from the beginning. If for some reason this has not been done, renovations can be undertaken to make sure proper barn ventilation fans and other systems are put in place.

There is a ton of information available on various websites online about barn ventilation systems and how they work. With the help of this information, you can understand better how barn ventilation fans work and what your exact requirements are.

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