# 250 Watts 24/7



## bill not in oh (Jul 27, 2004)

OK you A.E. experts - here's my situation, and it's been quite a few years since I studied up on solar, so I'm sure there's a lot of new things to consider since then.

I live in NE Ohio (lots of cloudy days)
My property is about 2400' long and pretty narrow, so I'd eventually like to have an outbuilding about every 400' (which would give me about one per acre+).

What would it take to power one 250 watt heat lamp for brooding chicks? That would probably be the most challenge that I would present to a system (at least at this point).


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## mightybooboo (Feb 10, 2004)

Just curious,does that heat run how many days straight?

BooBoo


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## bill not in oh (Jul 27, 2004)

10-14 - depends on how quickly they feather out


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

6000 per day times how many ... ?

Lots of PV and batterys 

Hope your pockets are deep

for the short term a inexpensive generator would be a bunch less $$$


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## mightybooboo (Feb 10, 2004)

So if he got 4 hrs total worth of good sun,would he need 1500 watts of panels?

What are the amp hrs required from the battery bank per day if no sun.Would it be better to have a LOT of battery capacity and lesser panels,in that he could charge during the off days and build a surplus?

I wish I could do those numbers,that part is just beyond me.Im sure curious to see how the number crunching comes up,great question!

BooBoo


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## 12vman (Feb 17, 2004)

That's what I came up with.. Around 1500 watts.. With around 600+ aH. reserve on the battery. And that's cutting it close! Around 504 aH/day @ 12 v.d.c. (Not including the 20% normal losses in the battery)

'bout a 21 amp draw with an inverter @ 12 volts.. constant.. Ouch!

Hay BooBoo.. Use this.. It's neat..
http://www.angelfire.com/pa/baconbacon/page2.html


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

Ya gotta add in the "cloudy day-right-when-you- need it- factor"

Yup "ouch" is right.


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## moopups (May 12, 2002)

Moral of this story; its a lot easier to move chickens than electricity... much less costly also.


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## bill not in oh (Jul 27, 2004)

OK, I think I get the picture here - moopups summed it up pretty well.

How about a source of heat other than the heat lamp? I need to keep a [fairly] constant 90-100 degrees for a week, then drop the temp a couple of degrees per day for the second week.

Passive collector with a small thermostat-regulated PV-powered pump to circulate warm water through a radiant floor?

Smaller wattage bulb with an insulated smaller space?

Different type of electric heat source? Ceramic?

I'll only need to use this from April through October, therefore avoiding the REAL challenge of winter temps and snow loads.


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## rambler (Jan 20, 2004)

bill in oh said:


> Passive collector with a small thermostat-regulated PV-powered pump to circulate warm water through a radiant floor?
> .


Wood or propane water heater setup, with the above? Solar is great if you have the sun for it, 'here' we have just had 2 sunny days in the past 14 days, not sure we could maintain the heat in the tank?

--->Paul


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## mightybooboo (Feb 10, 2004)

12vman said:


> That's what I came up with.. Around 1500 watts.. With around 600+ aH. reserve on the battery. And that's cutting it close! Around 504 aH/day @ 12 v.d.c. (Not including the 20% normal losses in the battery)
> 
> 'bout a 21 amp draw with an inverter @ 12 volts.. constant.. Ouch!
> 
> ...


Thank you,that is a good site! :nerd: 

As for the 21 amp draw,thats not bad,until you use the word CONSTANT.

BooBoo


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## Dahc (Feb 14, 2006)

Try an insulated pasture hover for brooding:

http://www.plamondon.com/pasture_hover.html

You'll use much less lectricity.


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## WanderingOak (Jul 12, 2004)

Generating heat is probably the most inefficient use of electricity. You wouldn't use solar to run an electric stove would you? Your batteries would be stone dead in five minutes. If I was in your position, I would use a LP or Kerosene heater. Wood is another option, although it would require more hands-on fuel loading. You could have a small PV setup for energy efficient lighting and a blower motor, but I wouldn't use PV for heat.


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## kabri (May 14, 2002)

We're planning to build off-grid in the near future as well. I've read that there is such a thing as a propane brooder. that is the way we will go for our poultry as well.


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## vicker (Jul 11, 2003)

We brood our chicks with a kerosene lantern hung on a wire and just a couple inches off the ground. We have a piece of flashing that we put up and cover the end that has the lantern in it with tin foil. the chicks do fine. If they are warm they go out, and if they are cool they come near the lantern.
It works for us.


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## JAK (Oct 15, 2005)

Do folks ever brood chicks in basements to recover the heat, or are there issues with that. Do wood stoves make good brooders? I suppose if there is a cat under the wood stove it would not be a good idea.


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

A kerosene lantern heater.........wow.. neat idea

And what a monster price difference to a solar system.

Even with todays *oil* prices. Diesel today was $ 3.06 gal.
Still, think how long a gallon would last in a kero lantern ....


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## WisJim (Jan 14, 2004)

JAK said:


> Do folks ever brood chicks in basements to recover the heat, or are there issues with that. Do wood stoves make good brooders? I suppose if there is a cat under the wood stove it would not be a good idea.


People used to brood their chicks in a corner of the kitchen by the wood cookstove. Takes some attention to keep the temps at the chicks right, but no extra equipment.


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## raymilosh (Jan 12, 2005)

not to throw you off the 250 watt/ solar question too much, but some of the posts about other sources of heat seem to br reasonable considerations. 
Here are some some ideas (no pressure):
I have used much less wattage bulbs for warming chicks. 
Presently, I am using hens to brood chicks and they're happy to do it for free.
Using the solar to overheat a mass during the day which cools slowly at night may also work (Perhaps as direct solar gain). The chicks know how to regulate their body temps to the proper level by moving in relation to the heat source.
A description of the kerosene lamp brooder is at 
http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/device/devicesToC.html#contents

Look under list #5 Poultry and Bees. Scroll down to the Homemade brooder


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

Get a half dozen to dozen banny hens... they'll do all the brooding for you, and they work for chicken feed...literally.

I had a gas heater keeping my first brooder warm, back in 97... That batch of chicks included a dozen bantams... After that, the banny hens would incubate and hatch and brood and raise any eggs/chicks I put under em... No more fussing with feedstores/hatcheries, no worrying about the gas going off (or the electricity)...


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## jefferson (Nov 11, 2004)

I like the texicans solution!!!! Much easier on the pockebook.


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## mightybooboo (Feb 10, 2004)

jefferson said:


> I like the texicans solution!!!! Much easier on the pockebook.


Yup,I think Texican came up with the best solution.
Another great answer to file away in the brain.

BooBoo


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## MichelleB (Jan 18, 2005)

Another thing about banties, they're nearly as good as guineas for tick patrol. Double duty! 

I have to say, it's a very good question--as somebody going off-grid soon, it made me go, "OH CRAP--HOW DO I BROOD CHICKS?" Well, problem solved. 

Now, how do I shave the beau's back every day? How many watts will THAT take? (checking specs on Oster horse clipper...)


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