A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about getting some space heaters put in at the farm and how well they worked at warming up the room temperature. I forgot to mention that we made sure to switch the ceiling fans around to run the other direction for "Winter".
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| Ceiling fan direction, image courtesy of Hansen Wholesale |
I found the image at Hansen Wholesale where they have more information about the process and the science behind it that you can read about.
EDIT: The direction is as you look up at the fan. Easy way is to just turn it to low, wait for it to slow down and then just look up. Doesn't matter where you stand, just look up and see if the blades are rotating clockwise or counterclockwise and adjust accordingly.
CLOCKWISE - Winter (warming effect)
COUNTER CLOCKWISE - Summer (cooling effect)
It worked great. When I got there, I realized the fans were still spinning counterclockwise which is the way they should be for Summer. This pushes air down and blows it around you, making it feel cooler. So I turned them off, waited for them to stop spinning and then flipped the switch. I also followed the suggestion of turning them to the lowest speed in order to draw the air up and then push it down and out without giving you the wind chill effect that you actually want in the Summer heat.
As I said in the earlier post, the room warmed up quickly and I know the fan direction made a huge difference. All you could feel was a gentle warmth circulating around the room which is definitely what you want in cold Winter.
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| Polar Vortex record low temperature map, image courtesy of NOAA Mesonet |
With the record cold blast affecting most of the country right now, I figured if something might help us all be a bit more comfortable or make the heating more efficient, I'll post it. I know I could never remember which way is the right way, so hey...flip your switch this Winter and maybe it will help to keep your house a little bit warmer!
And in the meantime...
EDIT: Great suggestion from Galestorm, this would be a great time to clean your fan blades! It is always amazing how quickly they can get dusty and, if you have pets, hairy! If you forget, and the blades go the other direction, it will all blow off into the room and that's never a good thing, ha.
fan direction makes a huge difference! we are -30 windchill here this morning and the whole city is basically shut down.
ReplyDeleteIt really does make a difference. -30? Holy cow!!! Stay in and stay warm.
DeleteI am always confused about which direction the fans should spin for which season ... and still wonder .. is the assumption we are looking UP when determining the direction, or looking down as looking at an illustration on paper in your hands? I have a very curious mind and things like this seem to confuse me most!! Thanks!!
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DeleteHm, when I look up and imagine my fan as a clock and the blades on the fan as clock hands, it still runs the same as when I look down at my watch? Maybe it's one of those things like on that cool show "Brain Games" on NatGeo channel, ha.
DeleteIt is kind of confusing isn't it? I had to lay on the bed and hold my arm up like i was looking at a watch. I edited the post to maybe make it easier. Of course, I might have to look back at this next Summer to remember again, lol.
DeleteGranny, where did your post go??
DeleteJanie V, I still have to look, ha. And yes, I've send that show on cable, it's pretty neat.
I assumed, from Janie V's reply, that it sounded like my brain wasn't working very well, so I deleted my comment. Then you wrote that you had to lie on the bed and hold your arm up to look at your watch, which is basically what I said and deleted. Now I don't feel so dumb ;-)
DeleteGRANNY! I think most of us would admit to having to do that. I really did lay on the bed, look up, and hold my arm up. Then I stood up to reach the switch and got confused. LOL!
DeleteAnd the show brain games is about optical illusions, it's really kind of a fun show. It's amazing how the brain and our eyes can interpret things differently from different angles.
Don't worry at all. I get confused looking in my rear view mirror and driving backwards, go figure. :-)
Hello Annies Granny. I didn't mean to make you feel bad. I just meant that it was one of those things where maybe people can see the same thing differently. I think our heads can be wired like that. I've watched that show Brain Games and they talk about how some people can view something differently than others. No offense! Now I'm off to visit your blog, hehe.
