Which Direction Should Ceiling Fans Spin in the Summer?

[Pengwuino]

I forget, which direction do you set ceiling fans to spin (clockwise or counter looking from below) in the summer? It's about 10,000 degrees and I am taking every measure not to die.

 

[Chi Meson]

The correct direction is whichever way makes it cooler for you. Mostly, that's when they are pushing air down, and that is most often counterclockwise. Some fans are "reverse threaded" though.

 

[Moonbear]

Whichever way blows the air at you. Usually clockwise, unless someone managed to install the fan blades backward. At least you didn't have to climb around with sheep in the heat. Even a fan wasn't helping me. Nothing but a cold shower followed up by a cold beer. The beer is more for the aching muscles from yesterday's adventures...I had one that injured a hoof and I was the only one at the farm and didn't see much point in bothering the vet on a Sunday when she'd do exactly what I could do...except I'm out of practice at flipping them onto their butts to treat feet...they don't sit that way willingly.

Edit: Or maybe that's counterclockwise? The edge of the blade that's highest should lead, and the lower side should follow, if that makes sense.

 

[Evo]

The correct direction is whichever way makes it cooler for you. Mostly, that's when they are pushing air down, and that is most often counterclockwise.

Correct answer.

 

[Astronuc]

Standard ceiling fan controls usually include one for speed (high, medium, low, and off), one for the light (on and off), and one for directional control of the fan blades (clockwise and counterclockwise). These vary depending on the make, model, and age of the fan; computerized and remote-controlled ceiling fans are becoming very popular as the technology becomes regularly available.

Ceiling fans are normally used as a cooling device in warm months by pushing air down from above, thereby creating a wind chill effect. In winter months, a ceiling fan can act as a heat transferrer by reversing the direction of the blades. By doing so, the fan pulls air up, thereby pushing the warmer air that stratifies near the ceiling down along the walls; as long as the fan is set at a low speed, this will not create a wind chill. A fan on reverse has the leading edge of the fan blades being the downward edge; in most cases this rotation is clockwise when the operator is standing below and looking upwards at the fan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceiling_fan

It depends on blade pitch. If you want the fan to push the air down, then it needs to be rotating in the direction of the higher side. If the high side is to the left looking up at the blade and from root over the top of one's head, then the fan should be turning counterclockwise to bring air down. If the high side is on the right side of the blade, then it should be turning clockwise.

 

[Cyrus]

Stick your head in the fanblades to find out, at eye level.

 

[Moonbear]

Stick your head in the fanblades to find out, at eye level.

You must have missed that MythBusters episode. All that'll do is give him a big lump on the forehead.

 

[Pengwuino]

You must have missed that MythBusters episode. All that'll do is give him a big lump on the forehead.

Yup! And then the fan would break!

Get out of my thread cyrus.

 

[Cyrus]

You guys obviously missed the metal industrial fan they used. That sliced into the guys head.

 

[chroot]

I once burned out a ceiling fan in the living room of my parents' house. I tied a 10-foot long piece of string to one of the blades, with a bunch of cheerios looped on the other end. Then I turned the fan on high and let the dog loose in the room.

Five minutes later, the dog had knocked over half the furniture in the room, caught the cheerios, and put the fan out of its misery.

- Warren

 

[Moonbear]

I once burned out a ceiling fan in the living room of my parents' house. I tied a 10-foot long piece of string to one of the blades, with a bunch of cheerios looped on the other end. Then I turned the fan on high and let the dog loose in the room.

Five minutes later, the dog had knocked over half the furniture in the room, caught the cheerios, and put the fan out of its misery.

- Warren

I'll bet the dog was quite amused, and the parents were not.

I apparently just can't tell clockwise from counterclockwise when looking up.

 

[Pengwuino]

You guys obviously missed the metal industrial fan they used. That sliced into the guys head.

Yes but i don't have a lawnmower attached to my steel bladed fan.

Its starting to smell like cooked fish in here...

 

[JamesU]

I think thatpengwuino should no longer be able to make pointless threads--every one of his threads has to be approved by me, cyrus, and Evo

 

[Pengwuino]

I think thatpengwuino should no longer be able to make pointless threads--every one of his threads has to be approved by me, cyrus, and Evo

Why should a bunch of kids have the same power as the supreme one?

 

[Moonbear]

I think thatpengwuino should no longer be able to make pointless threads--every one of his threads has to be approved by me, cyrus, and Evo

Ah, yes, because you're the expert on pointless threads, right?

 

[Pengwuino]

Ah, yes, because you're the expert on pointless threads, right?

high five moonbear!

 

[Danger]

I apparently just can't tell clockwise from counterclockwise when looking up.

Unless those sailors are all lying, you are perfectly well acquainted with which way the ceiling fan turns.

 

[Moonbear]

Unless those sailors are all lying, you are perfectly well acquainted with which way the ceiling fan turns.

Yeah, but I'm not thinking about whether it's clockwise or counter.

 

[Danger]

So as long as the guy's bent the right way, it doesn't matter about the fan? Too bad, Arildno... you lose.

 

[JamesU]

Ah, yes, because you're the expert on pointless threads, right?

That was a passing phase

 

[Schrodinger's Dog]

Don't ask me, depends whether your from the North of the Equator or south. It's something to do with the correiolous effect. If it's going the wrong way, sell it to your antipodean counterpart on e-bay.

 

[loseyourname]

I would have hoped that the fan installation resolved this problem for you.

Though a ceiling fan aint doin' jack in Fresno in the summer. That's like walking naked through Antarctica and putting on a scarf.

 

[Moonbear]

Though a ceiling fan aint doin' jack in Fresno in the summer. That's like walking naked through Antarctica and putting on a scarf.

I've been having the same problem lately. Blowing around hot air really doesn't help. Standing in front of the fans at the farm feels sort of like trying to cool off by standing in the "breeze" generated from the dryer vent. The place was crawling with HVAC guys two days ago, so I'm really hoping it's going to be repaired soon (I've already predicted they'll get all the parts and get the A/C fully operational by October, and then they'll start working on the heat in January when they realize that's not really working right either, and it'll be fixed by May ). I've found that ice water is very helpful, not to drink (I prefer room temp water to drink), but to pour over my head! At least the shower in the locker room at the farm works!

 

[pallidin]

I would suppose that it would be better for cooler air to go up versus hotter air going down.

Even still, there are reasons why ceiling fans blow downwards:
a) You don't want the piece of paper your holding in your hand to be sucked-up and possibly damaged.
b) You don't want your long hair to be sucked-up and twisted in the rotating blades.
c) Dust, cigarette smoke, etc... will quickly leave an unpleasent deposit on the ceiling above the fan if the fan blows upwards.
d) One feels a cooling, evaporative effect more pronounced when air is blown towards.