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Ventilation in a Metal Building?

MartyO

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My shop is a 2,200 square foot metal building with a 4 over 12 pitched roof, so it is tall.

I would like to put some sort of ventilation fan in the peak at one end and a lover set up at the other end so that I can pull some of the heat off the ceiling. I would like to wire it through a thermostat so that it will turn on/off automatically as the temperature rises and falls.

Has anyone else done something like this with their metal building? If so, what size fan and louvers did you use? Have you found it an effective method of cooling the shop?

Thanks.
 
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readhead

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Durango, Co.
That will work with a powered supply louver. Keep in mind that if it is hot outside you will be pulling in hot air. Quite often we specify ridge vents. They will let the hot air out through natural convection and they have dampers that you can close in winter.
 
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MartyO

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That will work with a powered supply louver. Keep in mind that if it is hot outside you will be pulling in hot air. Quite often we specify ridge vents. They will let the hot air out through natural convection and they have dampers that you can close in winter.

That is the set up I am looking for.

When it is 90* outside the heat at the ceiling on the inside is about 110*

My thinking is if I move that heat out of the building, it will help keep the work space cooler.
 

Cb-man

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Newport, MI
I have an older 30x30 with no eave venting or ridge vent besides air that makes it out through the ridges at the eave.
When the weather breaks I am going to access the roof an if I can install a good ridge vent as the metal is nailed on and will be hard to remove.
So if it seems to hard I plan on using 24in fan and Louver from Farmtek.com
I will wire both to this dual thermostat/ Humidistat. this way it turns on at a certain temp as well as humidity

http://www.grainger.com/product/DAYTON-Attic-Fan-Thermostat-Humidistat-10N203
 

hippie2cams

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Huffman,TX
Hell, I just installed a 3.5 ton A/c heatpump combo to take care of winter heat and summer cooling. makes me happy, happy, happy. :lol_hitti
 
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MartyO

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Hell, I just installed a 3.5 ton A/c heatpump combo to take care of winter heat and summer cooling. makes me happy, happy, happy. :lol_hitti

I have one as well. If you send me your name, date of birth, and Social Security Number, I will change my electric bill into your name so that I can leave it running full time!! :thumbup:
 

Cb-man

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Heat AND A/C is great but in a metal building with extreme temperature swings we need something to take care of the moisture and condensation issues in the attic space when a ceiling is installed.
 
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MartyO

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Well some folks had recommended FarmTek to get the fan and the motorized shutter so I ordered everything from them, including the thermostat.

So far they have sent me three fans and two shutters and each one has been damaged in shipping because the packaging will not hold up against the rigors of FedEx.

I am returning everything except the thermostat which I like because it will control two units so I will be able to set it to have the shutter open at one temp and then the fan come on at another, higher temp.

This week I went to Grainger and picked up a new fan and a new *******. They were heavier duty than what I got from Farmtek and made it to my shop with no damage.

Now I just need to find someone to help me put this all together. :D
 
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MartyO

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Didn't know Grainger had those. In fact I thought they stopped makin them years ago. Did you get a one or two holer? :thumbup:

Let us know the specs on the fan.

They are Dayton products.

It is a one holer.

This is the fan:

http://www.grainger.com/product/DAYTON-Exhaust-Fan-1HLB5?s_pp=false

1HLB5_AS01



This is the intake shutter:

http://www.grainger.com/product/DAYTON-Damper-3C728?s_pp=false

3C725_AS01



This is the thermostat that I got from Farmtek:

http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplie...01&langId=-1&division=FarmTek&productId=60396
 

toyoguy81

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Dec 16, 2013
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Missouri
I too am looking for oe of these. Please let us know how the install went. Im particularly interested in any flashing or metal used around the hole u cut in wall
 

toyoguy81

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Holy cow,,,i just realized those are two seperate pieces at $1200 combined?!!!! Anyone seen the exhaust fans from northern tool or have experience with them???
 

stage20

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pcola FL
Tractor supply carries some shutter fans. They eem light duty but I have no feedback of use for them
 
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MartyO

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I too am looking for oe of these. Please let us know how the install went. Im particularly interested in any flashing or metal used around the hole u cut in wall

That is my biggest concern biggest the walls are "corrugated" and I don't want leaks since my cars (and shop equipment) are stored inside.

I believe that each unit will need to be boxed in and then flashed around the edges to prevent leaks.

Hopefully I will have them in in the next few weeks and I can let you know how it went.

