A sanctuary for abused and unwanted horses, Blue Apple Ranch recently purchased three 14′ Six-Blade HVLS fans for its biggest barn. In the video below, you can see the fans’ gentle movement, which keeps the horses nice and cool without disturbing them.

The ranch provides education, public awareness and therapeutic activities for people and horses alike. You can follow Blue Apple Ranch on Twitter (@BlueAppleRanch) or Facebook as well as donate to the cause.

Understandably, the company needed a cost-effective way to reduce its cooling costs and turned to HVLS fans. They first looked at a well-known competitor fan but also heard that they should consider MacroAir fans.

When we got the call, we said we’d do an apple-to-apple challenge: that is, we were willing to go head-to-head with our competitor.

Once both fans were installed, it was pretty apparent which fans blew more wind — MacroAir’s Six-Blade HVLS fans.

Says Paul, Sr. Operations Manager for Chegg, “We even had the guys from the competitor come out to see why their fans didn’t perform as well. They said MacroAir fans just blew more wind and left.”

Want to save money on your heating and cooling costs? Consider MacroAir fans. And if you’re on the fence and debating buying from one of our competitors, take our challenge first. We’ll gladly install a fan in your warehouse or other facility to see how it performs – fan to fan — against our competitor.

Try our fan for 30 days. If you believe it doesn’t perform better, we’ll give you your money back. Guaranteed. MacroAir Six-Blade HVLS fans — We blow more wind. Period.

Two main considerations for creating a natural ventilation system, according to the authors, is to ensure the length of your building is perpendicular to the prevailing wind and that all obstructions around the barn that prevent fresh air movement be removed.

The authors also point out that natural ventilation systems are quieter than mechanical fan systems and provide more daylight for horses (because you keep the barn doors open). However, strong wind and/or supplemental high speed box fans can create too much air velocity — which is discomforting to horses (and people, too). No one likes to sit in the middle of a draft or in front of a fan that’s shooting jets of air at you.

While we completely agree that a natural ventilation system for horses is ideal (we like to throw our windows open, too, to let in cool breezes from the ocean here in Southern California), we can see that the Ministry authors didn’t know about High Volume, Low Speed (HVLS) fans when they wrote their fact sheet. The authors state, “A good air distribution system removes excess heat and moisture while minimizing air contaminants and drafts.” This is exactly what an HVLS fan does!

As a horse owner, you should know about HVLS fans and how they can benefit you and your horses, especially if you need to supplement your natural ventilation system due to these or other challenges:

• You can’t situate your barn in such a way to take advantage of cooling breezes
• You live in a hot, humid area where a mechanical cooling system is needed (i.e. you live in the south where opening a window on a day where the humidity is at 100% is simply not an option)
• You live in an area where winter temps go below freezing

An HVLS fan system can solve these problems and more — without you having to worry about whether your natural ventilation system is up to snuff.

Incredibly energy efficient — Although they’re much larger than traditional box fans, HVLS fans actually consume much less energy. This is because their size and design allows them to move larger volumes of air much more efficiently. In fact, one HVLS barn fan can replace 50 box fans and costs about a dollar a day to operate.

Significantly improves air quality — Horses are sensitive creatures. Poor air quality, including dust and gases, too much moisture or not enough moisture, adversely affect the horse in myriad ways. Because an HVLS barn fan slowly moves a large volume of air down and then out 360 degrees, it continually mixes fresh air with stale air — and minimizes the effects of pathogens, mold, and other air quality issues.

Can be run in “reverse” — During winter months, an HVLS barn fan can be run in reverse to move and mix hot elevated air (at ceiling level) with the cold air (at floor level). This evens out and raises the overall temperature of your barn while reducing your heating costs. It also keeps your horses comfortable without drying out their nasal mucosa.

Won’t distract horses — Due to their slow movement, HVLS fans are naturally quiet. And, because they hang from the ceiling, one HVLS fan can cover 20,000 square feet, which means you don’t have to point a high-speed box fan and its distracting high velocity air movement on each horse stall.

Want to learn more about how an HVLS barn fan can supplement your natural ventilation system? If you’re attending Road to the Horse February 25 – 27, 2011, please take a few minutes to visit our booth in the Concourse. (Be sure to follow us on Twitter — we’ll be live tweeting from the event!). Or, just give us a call — we’ll be happy to talk to you.

“Function Over Flash” isn’t a concept that we dreamed up in our marketing department. It’s been part of our company DNA since our founding by Walter Boyd. Walter, as you’ll learn in the video below, was involved in the race car industry for over 40 years, creating over 30 styles of race cars as well as the first rear engine for super modified cars. Because weight was such an issue, Walter always insisted that no part was ever to be placed on the car to look good. Instead, every part had to have a function. (That’s one reason for the old saying, “If it don’t go, chrome it.”)

In 1998, Walter was approached by a colleague about solving the problem of cooling down dairy cattle inside their barns. Why was this a problem? Hot cows produce less milk! The small, high-speed fans dairy farmers used were incredibly inefficient and costly. After much tinkering and experimentation by Walter, the first HVLS fan was born.

Like Toyota and its vaunted Toyota Production System, we here at MacroAir take fan design very seriously. We’re constantly experimenting and tinkering to see how we can make our fans lighter and more efficient. This means that each part on the fan, from the smallest screw to the large blades, is there because it’s required.

