Motion activated switch for barn fan

[BeezFun]

Our horses only stand in front of their barn fans part of the day, the rest of the time the fans just use power doing nothing. Is there any kind of motion detector I can use that would stay on as long as it detects motion, like the swishing of the horses tail or moving their head? They don't give a clear answer on whether they will stay on during continuous motion or whether they will shut off and then switch back on when they detect motion again. Also, many of the switches I've looked at don't handle enough power, the fans draw about 800W. Most of the switches seem to top out about 500W.
Or is there a better way to do this? tnx

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

A Relay. Low voltage control. Or let the motion detector operate a start stop switch.

 

[ponytug]

+1 on the relay, but you also could use one of the motion activated switches that you have looked at to apply power to a 120v relay that would then run your fan.

Lots of both solutions on Amazon and EBay.

In cattle barns, the fans tend to be hooked up in sequence, so fan A blows toward the back of fan B that blows towards the back of fan C that blows at the back of fan A, generating a circular air movement, while the doors and side windows allow for air exchange.

If you have the vertical height, ceiling fans are an option that uses less energy.

I wonder about why not put a larger exhaust fan on the whole barn that would exhaust the warm upper air and generate breezes through the stalls?

All the best,

Peter

 

[BeezFun]

+1 on the relay, but you also could use one of the motion activated switches that you have looked at to apply power to a 120v relay that would then run your fan.

Lots of both solutions on Amazon and EBay.

In cattle barns, the fans tend to be hooked up in sequence, so fan A blows toward the back of fan B that blows towards the back of fan C that blows at the back of fan A, generating a circular air movement, while the doors and side windows allow for air exchange.

If you have the vertical height, ceiling fans are an option that uses less energy.

I wonder about why not put a larger exhaust fan on the whole barn that would exhaust the warm upper air and generate breezes through the stalls?

All the best,

Peter

I can do a relay, was hoping for a simpler solution. 500W seemed surprisingly low power to me, but I guess they're intended for lights.

The purpose of the fans is for flies and gnats. The barn is not really that hot, they stand in front of the fans to keep the flies off. Some horses are sensitive to the saliva from gnats, fans are cheaper than cortisone.

The other problem is I can't get a clear answer if any of these switches keep the power on if there is continuous motion, or if they shutoff after the timeout period. We have a motion switch on one of our house lights and it turns off even if there's continuous motion under the sensor. It will come back on again after a brief time, but I don't want the fans going off and on every few minutes.

 

[CADplans]

You want the same thing that I have in one of my sheds for "Trash Monitoring".
To keep animals out of the trash, I mounted a motion activated light pointing at the trash bin.
Then I hooked a radio to the light,,

Anything that walks past gets several minutes (adjustable) of ROCK 96.3 FM music and a light.

Nothing has been in the trash since the light/radio went up.

It would be easy to attach a solid state relay,, and drive up to 40 amps, if needed.

 

[CADplans]

Oh, yea, we have a deaf barn cat that lives in that shed,, we know when she walks into or out of the shed,,
several minutes of music,,

 

[grsthegreat]

What your looking for is an occupancy sensor. We use them in office buildings. They will stay on as long as either infrared heat signature or motion is sensed.
youd have to check with manufacturer as to amp load for them. we usually only power a few light fixtures. I have no idea if these will handle barn moisture and dust conditions.


heres one with 1000 watts

RAB Lighting LOS1000W/120 Occupancy Sensor with Decorator Wall Plates, 1000W Power, 120V, White - Flood Lighting - Amazon.com

RAB Lighting LOS1000W/120 Occupancy Sensor with Decorator Wall Plates, 1000W Power, 120V, White - Flood Lighting - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

 

[ponytug]

Yes gnats can be a real problem for some horses.
This gizmo should do what you want;

https://www.amazon.com/J-LUMI-YCA1050-Motion-Ceiling-85-265V/dp/B077Z88M8Y/

2000W rating.

For more options;
Relays:
https://www.amazon.com/mxuteuk-JQX-13FL-Indicator-Electromagnetic-Aluminum，1/dp/B07QXWZP3R/ $14 for two.

IR motion detector
Quentacy Mini Motion Sensor Light Switch 110-220V PIR Sensor Smart Detection Time Delay Adjustable Infrared Induction Detector for Strip LED Ceiling Lamp: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement
Does five minutes at a time

Or you could buy some cheap fans and a timer that turns them in during the day and off at night.
https://www.amazon.com/GE-Mechanical-Intervals-Decorations-15075/dp/B00366JSNU/
https://www.amazon.com/Century-Stackable-24-Hour-Digital-Programs/dp/B07GBK39LG/

All the best,

Peter

 

[BeezFun]

What your looking for is an occupancy sensor. We use them in office buildings. They will stay on as long as either infrared heat signature or motion is sensed.
youd have to check with manufacturer as to amp load for them. we usually only power a few light fixtures. I have no idea if these will handle barn moisture and dust conditions.


heres one with 1000 watts

RAB Lighting LOS1000W/120 Occupancy Sensor with Decorator Wall Plates, 1000W Power, 120V, White - Flood Lighting - Amazon.com

RAB Lighting LOS1000W/120 Occupancy Sensor with Decorator Wall Plates, 1000W Power, 120V, White - Flood Lighting - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

Thanks, didn't know what they were called. That looks like it is exactly what I want. Barn is dry but pretty dusty, worth a try though. We have to brush the lights off with a dust mop, we can do the sensor at the same time.

 

[PILOON]

I once designed a fan system for a stable I built for a client.
I activated the fans by using a humidistat switch so that whenever the humidity reached a 'smelly' level the fans would do their job.
The idea was to control odors all while conserving costly heat.
I also insulated very much like a house.
Worked like a charm!
Was always a 'sweet smelling' stable

 

[mikester]

I already have a z-wave hub for other home automation.

My stinky cat litter solution:
Battery operated motion sensor - you can mount this anywhere - I put min by the kitty litter box

SmartThings Motion Sensor | GP-U999SJVLBDA | Samsung CA

Keep tabs on your home with the SmartThings Motion Sensor which tells you when movement is detected – regardless of whether it’s expected or not.

www.samsung.com

There are many options for controlling your fan. You can get something like this

DZPA1-2BW - Indoor 15A Decora Smart with Z-Wave Plus Technology Plug-in Outlet - Leviton

Indoor 15 Amp Decora Smart with Z-Wave Plus Technology Plug-in Outlet

www.leviton.com

You will need some sort of hub/controller for your z-wave devices to communicate with. Set timers for how long the fan runs after motion detected etc.

You can buy a room occupancy sensor switch as well for larger areas.

 

[BeezFun]

I bought this occupancy sensor for $30 at Menards and tested it in the garage wearing my horse costume. Seems to do the job so I'll wire it up in the next few days in the barn.

 

[grsthegreat]

Put up a pic of your horse costume

 

[CADplans]

Put up a pic of your horse costume

His wife tossed a saddle on him,,,
we can not divulge the rest on a family oriented forum,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[BeezFun]

Installation complete, here's the before with just the normal outlet. And by popular demand includes me in my horse costume that looks so realistic you'd hardly know it's me:



And after the install, with the sensor and sensor controlled outlet:



Total cost about $40, thanks again for the info on occupancy sensors.