# Heat Lamp



## BattleLakeMN (Aug 13, 2016)

What are your thoughts about using heat lamps in barns. Up until now, I wouldn't consider using one for fear of fire, but I have a not quite week-old kid and am concerned she won't stay warm enough. She's in a small, dry, draft-free barn loaded with straw, and her mama does a good job of keeping her warm, and I have a sweater on her, but this morning her ears were pretty cold. It was around 1 degree. We have a beautiful week of temps in the 30s ahead (not dipping below 20 at night), but I'm in Minnesota, and this heat wave won't last. I currently have several metal heat lamps used for brooding pens, but I hate those. I have a Prima heat lamp on rush order.


----------



## Bansil (Jul 23, 2015)

I make sure that I have a good breaker (fast trip) and keep all cob webs etc away from the heat source (heat source is the bulb face etc)

I use the IR red lamps, it radiates and actually heats the objects around them, the walls,floor and bed area,

these type https://www.amazon.com/Philips-4158...8&qid=1484684415&sr=8-5&keywords=ir+heat+lamp









and *DO NOT USE* these clip on type holders










use actual outdoors flood lamp bases and run 12 ga wire (good for 20 amps 120v) like these made from aluminum and just mount to electrical box 









MY reasoning is that these lamps Heat the area, surfaces and not the air!!, with those aluminum reflectors the will over heat the bulbs,wire and mount...which is bad, these IR type bulbs do not need to have heat concentrated










Notice orange/red glow? the wood and ground in the light area is warm to the touch, the areas under the ledges, actually stays cooler, so they have 5+ areas with different climates, since these bulbs do not warm the air, you do not get the condensation problems either

the 250w 120v lights only pull about 2.1 amps, and I started to use LED bulbs for regular no heat lighting, very low power draw and no heat

https://www.amazon.com/Philips-461129-Equivalent-White-16-Pack/dp/B01CAL1EMY/ref=sr_1_5?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1484684971&sr=1-5&keywords=led+light+bulbs

they start at -5* no problem, seem to be shock resistant and best part? nice white light and pull .08 amps!!!!

so a regular 60w bulb will have yellowish light and pull about .5 amps; so 6 led lights use as much power as 1 60w regular bulb!

power savings and NO HEAT

these are just some suggestions I have been doing


----------



## Buck Naked Boers (Oct 15, 2012)

Yep we love the heat lamps like prima. I think those are fine. Metal kind are the ones that are less safe.


----------



## Buck Naked Boers (Oct 15, 2012)

So bansil are these red lamps good too?

https://www.premier1supplies.com/p/heat-lamp-bulbs

I've been using the 175 watt
Clear bulbs but they aren't very warm. I'm thinking the red would be better in 250 watt? But not sure if using 175 watt in red would be warmer than the clear bulbs. What do you think?

So I'm trying to decide get the red 250 watt or red 175watt. The clear 175 watt aren't warm enough.

Thanks for your thoughts.


----------



## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

following


----------



## Bansil (Jul 23, 2015)

On phone i will answer better tomorrow at work 
If i forget comment in thread and i will get email


----------



## Bansil (Jul 23, 2015)

I am not sure about those bulbs,will try to look more, biggest issue off the bat is if they actually put them in plastic cages 3 inches above the kids,that is stupid....period,they would melt plastic and burn the kids.

The bulbs i use i mount them about 6-1/2 feet high and aimed at thier area, their space is fairly wind proof and stays warm to the touch

Infared is a spectrum of light and is awesome gor this, these bulbs will kill plants in a greenhouse if pointed at them.
I use them in the greenhouses pointed at the concrete to warm it up so heat rises

Oops gotta go..dinner time


----------



## Bansil (Jul 23, 2015)

SO looking at that lamp you showed is not what you want, and they last up to 6 months and at lower rating it is not enough heat to work at a safe distance

The Philip 250w I linked to has been great for well over a year, we have 4 of them for various duties

do not put in a covered/hooded shroud they will overheat and cause issues

I will try to snap a picture tonite of setup

*EDIT on 01/19/17, I do not like it because it is plastic and 250w is a lot of heat, this is just my preference, and using a 250w bulb real close could sunburn the kids I think*








A 250w bulb will be very hot on your hand 6 inches away, try it before you put it to close to the kids


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I do agree.


----------



## Bansil (Jul 23, 2015)

re-read and this lamp setup may not give the little one the best heat unless you can get it closer, with out a bigger goat hitting it, or a active kid... being a baby I don't know if they can "soak up" the IR heat from far away, they may need both


----------



## Buck Naked Boers (Oct 15, 2012)

Pam you don't like the premier 1 lamps??
I think they are really safe. 
Why couldn't someone use their 250 watt in them? 