Function Over Flash means no gimmicks, no fancy doodads. Just well-designed, well-made HVLS fans that provide optimal air flow, require less energy to operate and provide longer life — whether in a horse barn or a commercial warehouse.

Why are six blades better than 10 blades?
With “green” being such an important factor in business, the challenge of using fewer raw materials and less power to do more work was a challenge we embraced.

The result is our exclusive Six-Blade HVLS fan technology that outperforms out-dated 10-blade technology while requiring 40% less aluminum in the production process. Because fewer materials are required, the carbon footprint of the fan is reduced.

In addition, in apples-to-apples comparison tests, MacroAir Six-Blade HVLS fans blow more air. (See how Chegg.com put our fans to the test!)

MacroAir Six-Blade HVLS fans run faster than the out-dated ten blade units.
Because the fan is moving faster, it’s more efficient. And, a more efficient fan lives longer. As RPM goes up Torque goes down for the same horsepower. Because our Six-Blade hvls industrial Fans run slightly faster than ten-blade fans, the torque is lower. Torque is what hurts motors, bearings and gear reducers, so less torque is more life.

Six blades mean less materials and a lighter fan.
Because our fans are lighter in weight, they put less stress on your building, lower the freight cost and are easier to install.

In addition, our Six-Blade HVLS fans have a much lower carbon footprint. The electrolysis process used to produce aluminum requires large quantities of electrical power. When the cost of producing one ton of primary aluminum is broken down, almost one third is devoted to electrical power. Because MacroAir Six- Blade HVLS fans utilize 40% fewer blades and aluminum, the electrical power required to produce the product is 1/3 of 40% or 13% lower than 10-blade units. MacroAir industrial fans are “green,” before and after.

Our Six-Blade HVLS fan also present reduced fire sprinkler obstruction potential represent the low end of the solidarity ratio range.

MacroAir Six-Blade HVLS industrial fans are lighter to ship and easier to install.
Lighter fans mean you benefit with reduced shipping costs, with up to 46% reduction in weight over the competition’s 10-blade fan units. It typically costs $250 to ship one fan (depending on the fuel surcharge).

Our fans are easier to install as everything on the fan is smaller in size, including the power unit, which can be lifted by one man. This means it takes two people approximately four to six hours to install one fan.

MacroAir Six-Blade HVLS fans reduce loads.
Because a MacroAir fan is weighs less than standard 10-blade fans, it reduces the load on the attaching points, reducing stress on the building. Load is spread by guy wires; a “universal joint” style mount pivots 360 degrees to connect with any angled surface preventing any unneeded stress.

Accel/Decel ramps limit load transmitted to mounting system and building and the lower running rotor torque reduces stress on building. The lower solidity ratio reduces load in high wind situations.

Year-Round Savings with MacroAir HVLS Fans
MacroAir’s high volume low speed (HVLS) air-circulating fans are known for their ability to cool large areas in warm weather, but did you also know that they can be used to significantly reduce your heating costs, as well?
Combining technology with a unique application of the laws of physics, MacroAir Technologies produces air-circulating fans for use in large industrial, commercial, and agricultural/farm buildings by generating a large column of air that flows down to the ground and outward 360 degrees. The large, slow moving air mass moves throughout the space, mixing and circulating air more efficiently than any other type of industrial fan.
These large, slow moving fans create a cool, gentle breeze in warm environments but can also be used during winter months, as well. In cold weather, heat rising to the top of your building can create a temperature differential in excess of 15 degrees from your ceiling to your floor. To address this variance in temperatures, MacroAir fans are designed to run in reverse, effectively combining elevated heat with cool air at the floor level. This destratification of the uneven temperatures at varying levels in your building provides a more comfortable, uniform temperature while saving you money on heating costs. Additionally, MacroAir fans also offer efficient ventilation, minimizing the loss of warm or cool air, as well, which reduces on-going heating and air conditioning costs. No other commercial fan, system, or ventilation technology does this better.

Established on the principles of simple innovation and continuous improvement, MacroAir is constantly striving to provide the best, most energy-efficient and cost-effective HVLS air movement systems. By keeping our focus on function – from the initial design of our product to its marketing – we are committed to creating better products that move more air, create more comfort, and save you more money all year-round.

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Humidity and condensation are often problematic in areas that make or house steel products or use steel storage shelves and components.  These companies can help maintain the quality and value of their products by reducing rust-causing condensation and humidity with MacroAir HVLS fan systems.

As you hopefully know by now, MacroAir fans are specifically designed to produce a very large and slow moving column of air.  This air mass effectively circulates air in large buildings and this continuous air movement can keep moisture and humidity under control.  If you think such a system might benefit you, be sure to contact us at  (866) 668-3247.  Let us help you!

MacroAir offers unique solutions for many different kinds of industries!
Eddie

The fact is, a happy cow is a productive cow. Repeated studies have shown that HVLS fans significantly increasse dairy cows milk production through the air movement process.  Studies show for every 3 degrees a cow is cooled milk production can increase by 2lbs per cow.  These additional milk profits coupled with the energy savings, enable Airvolution™ HVLS fans from MacroAir Technologies to pay for themselves in a short period of time, and generate significant recurring additional profits to dairy operations after pay back.