Barn Curtain Buyer's Guide

FarmTek is the world's leading barn curtain manufacturer! Planning on purchasing roll-up or drop-down curtain to install in your barn or livestock building? This helpful guide can assist with designing a system to meet your needs. The two commonly used barn curtain configurations are Drop-Down and Roll-Up styles.

Drop-Down Barn Curtain

The Drop-Down method means that the curtain will "drop down" to allow for ventilation of housing. It is commonly used in poultry and hog operations. This provides ventilation to the barn without drafts directed at animal level. Instead the incoming air is above animals and mixes with the warmer air closer to the ceiling. In poultry operations if a situation occurs where fans and electrical ventilation have been suspended due to loss of electricity, a drop-down can be automatically wired to open and close. This action can save a house as birds can die within five minutes without the proper ventilation. A drop-down curtain configuration requires a winch and pulley system that uses various pieces of hardware to construct.

Roll-Up Barn Curtain

Roll-Up curtain is commonly used in dairy operations. It allows natural lighting and ventilation in barn structures. A roll-up curtain's configuration requires conduit and crank system that uses various pieces of hardware to construct. It is recommended that wire mesh be used to prevent the cows from licking the curtains.

Selecting Barn Curtain

The first step in setting up your barn curtain is to choose a curtain material. Material is available in a variety of weights and styles including PolyMax, VinylTek and other specialty materials. The width of the curtain should be large enough to cover the opening plus an additional three inches for a large hem, three inches for overlap and six inches for attaching to the barn. The length should be two feet longer than the opening to engage the curtain pockets. If you are planning to make your own curtain pockets make sure to include an additional six feet of length. Our barn curtains come with a small hem accommodating up to 0.922" OD swaged pipe. For a perfect barn curtain installation, we recommend our swaged curtain conduit. Medium and large hems are also available. Medium hems accommodate up to 1.66" OD pipe and large hems accommodate up to 1.90" OD pipe. We suggest large hems for roll-up curtain applications.

Barn curtain is available in different styles to meet specific chicken, dairy and swine applications. PolyMax 5.2 ounce barn curtain is stronger than any other medium weight barn curtain. It is superior to poultry house curtains and features added UV inhibitors. This curtain will not tear or rot and has superior cold crack resistance. PolyMax 7.5 oz. curtain is an excellent choice for hog and dairy housing. PolyMax Premium 6 oz. Black/white blackout curtain is specially formulated for broiler houses and will prevent light penetration more completely than any other poultry house curtain. To achieve total darkness we recommend using PolyMax Ultra Blackout barn curtain which combines two 6 oz. layers for a total weight of 12 oz. Insulated curtain comes in both standard and quilted styles. This type of curtain helps to reduce heating costs in livestock buildings, especially in extremely cold climates and on the north side of buildings. Insulated curtain with 12" clear PVC strips is also available to allow light in while the curtain is closed. This feature reduces lighting costs while keeping the cold out. Our quilted insulated black out curtain is an ideal choice for poultry and livestock housed in standard and tunnel vented barns. VinylTek 16 oz. Curtain has a "see through" effect which lets the sun shine in providing a nourishing environment for your livestock that will help promote faster weight gain and conserve your energy costs. Our very best 22 ounce coated vinyl curtain is constructed from 22 x 20 1000 denier woven polyester that has a temperature range of -22 degrees Fahrenheit to 158 degrees Fahrenheit and is flame resistant. Custom printing is available on the white 22 oz. Coated vinyl curtain. Advertise your farm, business or company right on your building! For further information on affordable custom printing please contact us for details.

Recommended Curtain Hardware for a Drop-Down Setup

A manual Hand Winch and Winch Mounting Brackets are used to raise and lower the curtain. The cable is connected to the winch with a cable keeper. It is then run up and over the top of the curtain where the counterweight is hung. The counterweight will keep tension on the cable. It is tied off with one thimble and two cable clamps. The cable is threaded through the two corner cable pulleys that are attached with open eye hooks.

Winch

Winch Mounting Bracket

Pulley

Counterweight

Galvanized Cable

The recommended cable is 1/8" in diameter and 7 x 19 for strength and flexibility. The length of cable required is equal to the length of your curtain plus four curtain widths (height). An additional pulley may be required for curtain widths over four feet in width on which to hang the counterweight. The counterweight needs to be at least two curtain widths from the corner pulley to be able to open your curtain fully.

Fastening Strips are used to secure the top of the curtain to the barn. Insert the conduit within the hem located at the lower edge of the curtain. One end of each 8' or 10' long rod is crimped for 2.5" that result in strong, overlapping connections. You may need to order one additional rod to compensate depending on the number of crimped connections. Fabric Clips are placed over the inserted conduit every three to four feet to prevent the conduit from spinning within the hem.

Drop-Down Barn Curtain

Roll-Up Barn Curtain

Drop assemblies are recommended every four to six feet depending on the length and width of the curtain as well as the weight of the curtain material selected. Each drop assembly consists of one curtain pulley that is installed with an open eye screw hook and one adjustable plastic thumb nut. The polyester drop cord is attached to the top and is then threaded through a curtain pulley and finally attached to the cable with a thumb nut.

The length of the drop cord required is equivalent to the width of the curtain x the length of the curtain divided by 5'. These drop assemblies need to be adjusted regularly to keep the conduit hanging evenly for best performance. The distance between the corner pulley and the first thumb nut needs to be twice the width of the curtain to ensure the curtain can be opened all of the way.

Fabric Clip

Cable Clamps

Curtain Conduit

Curtain Clamps

Curtain Thumb Nut

The 3/16" diameter Poly Rope is used on the exterior of the installation to prevent the billowing of the curtain. The rope is woven in a zigzag pattern through closed eye hooks that are spaced every two feet. The rope should be pulled firmly and tied. After installation, regular maintenance is required to keep this tight.

At the bottom of the opening, curtain brackets are used to keep the rope from interfering with the curtain when the curtain is open. Curtain pockets provide a channel for the curtain to slide in and prevent the ends from billowing or catching the wind. Bird netting is used to cover the opening to prevent birds from entering when the curtain is open. This also prevents the curtain from blowing inside the building. Use the poly netting or PVC coated hex and install with staples.

Batten Strips

Poly Rope

Curtain Cord

Hand Crank Assembly

Roll-Up Assembly

Please bear in mind that this guide provides general information and that some measurements may vary. If you have any questions or require assistance with ordering barn curtain, please let us know.

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