Not sure if he's answering me or what. But if they say you can use those bulbs I gave a link to,it should be safe. The lamp covers are difficult to open. A kid couldn't do anything to it I doubt. I use the 175 watt right now but it's not quite warm enough. So was asking about the 250 watt. 

They are good lamps.


----------



## Bansil (Jul 23, 2015)

Buck Naked Boers said:


> So bansil are these red lamps good too?
> 
> https://www.premier1supplies.com/p/heat-lamp-bulbs
> 
> ...


Sorry for confusion, IR lights can be red or clear, some animals can not sleep with white IR lights and they are bright.

In this case you will not have a heat difference between their red or white IR bulbs, 175w is 175w

So you will need to step up to 250w for more heat, I like the red because it is easier on the eyes and is a different color than daylight and gives a warm glow

Hope that helps

Big thing is to look at heat lamps and not flood lamps (like used on porches/garages etc because they are just hot lights and not IR so they will heat the air and not surfaces)


----------



## Buck Naked Boers (Oct 15, 2012)

Thank you for the explanation. So did you look at the link I gave above? Premier 1 makes their lights just for baby animals and chickens etc. the covers click into a locked position and even when they are knocked around do not break or open. Or haven't done so at our farm. It's pretty durable.

You said they would be too hot. I think you meant the flood lights would be too hot that you buy in a Home Depot store. But I'm not talking about those kind. I speaking about the link I gave above to the premier 1 lights. I would think they would be good right?

The ones that premier 1 carries they are infrared and have the option of smooth or pressed glass lamps and option of clear or pressed glass.

I'm wondering if I used the pressed glass in 175 watt and bought the red lamps if that would be much warmer? I've been using clear 175's and I don't think they are the pressed glass but the smooth glass kind.

The 250 watt sound too hot?

What do you think? I use the premier 1 covers and I don't have them up in a corner away from my animals like you do I think? I think you put your up high away from the animals. I put mine in a corner hooked onto the side of my stall in the corner high enough for them to walk under it but low enough it will shine on them.

Thank you for your thoughts on all this. Sorry for all my questions. I was hoping someone would comment on the premier lights who use them. But so far I don't think anyone has. 

I'm going to call the company tho and ask them too.

Appreciate your help!

Tami


----------



## Bansil (Jul 23, 2015)

Sorry so long :shocked:

The color of the lens in IR lamps will not effect the heat they give off so red or clear is still 175w only difference is color to the naked eye

Now when you know how many W you are using you can find out how much heat you are making as a_ bi-product_ of the light

175w produces about 597 BTU

now bump up to 250w and you get about 853 BTU

a 60w bulb puts off about 204 BTU and a 100w bulb provides about 341 BTU (this is why a bare hanging bulb will keep a small green house from freezing or maybe an old tractor from being stubborn to start...old skool there)

why these numbers are important (this is not for flouresant, LED etc...just old fashion type bulbs)

if you take the W and divide by power source, 110v you get the amount of amps needed to power the light
60w ~ .55 amps
100w ~ .9 amps
175w ~ 1.6 amps
250w ~ 2.3 amps

This is important for your barn because you do not want to over load the wiring, which causes excess heat which will melt the plastic wire cover and...a possible fire

Let's say you need light in your new to you barn, you grab an extension cord and plug it into a 15 amp house receptacle to power the barn, and then you hook up 8 lights (big barn) and put 60w bulbs in, you now are creating 480w of heat and using 4.5 amps of power total you are good to go with most box store cheap extension cords 16/14 awg wire (always read label)

Conductor Ampacity
Conductor Size (AWG)	Ampacity (Amps)
16 10
14 15
12 20

Now swap out those bulbs for bright 100w ones and then you are at 7.5 amps

I will not getting into wire run lengths vs voltage drop etc (info is out there via google)

Don't forget a heated water bucket is 1.5 amps or so

SO when you add in heat lamps and such you run out of power and you start to overload the 16 awg cord (this is why high W items like cook tops say do not use extension cords)

So with 8 light bulbs a couple heat lamps for chickens and other critters you are over loading and heating up the wiring in your barn, and then add into the equation older barns sometimes didnt have breakers/fuses for what ever reason and you have a very good chance to start a fire, and with no breaker/fuse a mouse can start a fire just as easily

also all the energy used on lights may mean no extra for a fridge, tv etc

This is why I moved to florescent (low power but stubborn to start in cold weather), then cam new ones with built in ballist even better, and now latest round is LED bulbs, love them even 60W LED have better light than an old 100w (took this last night)

