Inexpensive Solar Fans??

[winniegirl]

I see that Lowes has a gable mounted solar box fan for $240.
It looks nice and wonderful, but I need something cheaper. A lot cheaper!!

I see those solar shed lights for $50 all over the place so I think a fan should be about that also

Anyone know of one? Thanks!!

 

[Scott]

I've been looking for solar fans as well. They are either ridiculously priced or way too small. Ebay has some listed for a few bucks, but they are tiny. I think you'd need half a dozen of them to make a difference.

 

[georgialee]

Yeah.. I've searched and searched and either they're super small or waaay too expensive for a chicken coop. I'm moving some of my chooks in a few weeks and won't have any electricity available... makes me worry that they'll get too hot.

 

[patandchickens]

Just remove most of a coupla sides of your coop and provide additional outdoor shade (shadecloth works really well), and you will not need any sort of fan in Pennsylvania and most sorts of Tennessee.

Remember that solar attic fans only work when the sun is shining, so if your coop lacks sufficient natural ventilation you may run into problems when the sun goes down and the coop is still hot; or if the fan breaks or quits.

Really, why spend money on some breakable gizmo to do something you can get for FREE just by good coop design?

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[plv777]

I had an idea that I havent try yet but i think it will work ...A 12volt battery and a solar battery charger which at harbor freight is not too expensive an you can hook up anything 12 volt like a fan hope this helps!!

 

[Intheswamp]

Quote:
Most of the small "battery charger" solar panels put out less than 2/10ths of an amp... .2a . I just looked at a random 12v 120mm computer fan and it's stated max amp draw is .45a . Not to say that fan will draw all of the stated amps but I would imagine that it will at least draw 2/10th of an amp.

The small solar charger *might* allow the battery to keep it's charge while running the small fan during the day, but at night the fan would definitely be discharging the battery and the next day there wouldn't be enough headroom to charge the battery back up.

For a larger 12v "RV-type" of fan I don't think the little panels have a chance of really being functional.

Now, if you have a small coop (3-4 hens) one of those computer fans might be all you need to vent hot air out of the gables.

If you've already got the parts, give it a shot, nothing to lose there. If you've got to buy the parts...put a pencil to it first to be sure of what you're doing.

A large (minimum I would say...group 24) battery would be required and a much larger panel than the "solar chargers" that hang from the pegs in blisterpacks at the local Autozone.

The better option would be as Pat mentioned and open up a side or two of your coup so stagnant(hot) air doesn't linger inside the coop.

FWIW,
Ed

 

[Wifezilla]

You can create a "solar chimney" of sorts.

http://bse.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/15/2/81
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_chimney

 

[cthrash1]

Do you have opening windows? We put 2 windows in when we built ours(got free from someone remodelling their house), but it also is built under a leanto which has a bunch of trees shading it. It may get an hour of sun per day in the front of the run. We leave the top half of the windows open a little through the night in summer to keep air circulation going.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

I have a coop that has windows on all sides covered in hardware cloth and we made a screen door on the front but it is still incredibly hot in there, especially when the chickens go to bed at night. Shade trees do nothing to keep it cool enough. The heat and humidity are horrible on my chickens.
I use large fans in my brooder room because it can get well over 100 in there but I haven't anything to use on my shed so I, too, am looking into solar fans. And though they are expensive, I have known them to run into the night on what they get from the sun during the day, just like my lights do.
This is the building I am dealing with and this isn't showing all the shade trees around it. It is shaded most all day and this screen door is huge but still the chickens can't hardly stand to go to bed at night or go into lay eggs. The thermometer hasn't gotten over 95 in there but there is absolutely no breeze at night and they are miserable.

 

[Peeper]

I have been wanting a solar powered fan as well. My coop is open on 3 sides and under shade trees, still my chickens are panting and tired. The heat in Arkansas is no joke. People die from it here every summer.