Sam Ski Area Management - Index

Sam Ski Area Management - stable_management - Index

Left: These fans from Farmtek help move air around in this indoor riding arena for better ventilation and air quality.
Right: The patented design of the Powerfoil fan from Big Ass Fans recirculates heat in the winter to lower energy bills.
wide x 300 long, I’d suggest a giant
fan, 24 feet in diameter. They move at
extremely low speeds, are easy to
install, and are energy efficient. The
cost would be about $5,000, which as
a percentage of the total cost of the
arena is very low. If you have a metal
roof with no insulation, the heat will
disperse through that roof very
quickly. I’d suggest insulating the
roof so the heat is captured and the
temperature will get 10 degrees
higher in winter. A large ceiling fan
will enhance getting the heat to the
floor.”
PURCHASING FANS
Dahl suggests purchasing fans that
are “proven to hold up in an agricultural
application. Typically, residential
or commercial fans will expire
quickly, as they are not sealed to repel
the moisture and dust in a barn application.
Agriculture is a tough environment
that requires a tough product.
“Read the fine print on the warranty.
Many fans are not designed or
warranted for agricultural applications.
Look for fans that are rated for
agricultural use by Underwriters Laboratories
(UL). To achieve this rating
a fan must pass of series of tests to
prove that it will safely hold up in an
agricultural environment that usually
includes a lot of dust, moisture, condensation,
and possibly pressure
washing. You want fans that are sealed
to repel moisture and dust, have
extreme heat bearings, and a one way
condensation plug which allows any
moisture that may accumulate on the
inside of the motor housing to escape
so that the motor does not rust.”
SIZE AND NUMBER OF FANS
The type of fans and the number you
need to install depend on the needs of
your barn. However, to provide a
rough guide, Goldsher offers the following
example. “A 48-inch industrial
ceiling fan, with 48-inch
diameter blades, can cover a square
floor area of approximately 1,100
square feet.” But if the ceiling is very
low, a single fan will concentrate its
effect over a smaller area. Then, he
says, “I would go to four 18-inch circulating
fans, two on each side, which
would do a much better job. A highquality
three-speed air-circulating fan
is about $140 and you’d need four. As
a comparison, a 48-inch ceiling fan
would run about $90.”
What about the cost of running all
those fans? “A 48-inch ceiling fan
requires no more energy than a 60-
watt light bulb,” says Goldsher. “Now
if you have 20 or 30 of them, that can
get expensive, which is why you’d
use one giant fan instead, if possible,
because it runs on about one-tenth the
energy of those 20 fans. To keep it
‘green,’ you should also insulate the
barn or arena, as insulating is as big
a part of energy conservation as the
fans.”
“Ceiling fans use considerably
less energy than direct drive (baskettype)
fans,” says Dahl. Quoting a California
electric company study
comparing ceiling and direct drive
fans, Dahl notes that the study found
that to purchase and install 36-inch
wall fans costs $700 per fan, with a
total energy cost for 100 fans per year
of $10,760. At the same time, fivefoot
ceiling fans cost $330 per fan for
purchase and installation, with a total
energy cost for 100 fans per year of
$1,800. That’s an 83 percent savings
over wall fans!
Although the air may be cold at
ground level, using fans at ceiling
level will help keep the chill out of the
air. It can also improve your horses’
health by providing fresh air while
saving money in heated barns and arenas.
Fans are certainly worth considering
for your farm this winter. [sm] 27
/ October 2008