I have been wiring some stables with seven horses in it. This morning when I came in there was a bad ammonia smell that would make your eyes water. The owner put me in charge of an exhaust fan. How big of one do I need, or where should I go to find out? He wants it on a timer so it can run a preset number of minutes per hour. Also I will need a way to let fresh air in I believe, any suggestions?
- Thread starter Greg K
- Start date
Janicholson
Well-known Member
much depends on the size of the barn, the number of animals, there bedding, and the reason for the smell. Getting accurate suggestions is most important. Foof vents to let warm air rise and exit, and screened wall vents to let fresh air in near the bottom of the walls. might do the entire task with no fan. The real issue is figuring out sanitation methods to prevent health issues (yours, his, and the animals. Jim
Take a look on the web, there are sites with calculators for sizing fans. The fan size can correlate to the amount of air you want to move in how much time.
Air movement is measured in CFM, cubic feet per minute, so you take the volume of the area to be ventilated and look at the CFM ratings of the fan, then figure out what size works best, in addition what size can you fit, power requirements etc. You can figure out how long the fan will take to change the air in say one hour, not a hard thing size up by any means.
Horses do benefit from fresh air if stall kept, that ammonia smell, sounds like the stalls need to be stripped and double strength hydrated lime applied, I know the smell of improperly cleaned stalls, used to see it often, as the hired help was helpless sometimes when it came to proper stall cleaning.
Air movement is measured in CFM, cubic feet per minute, so you take the volume of the area to be ventilated and look at the CFM ratings of the fan, then figure out what size works best, in addition what size can you fit, power requirements etc. You can figure out how long the fan will take to change the air in say one hour, not a hard thing size up by any means.
Horses do benefit from fresh air if stall kept, that ammonia smell, sounds like the stalls need to be stripped and double strength hydrated lime applied, I know the smell of improperly cleaned stalls, used to see it often, as the hired help was helpless sometimes when it came to proper stall cleaning.
OK I did not give enough info, sorry. It is about 60' x 30', heated with propane furnace, 7 stalls and horses, just built and this is the first week with horses in it. The stalls have 2" of foam topped with a rubber liner. They are cleaned daily, but since it got down to below zero last night it was bad today but not too bad any other day. I guess I need to find out how many times I want to exchange the air in it without pumping all the heat outside.
Check out Midwest Plan Service(MWPS) online. They have all sorts of free information on ventilation, livestock housing, etc. What you need for ventilation depends mostly on square footage and how many animals you have. Your extension agent or land-grant university ag engineering department can also help you figure that out. The main publication that comes to mind is Mechanical Ventilation Systems for Livestock Housing. I think it might still be free and downloadable through MWPS. A google search should find it, but MWPS is through/associated with Iowa State University. If you can't locate it I have a copy and can find you the info you need, but I'll need some specifics from you. Good Luck. E-mail is [email protected]
showcrop
Well-known Member
I'll second the info from extension service. Most likely it will tell you that heating the barn is not recommended, and rather than a fan on a timer, you need large openings 24-7. When our kids were in 4H with sheep there were always beginners trying to keep their sheep warm resulting in respiratory problems and frequently death.
Probably no help to you in this case BUT..... it might be of use to some body else... We have to house the majority of our livestock for nearly 6 months every year.and we go daily from warm to cold...we get a lot of variations in temps. So we need a lot of cheap ventalation but we also need windbreak and protection from horizontal rain. So we put our corrugated on upside down with the edges pointing upwards and at least 3/8ths inch of a gap between the sheets.... Very little rain ever comes in, the air can exchange and we have loads of light. There are no wind problems either. Believe it or not the larger gap you can leave (up to 3/8ths") the better, as too close and the rain forms a bead which then accumulates and drips. We use this on the roof and sides though sometimes we also fit 'Yorkshire cladding' to the sides....3"X1" treated timber fitted vertically with about 1 inch gap between.
Sam
Sam
How deep are the pockets that we're talking about here? A tube ventilation system would be the ultimate. Keeps the air moving all the time,opens up and lets in fresh outside air when it needs to.
