OT - Farm Related Question

bcadybug · #1 06/14/13, 09:51 AM

My goat barn is a horse run-in with a tack room on one end, we don't have electric down there nor do we have water.... I haul LOTS OF WATER BUCKETS daily. **Bicep Flex**

Any-who, I'd like to put a fan in the barn to help keep the girls cool and also help with the flies. I was wondering if there is something inexpensive, a solar panel-thingy that might power a cheap-o box fan I could rig up in the ceiling somewhere..??

Anyone have any ideas or done something like this? For the winter months, we run extension cords out there to power the heated buckets and lamps. While this works fine, I'd really rather not do that during the summer.... it just looks GHETTO. lol

I'd like to do something similar in my chicken coop as well.

Thanks everyone!

Val

SkeeterBlue · #2 06/14/13, 11:16 AM

If you don't mind some elbow grease, and a little expense you could trench in a pvc pipe conduit and run the extension cords through that. Because it would be buried you wouldn't see it and you wouldn't have to deal with electrical panels and such.

o&itw · #3 06/14/13, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SkeeterBlue

If you don't mind some elbow grease, and a little expense you could trench in a pvc pipe conduit and run the extension cords through that. Because it would be buried you wouldn't see it and you wouldn't have to deal with electrical panels and such.

It would likely be less expensive, if you are going to trench it to go ahead and run a #10 or #12 underground. I could explain it myself, but this is nice an concise:

http://www.familyhandyman.com/electr...cable/view-all
The "24 inch option is your best bet"

If you use a three conductor plus ground you can run 220V if you wish., plus for the extra price of a conductor (3 wire + ground instead of 2 wire + ground), you can split the feed and double your 120 v capacity.

The wire will cost more than an extension cord, but it will be permanent and handle lights, fan, etc. You can rent a small trencher from most equipment rental places. You won't need conduit except at the risers at the barn and the house.

Cyngbaeld · #4 06/14/13, 07:14 PM

Running a line is going to be cheaper than solar.
If you want to go with solar, get a large automotive 12 vdc motor cooling fan. You will need at least 135 watt panel if you only run in the daytime and that is appx $1k. Fan isn't cheap either.

While you are running the electric, do yourself a favor and run a water line. Poly pipe is cheap.