best way to make a fan house....

[Doing it for the kids]

goign through the options and have a few so far. thinking about 6 x 5m which will give enough space for heat exchange, fan and all the electrics (poss a bit big) roof 3.2m droping to 3m at gable. need to keep sound in and have a big door 2 x 2 for heat exchange.

we already have a fan to lift in there.

we have a lot of spare concrete panels so we looked at using up these but at 3m high it was considered a bit too much steel needed to make them safe.

then i thought of block work, good for sound insulation but with 50m2 to cover it will be a pig for one many to do with the lifts and cuts with a sloping roof.

latest is to clade with tin and 2 x 4 then insert celotex boards in the gaps and line with chicken wire to keep vermin out. this is coming in around half price to block work. it will need some steels around the opening though i imagine

am i missing a trick though? any other options?

would need to cement tin sheets in to ground some how to seal from vermin.

 

[suffolksmallholder]

?
SS

 

[Dry Rot]

I am with SS. What the f*&%@ is a fan house?

 

[Doing it for the kids]

A house to hold fans in, for grain drying!?

I guess if you know you know!

 

[Dry Rot]

A house to hold fans in, for grain drying!?

I guess if you know you know!

Show off!

 

[Lincs Lass]

Over thinking it ,,concrete base to mount the fan , build a wooden frame and clad with insulated box profile ,and the roof
Fit two lightweight mesh doors infront of the fan inlet that can swing inwards ,these can be bolted shut when the fan is running to stop birds, people ,rubbish getting sucked in ,, externally fit solid doors that open outward which can be closed when the fan isnt running .
We had a Typhone fan set up that could draw hot air in from big LPG burners or just cold air . worked a treat

 

[Doing it for the kids]

This is basically the idea I have but with outward doors.

Biomass coil in front of fan.

I’ve not priced up for insulated tin vs tin and celotex but I suspect the latter will be much cheaper

 

[Lincs Lass]

This is basically the idea I have but with outward doors.

Biomass coil in front of fan.

I’ve not priced up for insulated tin vs tin and celotex but I suspect the latter will be much cheaper

The one on our frame was big six sheeting ,it doesnt condensate ,big sheet of ply wood mounted to fix all the control units to and you can hide the cables and conduit behind it but you must have a mesh door infront as the intake force can pin you to the fan grill .
It was lovely standing infront of it on a blistering hot day when you were covered in barley dust ,it stoped the itching .

 

[Doing it for the kids]

Rats are the issues here, had a fair bit of damage on kit over the last few years.

Need a concrete ring round the building to keep them out.

How thick is your tin insulation? I need to suppress noise where possible.

Found 100mm. Celotex at £5/m2!!

 

[sjt01]

This is basically the idea I have but with outward doors.

Biomass coil in front of fan.

I’ve not priced up for insulated tin vs tin and celotex but I suspect the latter will be much cheaper

Remember a bypass for cooling air after drying. Also put a screen in front of the coils to stop straw etc. from getting into the coils and fins, we used 2mm stainless perforated which was not cheap but very easy to clean

 

[grainboy]

If you have a rat problem, sort them rather than a concrete barrier, they will find a way in,
I’ve seen them run up a vertical hand rail,
Oh and don’t concrete the cladding in, it Will only rot,

 

[suffolksmallholder]

My hay making friend tells me that a sucking fan is more efficient than a blowing fan. A suck fan is smaller but very much noisier though.
Last time I saw his set up it was sucking warm air through big bales to the point that they could go through the breaker to be re-baled into small bales.
There was another drier on site but not commissioned and he was happy with the current method of drying.
SS

 

[Doing it for the kids]

Fan already acquired and ready to go.

Just need to build out fan house pre harvest.

This will be our 5th fan house so I have some pre knowledge, the drying / heating side is a bit of an art form

 

[Exfarmer]

whatever you do, make sure that it is not possible for the fans to be running unless the vents are open. I would never have a system where the vents are not always open to the air whether you have fancy flaps covering them or just chicken mesh. If you do not you can expect to pull your roof down!
Do ensure there is plenty of vent space ! and obviously this is where the noise will escape sadly.
Another trick with noise is to have double skin wall with no connections between

 

[Doing it for the kids]

whatever you do, make sure that it is not possible for the fans to be running unless the vents are open. I would never have a system where the vents are not always open to the air whether you have fancy flaps covering them or just chicken mesh. If you do not you can expect to pull your roof down!
Do ensure there is plenty of vent space ! and obviously this is where the noise will escape sadly.
Another trick with noise is to have double skin wall with no connections between

Thanks. Yes all of ours have kill switches on the door. Dad forgot a few times to open them and turned fans on, roof been bowed ever since! Now it’s the opposite, keep getting calls that fans don’t work! Open doors then dad…

Always have opening outward doors as internal ones too big and too much plant on the walls to pin them back. Think one is 3m long and 2 tall to give space for heat exchange

Decided to get builder to quote for block work and I’ll price up tin and insulation. 100 mm celotex does one hell, of a lot of noise suppression I think, especially at £5/M2!

 

[Grass And Grain]

My hay making friend tells me that a sucking fan is more efficient than a blowing fan. A suck fan is smaller but very much noisier though.
Last time I saw his set up it was sucking warm air through big bales to the point that they could go through the breaker to be re-baled into small bales.
There was another drier on site but not commissioned and he was happy with the current method of drying.
SS

How did that set up work? Blow floor with fan sucking and bales stacked in shed?

 

[Trigger Happy]

Just in the middle of building one ourselves, four beams into the ground, concrete pad down, big angle down the sides to sit pearlings. 0.7 mm plastic coated cladding to match shed. Have to admit we have made it up as we go but so far so good, it will do the job.

 

[Badshot]

I'd only add, make it bigger than you think is needed.

Mine was built by the shed company, 15x15 foot.

I can barely squeeze past the end of the fans so had to build ladders to go up and over, very annoying.
And at least a whole wall of ventilation.

 

[alomy75]

If you have a rat problem, sort them rather than a concrete barrier, they will find a way in,
I’ve seen them run up a vertical hand rail,
Oh and don’t concrete the cladding in, it Will only rot,

I like that- ‘sort’ the rat problem please send link to this golden bullet as I’m yet to find it. My grain store (ex potato store with spray foam) has been completely empty of grain (as has the farm) since Christmas and they’re STILL in there. Bait is in there (2 kinds) which they’re happily eating; 2 feral cats on farm…it’s been the worst winter ever for them

 

[grainboy]

There lies your answer,
Bloody spray foam, that possibly is where they are hiding,