Forgotten Fundamentals of Ventilation in Swine Facilities

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Production by admin on July 22, 2015

Why do we ventilate?

We ventilate to provide good air quality (IAQ) and a healthier environment for both pigs and people. Improved health will mean improved profits and an easier production system to work with. A good ventilation system should provide fresh air and heating in the winter and cooling in the summer. Electrical energy costs for the ventilation system can be in the range from 30% for farrow and nursery facilities up to 80% in the grow/finisher. There are many different ventilation systems available to achieve the goal of good air quality. The ventilation system is typically made of a combination of the components inlets, fans, heating and control panels. Regardless of how simple or complicated the systems are, the goals are the same.  An understanding in pig behavior is essential for a proper management of the ventilation system. There are several factors that should be considered for a proper air quality: temperature, relative humidity, air placement, radiation and other gases. There are several items to gauge the level of IAQ of your ventilation system: temperature gauge, relative humidity meter, static pressure gauge, but even a general observation with your eyes and nose can detect inappropriate ventilation.

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