What is the best solar powered fan for a chicken coop? My top pick is the Coolerguys 10W Solar Powered Dual Fan Kit with its water and dust-proof characteristics, long-lasting dual ball bearings, and whisper-quiet operation.
Last update on 2023-03-25 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
The summer tends to be quite unfriendly to our backyard flocks, leading to an array of undesirable effects, such as stifled egg production in laying chickens, and reduced survival rates in meat breeds. This makes proper ventilation of a chicken coop immensely important.
When faced with coop ventilation concerns of my own, I recently conducted a great deal of research to locate the best solar-powered fan to meet my needs.
When you depend upon a piece of equipment to regulate something as vital as your chickens’ body temperatures, it is vastly important to understand what differentiates one market offering from the next.
Read on to decipher which solar powered fan is right for your flock’s specific needs.
Reviews of the Best Solar Powered Fans for a Chicken Coop
1. Coolerguys 10W Solar Powered Dual Fan Kit for Small Chicken Coops
The Coolerguys 10W Solar Powered Fan Kit is built in a manner that should weather most anything that Mother Nature can throw at it.
With an IP55 rated panel (outdoor environment) and IP67 fan (submersible in water), it will likely be difficult to find a better option for those that live in a rainy climate. This unit’s IP67 rating means that it can withstand being completely submerged in water at a depth of 1-meter for 30 minutes.
This unit is also designed to function in a whisper-quiet fashion. This can be of value, as chicken egg production has long been said to be adversely affected by loud noises, or other factors of stress. According to Coolerguys, this unit’s 34 dB sound rating is equivalent to little more than ambient noise in a library.
The Coolerguys dual fan unit also appears to be a product that is built to last. This fan utilizes a dual ball bearing design that will likely lead to increased longevity over some lesser market offerings.
Coolerguys advertises this unit as having a projected lifespan of up to 67,000 hours, which comes to a total of seven years.
Pros:
- Whisper-quiet operation
- Quality construction
- Significant weather and water resistance
- Satisfactory CFM rating for most coop sizes
Cons:
- Connectors still require protection from elements
2. ShareTime 10W Solar Powered Fan for Chicken House Cooling
The ShareTime 10W Solar Powered Fan looks to be ideal for anyone who desires to cool and ventilate his or her chicken coop without being burdened with a bulky fan that is restrictive in potential placement.
At a total weight of only 15.2 ounces, you shouldn’t experience any level of difficulty, should the need for portability arise. This could be of value to those who utilize mobile coops to practice regular range rotation.
This fan is also advertised as being virtually silent, which can come as a notable benefit to those that are attempting to minimize the stress upon their flock of laying chickens, to facilitate optimum egg production.
This silent characteristic also eliminates concerns that one might have over the possibility of undesirable noise, should your chicken coop be located in close proximity to your home.
With 47.3 CFM (cubic feet per minute) of airflow, this fan will be primarily of use to those who own coops of small to moderate dimensions. Although coops of this size should be cooled to a satisfactory level, it might be slightly more difficult to replicate these results, should a coop be of substantial size.
Pros:
- Silent operation
- Extremely portable
Cons:
- Lacks sufficient CFM rating for high volume coops
- Can be less consistent in cloudy conditions
3. ECO-WORTHY 25W Solar Powered Ventilator Fan
The ECO-WORTHY 25W Solar Powered Fan should pack the punch that you would need when attempting to cool and ventilate even the largest of backyard coops.
With 1960 CFM of airflow, this unit literally blows away the ratings of many other market competitors. If you live in a southern location where the summer months are often characterized by sweltering heat, this substantial rate of flow should come in handy when attempting to ward off the negative effects that the rising temperatures can have on your flock.
This unit might also be a wise choice for those that reside in locations that receive relatively few cloudless days. This is due to the fan’s array of functional voltage tolerances, which allow satisfactory operation at a minimum of only 4 volts.
Because of this, even on cloudy days, your coop should receive an adequate level of airflow that will allow your chickens to reside comfortably within.
It is of note that this particular unit does not come with blade guards of any type; therefore, it would be advisable to purchase such an item to complete this kit when placing it within in a chicken coop.
This will eliminate the possibility of a curious or roosting chicken attempting to perch on the unit’s shell, and endangering itself by coming into contact with rotating components.
Pros:
- Adequate CFM for even the largest coops
- Runs well even in prolonged periods of overcast skies
Cons:
- Does not feature fan guard
- Might require coop adaptation for mounting
- Might be overkill for smaller coops
How to Choose the Best Solar Powered Chicken Coop Fan – Buyer’s Guide
When attempting to locate a solar-powered fan that will meet your chicken coop ventilation needs, there are particular items of value that you, as a consumer, should be aware of. The following are worthwhile considerations for anyone who is in the market for a fan of this nature.
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Weather Resistance
We all wish that our chicken coops were completely weatherproof. However, oftentimes, this is just simply not the case.
Weathered exterior boards, leaking roofing materials, and inadequately sealed nail and screw holes all become common problems as chicken coops attempt to stand the test of time.
Because of this, there is virtually no way to ensure that a fan placed within a chicken coop will be free of the presence of rainwater and condensation.
With this being the case, it is of value that any fan utilized for this purpose be at least somewhat resistant to intermittent exposure to water.
In the absence of this resistance, such an investment will be short-lived, and lead to additional expenditure in the near future when you are forced to seek a replacement.
Air Flow
When seeking to ventilate and cool a chicken coop, air must be moved at a rate that is consistent with the size of the coop in question. A fan is of little benefit if it does not possess enough flow to service the square footage contained under the roof of the coop.
Likewise, a fan that is far overpowered for the coop that is attempting to be ventilated can quickly become overkill, and lead to exceedingly drafty conditions.
This principle of matching a fan’s airflow capabilities to the size of the coop that it is to be used within begins and ends with a unit’s CFM rating.
As a rule of thumb, the higher CFM rating that a fan has, the more airflow that it will facilitate. By considering how much airflow is required to satisfy your needs, you will optimize your ventilation and cooling efforts.
Decibel Rating
A decibel is a unit of measurement for gauging the intensity of a particular sound. This is an important, but often overlooked, point of consideration when selecting a fan for your chicken coop.
It is of great importance to select a fan that produces a minimal amount of sound when in operation. Chickens can easily become stressed by many varying environmental factors.
One such factor is that of excessive noise. Any noise that is of a decibel level in excess of that which your backyard flock has become accustomed to hearing in their day-to-day life can lead to negative ramifications.
This is especially true in the context of laying chickens, as egg production can be hindered when excess stress is imparted upon a flock.
My Choice for the Best Solar Powered Fan for a Chicken Coop
Although several wonderful options exist when seeking to keep your chicken coop cooled and ventilated, my top pick for the best solar powered chicken coop fan is the Coolerguys 10W Fan.
With its superior weather resistant qualities, more than capable CFM rating, and whisper-quiet operation, it is hard to find another unit that is as well rounded as this.
While some other notable solar-powered fans, like the ShareTime Mini-Ventilator, are also worthy of consideration, units as versatile for use in a wide range of coop sizes and applications, as is the Coolerguys module, are likely few and far between.
Purchasing a product of this nature can easily leave you wondering why you did not do so sooner.
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Last update on 2023-03-12 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
