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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1986-03-12, Page 15THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 1986. PAGE 15. Improving efficiency of barn ventilation can save How much does it cost to heat your livestock barn? Most barns housing calves, pigs, broiler hens and a few other types of livestock need supplemen­ tal heat through at least part of the winter. Why? The animals give off moisture as they breathe. The moisture has to be removed by ventilation. But, the ventilation removes heat as well as moisture. Animals produce some heat, but they sometimes can’t produce enough to make up what is removed by ventilation. This is especially true of small animals. In a well-insulated building ventilat­ ed at “correct” rates, about 3/4 of the heat loss is through the fans and only ‘A is through the walls, ceiling, etc. “Theproblem we often see in ourfarmvisits” says Ron Fleming, Agricultural Engineer with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food at Clinton, ‘‘is that the buildings are often ventilated at rates greater than necessary. When this happens, a surprising amount of heat is lost. It has to be made up somehow in order to maintain a certain room tempera­ ture. This leads to high heating costs. The trick is getting the fans sest up to exhaust the ‘correct’ rate.” In winter, the main function of the fans is to reduce moisture. The relative humidity should be in the range 60 to 75 per cent. This can be measured fairly accurately and cheaply with a household hygro­ meter or with a more sophisticated sling psychrometer (some versions cost $30 or less). “I’ve been in barns where the RH was less than 50%. The farmer was spending 2 or 3 times what he needed to on supplemental heat, Mr. Fleming says. Usually one or more of four solutions will reduce heating costs without adversely affecting the animals: 1. Improve the air circulation. Sometimes unsaturated air is exhausted while there may be some very humid, dead air pockets in the room. 2. Size the fans correctly. This usually ties in with step 3. 3. Improvethecontrolson the heating-ventilation system. The thermostats built into the 4800-watt electric heaters aren’t very accurate. “We often see a vicious cycle - the heater tries to heat the air and as the air warms up, more exhaust fans come on,” Mr. Fleming says. This lowers the temperature, making the heater work more. There is a fine line when it comes to setting this to work efficiently using thermostats. It ’ s worth it to spend $50 on a better thermostat for the heater, or to spend a bit more for a heating interlocking relay. 4. Insulate the building or check theconditionofexisting insula- tion. Even ensuring that the ceiling in a two-storey barn is covered with two feet of straw will help considerably. These are some of the obvious measures. Sometimes more subtle changes are needed. Heat isn’t cheap and the payback period on some of these measures can make them very attractive. Former Ethel area man dies in Toronto Melvin William Rock, 42, of Calgary, Alta, died in Toronto on Feb. 20. Mr. Rock was formerly of the Ethel area and attended Ethel Public School, Listowel District Secondary School and Norwell District Secondary School. Mr. Rock is the son of the late Arthur C. Rock and Mae (Carno- chan) Rock of Seaforth. He is survived by five brothers, Earl of Walton, John of London, Lloyd of Kitchener, Donald of Kincardine and Oraen of P.ipley; one sister, Jean Keller of God­ erich; one uncle, William Rock of Stratford; six aunts and several nieces and nephews. Cermation took place in Toronto followed by a memorial service in Calgary on Feb. 26. Interment is to be in Hawaii. As expressions of sympathy, donations may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society, The Gideon Bible Society or the Salvation Army through the Ribey Whitney Funeral Home, 87 God­ erich St., Seaforth. ETI SERVING THE HANDICAPPED BUSINESS DIRECTORY WALTON REFRIGERATION AND APPLIANCE SERVICE •Repairs to all domestic appliances. •Commercial refrigeration and heating. •Anything in refrigeration. •24 hour service. CALL 887-9175 523-9202 HANK’S SMALL ENGINES SALES & SERVICE HWY. NO. 4 LONDESBORO DEALER FOR: CANADI ANA, BOLENS, LAWN&GARDEN EQUIP., WEED EATER TRIMMERS, POULAN CHAIN SAWS, BADGER FARM EQUIP. USEDSNOWMOBILES SERVICETO ALLSMALL ENGINES aymond enovations Ltd. P.O. Box 225, Brussels, Ont. NEW AND RENOVATED n u BUILDINGSBob Bruce 887-6703 887-6092 Ward & Uptigrove Chartered Accountants Listowel Mitchell R.B. C.D. R.E. C.W. Brouse, C.A. R.H. Loree, C.A. G.J. Martin. C.A. 200 says we won't 887-9328 Call us for an appointment for custom slaughtering of beef, pork or lamb. FREEZERORDERS AVAILABLE CHECKOURPRICES Bachert Meats Walton 291-3040 348-8412 Karcher, C.A. Newell, C.A. Uptigrove, C.A. LyleYoungblut and son Plumbing and Heating BLYTH-523-9585 HOME HEAT SERVICE o o We’ll give you 200 litres of furnace fuel oil FRE E ifweletyourtankrunout. See your CO-OP fordetailsof guarantee!! ALL YOUR FUEL NEEDS AT FRANK WORKMAN ELECTRIC farm - home - commercial Member of Huron Chapter R.R.3 Brussels, Ont. 887-6867 SEPTIC TANK PUMPING M& E Sanitary Service Call Any Time KEN MILLER 887-6846 GARY EVANS 887-6583 BRUSSELS U ni ted Co-operatives of Ontario OURDRIVERSALESMAN WAYNEJEROME BELGRAVE AUBURN 357-2711 or523-4454 526-7262 CLINTON RETIREMENT HOME “Home Away From HOME •Newly decorated •Large rooms •Semi and private rooms •Reasonable rates •Long or short term accommodations Phone for an appointment 482-5208 108 Ontario St Clinton Under New Management J 5 FINE FURNITURE AND ACCESSORIES CLINTON, ONT. 482-9505 Open6daysa week Interior Design & Decorating Service ■5 LOBBS OF CLINTON Salute The Citizen SALES & SERVICE FOR ★ Kubota Tractor * Universal Tractor ★ New Holland Farm Equipment Serving the farming community for over 30 years Joe Lobb _ .. , , Fred Lobb 482-3372 482-3321 After Hours 482-3409 After Hours Bayfield Road 482-3409 Radford YOUR ONE STOP REPAIR SHOP f Blyth, For all your Auto, Farm & Industrial Parts call: 523-9681 MANNING’S BUILDING SUPPLIESLIMITED HAMILTON STREET, BLYTH, 523-9305 Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8a.m. to5 p.m. Sat.-8a.m. to noon Come see us for: coal, lumber, plywood, hardware, paint, panelling, cement, and hockey equipment We never stop suvingyou money David Longstaff Ltd. Optician 87 MAIN ST. S., SEAFORTH OPTOMETRISTS AND OPHTHALMOLOGISTS Prescriptions Filled Promptly HOURS: Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri. 9-5:30; Sat. 9-12 5Z7-1303 COMPLETEOPTICALSERVICE