Vent fan versus window box fan

[juliawitt]

Just thought I would post my experience. It has been a real scorcher here in Missouri with no end in sight. We always try to make improvements as cheaply as possible so we have gone through 3 fans. An 18 inch fan, a 24 inch box fan and now we have capitulated and put in a thermostacically controlled vent fan. We have floor vents on the west side of the coop, A large window on the South and 2 large windows on the West. We placed the fan high up on the north. Wow.....what a difference!!!! Egg production is back and it is really decent in the coop----even during the hottest part of the day. We have it set to kick on at 85 degrees. No worry about it tumping over, no worry about turning it off and on.....It has made the coop pleasant and taken away alot of stress. Purchased at Lowes with a vent cover around $125.00.

I just wanted to give our experience in case anyone was wondering.......

 

[mightieskeeper]

What range of Temps does the fan have? Can you control it with humidity? Very nice Fan!

 

[cfdf]

Thanks for the info. It is really hot in Texas right now and I have been trying different things to keep the coop cool. I am happy to hear that your vent fan is working. I think I will look into getting one also.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

What range of Temps does the fan have?

You can get thermostats for about $40 with a range of 50-120 degrees.

The cheaper ones tend to have a much narrower range

http://www.google.com/products/cata...og_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CC0Q8wIwAQ#​

 

[juliawitt]

Mine came with the thermostate control. For about $25.00 more you could get a Humidity controller. Everything except the outside vent cover came with the fan. The vent cover was surprisely expensive. I'm thinking it was almost $50.00. The fan itself was appr. 85.00. My range is down to 65 to a high of over a 100. We keep ours set at 85. Works like magic.......

 

[patandchickens]

Just be careful with that. Fans collect dust (of which there is LOTS in a coop), and are a not-infrequent source of barn fires. At the very least, if you go for a week or so without using it, blow/wipe it off real well; better, cover it with something, preferably burlap etc to keep dust off but allow some air movement to discourage moisture buildup.

If the fan is making your coop actually COOLER (in terms of what # degrees the thermometer registers), that is an indication that you need more ventilation openings, so that would be another good thing to consider doing.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[juliawitt]

My husband read your post and vowed to dust more frequently, like daily. He also explained (He is a HVAC master) about how the fan is working in the coop, but basically it boils down to.....no my temperature isn't changing---It just feels a lot better in there.

 

[HoukFam]

How does this work in cooler temps? I live in Indiana & wonder about venting in the winter too. Thx.