Holy cow,,,i just realized those are two seperate pieces at $1200 combined?!!!! Anyone seen the exhaust fans from northern tool or have experience with them???

Yep,, it was expensive, but the ones I got from Farmtek were half the price but could not even withstand shipping which did not give me confidence that they were going to survive when placed in use. The ones I bought are twice as heavy and feel way more durable.

In the end I hope this is worth it.
 
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MartyO

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Tractor supply carries some shutter fans. They eem light duty but I have no feedback of use for them

Yep, that was the problem with the TS stuff that I looked at.

I will need a lift to get to the outer wall of my shop and I just don't want to have to redo this project because I went with lighter or cheaper fans.
 
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MagKarl

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Olympia, WA
I bought one several years ago from HD or Lowe's, can't remember. It had heavy plastic louvers that closed by gravity. I installed it in my attic when I was replacing the siding. It had an adjustable thermostat and made a huge difference in the summer time. We didn't have AC, so bringing the attic temp down kept the upstairs bedrooms much cooler. Well worth it and not expensive at all. Maybe $150, I can't remember, but nothing close to the $1200 mentioned here.
 
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MartyO

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My fan and motorized shutter are installed. Now I just need to set a dat with my electrician to wire it all up the way I want it wired and I will be good to go.

I will post up the results after that.
 
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MartyO

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My electrician buddy was here this evening. He will start doing the wiring tomorrow. Woot!

Half the wiring was done last night before we ran out of time and could not finish. We were able to test the fan and all I can say is WOW!

I know that there were folks commenting on the cost of the fan and shutter. Yep, they were expensive but like my Dad used to say, "You get what you pay for."

I cannot wait to finish up the wiring (hopefully next week) and put this system into operation. Once it is fully wired the thermostat will control the fan and teh intake shutters so the shop will keep cooler (better for my cars) when I am not there.
 

bfr57

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May 31, 2013
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I've been following this thread and wondering if these ridge vents work? My metal building is 32x80 with only 2 12x12 doors. I live in southern AZ and we see 110 in the summer. Eventually I think louvered exhaust fan would be great, but for latent heat removal, do these work?
 

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MartyO

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I've been following this thread and wondering if these ridge vents work? My metal building is 32x80 with only 2 12x12 doors. I live in southern AZ and we see 110 in the summer. Eventually I think louvered exhaust fan would be great, but for latent heat removal, do these work?

I have heard really good things about those and wish I had done them when I built my building. The benefit of the system I put in is it allows me to get rid of exhaust and smoke.

Due to the lousy weather we have had my wiring got delayed. Hope to have it all finished up next week unless I catch. Break this week.
 

tlmartin84

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Apr 23, 2012
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West Virginia
While speaking of venting..........

When you insulate a metal roof on a metal type building with no attic space, do you lap the vinyl sided insulation over the ridge or leave a gap?

It looks like you would lose all of your heat out of the ridge cap during the winter.
 

stage20

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pcola FL
ive heard good things about those ridge vents in the picture above but they cost a fortune after the fact. get it priced with your building. ive had a few guys tell me its 1/2 the cost up front.
 

jdub63

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Jan 28, 2008
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Azle, Texas
I was looking at a smaller setup. But I wanted the fan to be solar powered, that way it would run most of the time without using any electric. The area I'm trying to vent is only 15w x 25d x 10h, do you think a 500cfm would work?
 

chads2slow

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Mar 2, 2008
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Indianola ia
I got this fan with gravity fins at an auction this weekend. Works great and was only 22.50. Just needs cleaned up
y3yreve6.jpg
uhanehu2.jpg


Sent from my XT1055 using Tapatalk
 

chads2slow

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Indianola ia
Also got this fan off Craig's list for 100 bucks its almost 4 feet tall and three wide. Its been running all week no problem
supe5y4e.jpg


Sent from my XT1055 using Tapatalk
 
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MartyO

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Finished up the wiring and install yesterday.

I have them so that I can turnm them on or off or so that they will turn on automatically when the temp hits the set point. This will help keep my building cool even when I am not there.

Holy smokes what a difference this set up makes. A little pricey, yes, but I am very happy.
 
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MartyO

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Well the new fan and shutter are working great!

Today I was working in the shop for a while during the heat of the day and the fan and shutter were doing the trick of helping keep the shop cooler.

Color me happy.
 

easyaim

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Feb 15, 2024
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Texas
I got frustrated finding solutions to put exhaust fans into metal buildings with ridges so I invented and patented the "Haslet Frame" solution. I'd appreciate your checking out my product here:
 
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