Keep Cool in Summer: AC + 3 Portable Fans

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the efficiency and effectiveness of using portable fans in conjunction with an air conditioner during hot weather. Participants explore the impact of fans on room temperature, energy consumption, and humidity levels, considering both theoretical and practical aspects of cooling strategies.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question whether the heat generated by portable fans negates their cooling benefits when used with an air conditioner.
  • Others suggest that modern portable fans are efficient enough not to significantly increase room temperature.
  • A participant draws an analogy between the operation of a fridge and the heat dynamics involved, suggesting that leaving a fridge door open can indeed warm a room.
  • Another participant argues that a fridge cools by transferring heat, implying that it does contribute to warming the surrounding area when left open.
  • There are inquiries about the interaction between two fans positioned in front and behind a person, questioning whether they would effectively cool or repel each other.
  • Some participants highlight the importance of humidity in cooling effectiveness, noting that fans are more beneficial when humidity is reduced by an air conditioner.
  • Personal experiences are shared regarding comfort levels at different air conditioner settings when combined with fan use.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the impact of fans on room temperature and the efficiency of cooling strategies. There is no consensus on whether fans add significant heat or if they enhance cooling when used with air conditioning.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference various assumptions about the efficiency of fans and air conditioners, the role of humidity, and the thermodynamic principles involved, but these assumptions remain unresolved and are not universally accepted.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to individuals seeking practical advice on cooling strategies in hot climates, as well as those curious about the thermodynamics of refrigeration and air conditioning systems.

JimmyJockstrap
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I have an air conditioner running and also 3 powerful portable fans on me

at 12 oclock, 4 oclock and 8 oclock 3 ways if u know what i mean.

Do these portable fans add too much extra heat into the room to make them inefficient and an air conditioner on its own more efficient?
 
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Somewhere I heard that a fan alone vs. an air conditioner (with the same ft3/min capacity?) uses an average 1% of the electricity that the latter does.
 
Is the electricity used comparable to the amount of heat a fan produces?

like the analogy of leaving the fridge door open and the the room gets hotter.
 
Most modern portable room fans are efficient enough that they will not add significant heat to the room. Using the fans plus the air conditioner will keep you the coolest.
 
Leaving a fridge door open surely can't make your room hotter...doesnt a fridge make air inside of it as cool as the amount of air heated up round the back of one q(system)=q(surroundings)
 
Yes, a fridge will heat up a room. If you want it to cool the room, build it into the wall so the heat exchanger coils project out into someone else's room.
 
Mwhaha the perfect crime :)
 
I'm having deja vu - I think we had this precise question within the past month and the same people answered it the same way!
 
AbedeuS said:
Leaving a fridge door open surely can't make your room hotter...doesnt a fridge make air inside of it as cool as the amount of air heated up round the back of one q(system)=q(surroundings)
A fridge or air conditioner moves a certain amount of heat from one coil to another. To do that, it uses a compressor which adds some heat to the refrigerant, making the hot coil hotter than the cold coil is cold. In other words, yes, leaving your fridge door open will warm up your house.
 
  • #10
my dad says fridges don't cool they just suck the hot air out of the fridge through coils
 
  • #11
If i have fan 1 metre in front of me and 1 metre behind me will they repel each other or will they still cool me?
 
  • #12
JimmyJockstrap said:
If i have fan 1 metre in front of me and 1 metre behind me will they repel each other or will they still cool me?

Try it. Tell us what you learn.
 
  • #13
If you have a fan blowing on you and the humidity is 100%, it does no good at all. If you run the A/C, it will cool the air and remove humidity. Removing the humidity makes the fan cool you off by evaporation. I think you can turn the A/C up a little higher and have a fan blowing on you. This is more efficient than just turning the A/C down.
 
  • #14
From personal experience: I can turn the A/C to about 72 degrees and feel comfortable, or I can turn the A/C to 75 degrees with a fan blowing on me and feel about the same comfort.
Texas is hot, and it all about getting rid of the humidity. Fans work great if you can get the humidity down...
 

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