Is your litter getting wet early (around 20-day birds)?
Are your flocks performing differently from one to the other?
Are you paying a fortune in fuel?
If so, it may be time to look at your ventilation set-up.
In this article, we explain how conventional minimum ventilation works and how it compares with heat recovery ventilation, especially during tough winter weather.
Conventional Minimum Ventilation
This graph shows how conventional minimum ventilation works.
Cold outdoor air enters the barn through the wall inlets at outdoor temperature. In cold weather, this air can be 0°F or colder.
In theory, your ventilators and air inlets should be calibrated to generate the right amount of negative pressure to make the cold air :
- travel along the ceiling,
- mix with warm air,
- then gently fall to bird level.
In real barns, it does not always work that way.
If static pressure is low, or the inlets are not adjusted well, the incoming air can mix too quickly with stale, humid air. This can lead to condensation and water droplets. Those drops fall near the inlets, which creates wet litter and cold drafts.
That can lead to:
- stressed birds,
- uneven bird distribution in the barn,
- higher risk of health issues.
And yes, it impacts your pocket.
At the same time, the warm air leaving the barn carries a lot of heat with it. That is heat you paid for with propane or natural gas. Once it goes out the fan, it is gone.
Heat Exchangers
A heat exchanger is a simple concept.
Warm, stale air leaving the barn passes one way through the exchanger. Cold, fresh air from outside passes the other way. The two air streams do not mix, but heat transfers.
In winter, this means the incoming fresh air is warmed up before it reaches the birds. Instead of entering at 0°F directly on your birds, it can enter at a much higher temperature, for example around 50°F.
From the birds’ point of view, they receive fresh, pre-heated air, which supports comfort.
From your point of view, you use much less fuel to hold your target barn temperature.
Instead of creating humidity problems with conventional inlets, a heat exchanger reduces humidity in the building. This can help you keep litter in better shape later in the flock.
That can mean:
- less stress on birds,
- fewer chances of disease,
- a more evenly distributed flock in the barn.
Because you use heat from the stale air going out, you save a lot on fuel. Usually, we see fuel savings in the range of 50 to 70%.
Take the First Step:
Call us at +1-855-573-2877 and we will be happy to share what we believe in and how it can help the ventilation in your barn.
For more information, check out our website.
