We have just doubled the size of our domestic chicken flock and I have adapted a Keter plastic garden shed into a new chicken coop to house up to 12 hens. We have always used wooden coops up until now, but they are are havens for red mite and lice, which can be difficult to eliminate. A plastic coop has fewer nooks and crannies and can be easily cleaned and pressure washed. The hens have the run of our large garden during the day but will be roosting on the coop overnight, if we can ever stop the new hens from roosting on the roof and the surrounding trees! It has an automatic door (a 'Chickenguard' model) which opens and closes according to light levels.
However, it gets very warm in there and the heat hangs around into the evening. I have bought and installed a solar panel kit that includes two fans to extract warm air at roof apex level. I have also fitted hit-and-miss vents at floor level to allow fresh air in. My problem is this; the controller has built in lithium batteries that will keep the fans running once there is insufficient light for the panel to operate, but this means that once they are exhausted the controller shuts down. Despite the fact that (at the moment - July) the panel is probably generating from about 5am, the controller does not automatically switch the fans back on, which requires them to be manually switched on the next morning.
I happen to have a seperate 12v electronic timer which, if I could integrate it, I would like to use to bypass the existing controller. I really need something that will automatically supply power to the fans, via the timer, in the morning. Is there a controller that will take power from the panel and that doesn't require a manual start-up? The fans will need to operate from about 6am, or once there is sufficient energy to run the fans. The start time will be changed as the days grow shorter or longer.
I hope this makes sense, but please ask me any questions if it's not clear.
However, it gets very warm in there and the heat hangs around into the evening. I have bought and installed a solar panel kit that includes two fans to extract warm air at roof apex level. I have also fitted hit-and-miss vents at floor level to allow fresh air in. My problem is this; the controller has built in lithium batteries that will keep the fans running once there is insufficient light for the panel to operate, but this means that once they are exhausted the controller shuts down. Despite the fact that (at the moment - July) the panel is probably generating from about 5am, the controller does not automatically switch the fans back on, which requires them to be manually switched on the next morning.
I happen to have a seperate 12v electronic timer which, if I could integrate it, I would like to use to bypass the existing controller. I really need something that will automatically supply power to the fans, via the timer, in the morning. Is there a controller that will take power from the panel and that doesn't require a manual start-up? The fans will need to operate from about 6am, or once there is sufficient energy to run the fans. The start time will be changed as the days grow shorter or longer.
I hope this makes sense, but please ask me any questions if it's not clear.