Horse barn ventilation
Horse barn ventilation
kris Jensen
Member
Hello: It sounds to me like the barn was overbuilt for horses. They need food, water and exercise. Depends on how cold the temperature is where you are. In northern Alberta most horses are outdoors in minus very cold weather, with usually a pole barn shelter. In BC where I am now, hobby horses have better shelter than working ones. Still, lots of open area, like a three sides shelter with the front open. Horses do not need a furnace in the barn. (it should not be house temperature) They generate enough heat. They need fresh air.
In your barn, probably a good square (2 ft x 2ft)ventilating shaft and air intake would work. If there is a strong amonia odour, two things are wrong. It is too warm, and there is not enough fresh air coming in and warm going out.
blessings, Kris
In your barn, probably a good square (2 ft x 2ft)ventilating shaft and air intake would work. If there is a strong amonia odour, two things are wrong. It is too warm, and there is not enough fresh air coming in and warm going out.
blessings, Kris
Here is what the barn I have worked in for almost 24 years, it 20 stalls, and about 100 feet long, it runs north to south, fans on both ends, see the closed luvers near the peak. Only time I use the fans is in the heat of the summer, during the day. Horses come in for the day and go out at night, heat flys ect. In the winter I never turn the fans on, doors are closed for the night, open for the day, windows are closed in the stalls, and Iv never had any build up of smell like u described. Whats the layout of the barn like? Is there windows in the stalls? Is it in a hot or cold area? there are no celings in my stalls, only down the middle of the barn, and over the two foaling stalls, I aslo agree with Billy, sounds like poor stall managment, cleaning liming bedding ect.
Ventilation is far more important for horses than a heated barn. Most everyone I know including myself has natural ventilation in their horse barns. IMO if a fan needs to be run periodically, the barn is not ventilated properly. The owners might like a heated barn, I'm sure it's quite nice, but the horses do not need it.
Larry NEIL
Well-known Member
Since I'm long out of the horse breeding side of it, I don't think there is anything better than open shelters where horses can come and go as they please. 90% of the tim they are outside by their own choosing. No ventilation problems here.
johnwayne360
Member
There are almost not enough words here. Horses are not humans. Unless that fan is running 24/7 and taking the heat out the building and providing fresh air, your owner is going to have lots of respiratory problems. Horses are animals, and lack of fresh air will cause lots of problems..
Do these people not know anything about horses? Those horses need windows with fresh air. I don't see any bedding in their stalls. Looks like they are standing on cement, horses need rubber mats or at least wood floors. I don't like those stalls either. Horses can get injured by getting their legs out through those bars. So much wrong here...
Ken Macfarlane
Well-known Member
Some old school closed in dairy barns here ran a monster fan sized about 1 cfm per ft2 off a humidistat to maintain adequate air flow.
My sister has one of these barns converted for sheep so she removed the windows and disabled the fan.
My sister has one of these barns converted for sheep so she removed the windows and disabled the fan.
retired farmer
Well-known Member
Open the doors and shut the furnace off. Animals don't live like people, they live outdoors.
Nancy Howell
Well-known Member
Horses will not do well in a closed up barn.
If they're going to be stalled a lot, they need a well ventilated barn/stable with good bedding and frequent, regular stall cleaning.
Unless they're clipped, they'll be warm enough with the windows open.
If they're going to be stalled a lot, they need a well ventilated barn/stable with good bedding and frequent, regular stall cleaning.
Unless they're clipped, they'll be warm enough with the windows open.
Open the doors and turn off the heat. Get some more bedding in there and if you can, turn them out into a pasture. They need fresh air, sunshine and rain and room to exercise.
Cadillac cowboys we call them up here. All money, no common sense. I bet they wear $500 boots and belt buckles big enough to put a Thanksgiving turkey on.
Cadillac cowboys we call them up here. All money, no common sense. I bet they wear $500 boots and belt buckles big enough to put a Thanksgiving turkey on.
showcrop
Well-known Member
I am far from being an expert on horses but don't they put on a winter coat when they are exposed to normal slow cooling in the fall of the year? If they have been protected from temperatures lower than say, 45 degrees it may not be a good idea to start at this time of year turning off the heat and letting the temp drop too much.
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