*1 LED bulb *(60w compared) at top of door frame










SO NOW I am barely using 1/4W to light the barn and have a reserve for saws, grinders whatever

Here is Andrious and his brother Mordichia enjoying their light


----------



## Bansil (Jul 23, 2015)

Not sure what the real difference is in the smooth v/s pressed bulbs :scratch:

only thing that worries me with the plastic housing is you can not touch or get w/i an inch or two to bulb face with out burning your hand, I do not know how the plastic would hold up

Obviously it does or they wouldn't sell them, it is just not something I would use

Do you have a temp gun? maybe some testing and a review would help us all?

Whatcha think?


----------



## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

The smooth glass shatters if it gets a drop of water on it, the pressed glass doesn't.


----------



## Buck Naked Boers (Oct 15, 2012)

Thanks for the information above. Yeah I don't think they would sell them if the covers melted. All I know is I run my lights all night when I have babies. And I use 175 watt right now. They aren't ever hot on the outside of the plastic to the touch. Not that I remember. I have kidding season coming up in June. Probably late June this year so I may not need them much depending on temps at night. Sometimes June is cool here....we are higher elevation.

I am going to ask the company and see what they say about wattage and the lamp cover as well as difference in the pressed glass. It is good to know about the red vs white lights not being any different in the heat. I was wondering about that.

I am going to probably order some 250 watts to try but will talk with the company first.

My barn is fairly new and we have special plugs that have the overload lights on them...forget the technical term for them. But I think if they get hot they pop off. I haven't ever had any issues. I have a barn camera though too and keep an eye on my barn esp when we have babies.

Thank you again for all this information! Appreciate it!

Tami


----------



## Buck Naked Boers (Oct 15, 2012)

Oh I just saw your post Jill, that is good to know too! Thank you! Tami


----------



## IHEARTGOATS (Jun 14, 2016)

I have the lights from Premier and I think they work really well.

We purchased them at the recommendation of other local breeders who were using them.

The plastic is heat resistant and they are very safe

They will work with 250 watt, but they recommend and we use 175 watt and it is enough heat.

Of course I have Nigerians and can put it about 16" above ground.


----------



## Bansil (Jul 23, 2015)

I book marked their sight, those would work good with baby alpacas, thanks for more info IHEARTGOATS , real time reviews are an added bonus


----------



## Buck Naked Boers (Oct 15, 2012)

Yes that is what we use as well....that was what I was trying to explain. =) Didn't have pic because I don't have babies right now. =) I use 175 watt but it didn't seem very warm to me. So that is what I was wondering about (250 watt). I think I may need to try using them with a board or something behind them. I just have basically fence wire with a couple boards behind them. So it doesn't really shelter that area. That would probably keep the heat in better! =)

Thank you I heart goats....appreciate this info and what works at your farm! =)

tami


----------



## BattleLakeMN (Aug 13, 2016)

Thank you for the feedback. Appreciated!


----------



## bornagain62511 (Mar 3, 2015)

how warm do newborn Nigerian Dwarf kids need it? if they are in a garage that stays between 40 and 45 degrees is that warm enough during their first few days and weeks of life? or is that too cold? I have a doe that might be due in the next week or two, and I'm not sure if I need a heat lamp if I keep them in the garage where it's 40 to 45 degrees?

thanks


----------



## IHEARTGOATS (Jun 14, 2016)

bornagain62511 said:


> how warm do newborn Nigerian Dwarf kids need it? if they are in a garage that stays between 40 and 45 degrees is that warm enough during their first few days and weeks of life? or is that too cold? I have a doe that might be due in the next week or two, and I'm not sure if I need a heat lamp if I keep them in the garage where it's 40 to 45 degrees?
> 
> thanks


That's warm enough
.
I really only worry about it unless it's freezing or below the day they are born and for a couple of days after.

If they are a week old and it's freezing around 32 or so I usually don't worry at all.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Buck Naked Boers said:


> Pam you don't like the premier 1 lamps??
> I think they are really safe.
> Why couldn't someone use their 250 watt in them?
> 
> ...


 I haven't used the Premier 1 yet, but they say they are safe and can use up to 250 watt bulbs. So any more watts may do harm.


----------



## bornagain62511 (Mar 3, 2015)

IHEARTGOATS said:


> That's warm enough
> .
> I really only worry about it unless it's freezing or below the day they are born and for a couple of days after.
> 
> If they are a week old and it's freezing around 32 or so I usually don't worry at all.


thank you!


----------

