I’m ditching the box fan and plan on getting an enclosed motor fan for the front of my mare’s stall. Any brand recommendations? I don’t want to spend more than $100.
I love the fan I bought at Valley Vet. I see it’s on clearance and now just a tad over $100. Outdoor or Indoor 18" Waterproof Livestock or Barn Fan J&D MFG - Stalls | Stable Equipment (valleyvet.com)
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I have not seen any closed motor fans for less than $100.
I am hoping someone finds you something because I will be interested.
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This is a post I found online on barn fans with links to recommended ag-rated fans. I have included the price per fan in front of each link.
I wanted to take a minute to outline what are the MUST Haves in a barn fan and show you what the differences are, compare options and give you the low down on what all the technical stuff really means. This information comes from years designing high end equestrian facilities professionally and sourcing all manner of fitments for the barns. However - just my opinion. I don’t work for anyone anymore and just sharing…
1) Industrial/Heavy Duty - is not agricultural. If you read the fine print on MANY of these fans they say explicitly that they are not approved for ag. use.
2) Enclosed motors vs sealed motors - think of this like water resistant vs waterproof.
3) CFM - How much air does it move. More is good, but not always better.
4) Oscillating - sounds cool, right? Many don’t tilt so ask that question!
5) UL rated - on the surface sounds fancy? Nope - all electrical US stuff has to be UL rated.
*In my experience there is one manufacturer that is far and away the best. *
*J & D Manufacturing *
I LOVE this fan. Be forewarned - they don’t sell direct and their website is quite frankly atrocious. You can download the spec sheet from the site. There are a number of companies that sell their products, or something looking just like it, so shop around (I’ll post some of those below).
Here’s why I love this fan:
1) J&D designs products for heavy ag (dairy, poultry) - this stuff is rugged and safe
2) Totally enclosed, maintenance-free, high-efficiency motors have completely sealed ball bearings. Boom. They use rubber grommets to seal everything No dust is getting in this baby!
*3) Thermally protected - if it gets too hot, it shuts off! Interestingly, the CPSC wants to include thermal protection into 507UL ratings for certain exhaust fans! *
4) Rated for use with misting/ fogging products to increase cooling abilities. This also means you can spray them down to get gunk off! Now - don’t go power washing them or dunking them, but you can spray down the blades
5) Attached 8’ cord with 3-prong plug pre-wired for 115 Volts - no hardwiring needed!
6) Tiltable - note! This fan tilts and works best when hung as shown below It’s not as happy if you try and mount it bracket to the bottom
7) 3 speed - 2200 CFM on high. I never had mine on high. Usually medium. Any more than 2,000 and you’re just blowing stuff everywhere like a jet engine.
About 5 years ago I heard a rumor that certain insurance companies in some states were going to start disallowing fire claims if the fires were caused by crappy fans. I have no idea if this ever came to pass. However, I would be asking my agent if a box fan started a fire and there were catastrophic losses - are you covered? Every year box fans cause fires. In 2007, 44 horses were killed in a fire caused by new box fans. Yes - these are relatively expensive. They also last.
A couple other thoughts - they make a 14" which isn’t bad if you are on a budget. They have an oscillating fan, but it does not tilt so I’m “eh” about that. They have a Barnstormer fan which is AWESOME as a hardwire option for larger areas. Their LED lights are the bomb. My favorite. Big covered arena? Their high bay lights are amazing!
This is the J&D fan mentioned above: $131.88 https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?PGGUID=431A0BC6-7B8F-4EE7-ADF6-309425103DFD&q=19533 / https://jdmfg.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/051_InOut_22__.pdf
$219.99 on Amazon but with no reviews: https://www.amazon.com/Wall-Ceiling-Bracket-3120-Black/dp/B01COX3H96/ref=sr_1_28?keywords=J%26D+MANUFACTURING&qid=1657909418&sr=8-28
$164.98 https://www.rammfence.com/barn/horse-barn-ceiling-fans/18-inch-basket-fan
$127.70 https://www.qcsupply.com/durafan-high-velocity-wall-mount-fan-18-non-oscillating.html?
$218.95 https://www.globalindustrial.com/p/18-fan-with-wall-ceiling-bracket-black?ref=5
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Are you looking for a box-style sealed motor fan to affix to the stall bars, or a standing fan to put in the aisle to blow into the stall front, or a fan to mount up top at the front to blow in and down, like this? Not a great picture of the fan, but look over the horse’s head.
I have the 14" Durafan for my stalls. Looks like they are ~$89 now plus shipping. Two have been in use for close to ten years and one is maybe five years old or so. No problems for me. I had originally ordered the 18" version but it was just too much fan for my stalls and we now just pull it out to use as an aisle fan in the worst of the hot weather. I blow the fans off daily and once a year take them down to give a thorough cleaning.
QC Supply has excellent customer service as well so can’t go wrong ordering from them.
@horsepoor I like that fan. How do you mount it to the stall front? It weighs 15 pounds. Don’t know if bungee cords would hold it.
Mine are mounted to the wall or a beam above the stall fronts. I have in a pinch put them up with bungees on a stall front, so I know that they will hold.
I just bought two of these. Got them super quickly. Now I just have to put them up. They look great. So glad I caught them on clearance!
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Looking to put the fan on the front of the stall, not permanently mounted, using bungee cords or zip ties.
I bought 3 of these 3 years ago from Valley Vet. Two arrived in fine shape and have held up well. The third arrived with a busted/bent rim. Valley Vet was atrocious to deal with, sent me to deal with JandD on my own. Even worse. Good fans for the price point though.
I use greenhouse fans that a lot of barns use (a friend recommended them to me): Schaefer Versa-Kool 12". Very heavy duty, does a great job and the motor is sealed. The front pops off for cleaning. I have galvenized ones and because of where I had to hang them, I bought their special mounts.
And here is the mount I bought:
Amazon.com: Schaefer WMTA30-B Adjustable Wall Mount/Column Mount for 30" Fans, Black : Electronics
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I also have a Durafan, mentioned above by @horsepoor. It moves a lot of air and has held up extremely well over the past 10ish years. I attach mine to the stall front using baling twine (not pretty, but it works).
our fans are permanently mounted, screwed to the top headed board of the stalls. Two reasons, 1) all electrical connections are out of reach for any horse to test 2) we can change the fan’s direction easily as the fans are in bases that allow the direction to be changed as needed
Each fan is periodically brushed clean then followed up with using compressed air to blow all the dust from the fan body
As all have suggested our fans are sealed motors designed for UL MEMA 4 Indoor or outdoor use
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Just ordered the 14 inch DuraFan. Thanks for the suggestions.
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Update: QC Supply couldn’t give me an ETA. I bought a similar fan from Farm and Fleet. It puts out good air and is quiet. I’m happy with it.
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I’ll put this PSA out there. Make sure that your stall fans are plugged into outlets that are connected to an arc fault breaker. A stall fan that is going bad will not trip a regular breaker or a ground fault breaker.
Sealed motor or not, an electric motor that is going bad or arcing will get very hot.
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Yes. And note to all, this is NOT the same as a GFCI.
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I have mine inside a regular-hole size hay net (not slow feed). You can then hang it from a screw eye hook or tie it around a beam.
Have any of you tried solar powered outdoor fans? My barn doesn’t have electricity near my stall.
