The real world of ventilation troubleshooting: A swine case study

Swine finishing facility ventilation has become relatively complex and is often mismanaged as a system. One of the few ways to truly understand these systems is to spend time systematically going through the many components of the building. To learn to help producers better, a team of university Extension specialists that included agricultural engineers and animal scientists spent an extended period carefully documenting conditions in a deep-pit swine finishing building with two 1,000-head rooms. Exhaustfans in the pit and walls operated at various stages throughout the year as a negative-pressure ventilation system. A computerized controller activated exhaust fans, a ventilation curtain actuator, and heaters. Gravity baffled ceiling inlets were evenly spaced in the building to provide good air distribution during cold and mild weather conditions. Following the review of current conditions and operating parameters, performance deficiencies were identf led and recommendations were given regarding controller settings, inlet settings, and curtain management. The overall operating characteristics of the ventilation system and air quality in the animal space were documented ventilation and related management changes were discussed with the owner/operator.