Insulated Tunnel Doors…A First Look

One of the challenges facing many growers during cold weather is keeping the tunnel curtain ends of their broiler houses warm and dry. There are a number of reasons for this problem, other than the obvious loose end wall door. First, in more and more houses the tunnel curtain is significantly larger than the remainder of the side wall curtains in the house. For instance, most tunnel curtains are approximately five feet in height whereas many side wall curtains are less than three feet in height.... Since curtains have a very low insulation value, this two-foot difference in height can result in brooders/furnaces in the vicinity of the tunnel curtain having to run 30% more than those in the remainder of the house in order to maintain the proper house temperature. Making matters worse is since the tunnel curtain has to be free to open and close it is often looser than the remainder of the side wall curtains in the house. Air leaking in from around the tunnel curtain can further increase the amount of time brooder/furnaces have to operate in this area of the house as well as lead to litter caking.