DeletePretty simple. If its hot, blow a fan on you. If its winter make it not blow on you. If it does the reverse of what you want, stop the fan. Hit the switch. Back in business. :)
DeleteI have a fan aimed at the firebox in the corner. It blows the air across the top of it, and hits the wall behind, pushing the heat out into the room. Also cooling the firebox so that it can continue to absorb heat instead of just going up the chimney.
:)
Thanks for the info. Most of the country is quite frigid and am hoping everyone is able to stay warm. In Arizona we are not quite as frigid though there was ice in the bird bath water yesterday and it looks like the lantana got hit a bit but I covered last night. Stay warm!
ReplyDeleteOooh, I love lantana. Hope it survives. It's usually pretty hardy to light freezes. I think most of the country was in the low digits, crazy huh? Stay warm!
DeleteI've just been watching about the polar vortex here on the UK news - it looks horrendous
ReplyDeleteWe are having major floods all over the country.
Please keep warm !!
I had never heard of a polar vortex until this week. I hope we never hear of it again, ha. Flooding again? Didn't it just flood a few weeks ago too? Y'all stay safe (and dry!).
DeleteThank you thank you. I never remember to turn the fans on in the winter and we have an easy reverse switch too. I put the two on in the great room and the one here in my study. There's one in the bedroom I'll switch on too and see if Dan notices the difference tonight.
ReplyDeleteIt was only a random flash through my mind that made me remember to do it. That's why I figured a post might help others remember, ha. Let us know if he noticed. :-)
DeleteJust remember to dust before change the direction!! I always forget.
ReplyDeleteShould read, before "changing" the direction!
DeleteI edited to add that, great suggestion. Thank you!!!
DeleteYes, I have been in the -45 stuff. Yesterday our real temp was -17!!! I'm ready to go to Orlando in March!
ReplyDeleteThose temps just amaze me. I'd like to experience it just once, like fly in, feel it, and then fly out, LOL.
DeleteStay warm!
I still cannot remember those directions. I understand the science, however. What I do it turn the fan on medium and let it get up to speed. Then, I feel for where the air in descending. If the air is pushed down under the fan, that is summer setting. If the air is pushed down around the edges of the room, heat is being pushed down.
ReplyDeleteI had company ever month for about three years. When it was winter, company complained that the fan made them cold. Ugh! So, I had to turn it off even though warm air was the only air being pushed down. Then, my company complained they were cold. I got tired of multiple complaints and just quit have gatherings at all.
When I use the oven in the winter, the fan is always on. When the fan pushes any heat down, it pushes heat out into other rooms, using the heat for multiple rooms.
I can spell. I can type. I cannot type correctly while lying with the laptop on my stomach.
DeleteHey, that works too, right? Great idea about the fan pushing heat from the oven to other rooms. No fan in the kitchen (at the farm anyway) but maybe a regular fan could accomplish that.
DeleteThat's funny what you said about the company. I can imagine it got frustrating, ha. And hey, no worries at about typos, we all make them. And you are typing in cold conditions to boot! Stay warm!!! Oh, and got back a few days, to last Friday's post and check it out. :-)
Some people attach a fan to the wall or put it on top of a cabinet and point the fan to a corner of the ceiling to push air off the ceiling. Just the fan pushing the air will obviously push it down. Some of those people complained about everything. They hated I used real plates, real utensils, and cloth napkin on the picnic table. I will go look at last Friday's post.
DeleteOkay, I emailed you and cannot wait to get the book. About your not knowing about the two settings for direction--I have had ceiling fans since 1982, so it was not news to me. Since I live in a 112-year-old house with 10 ft ceilings and no insulation, the temperature was always a problem--too cold or too hot. I decided ceiling fans instead of the period fixtures would be a more prudent decision.
DeleteWell, whichever direction you make the fan go, turn it down to low and slow if possible.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely, I put ours on medium first and it seemed counterproductive. When I put it on low I could actually FEEL the heat being pushed down into the room. Now in a 15 foot ceiling not sure you could feel it so much, ha.
DeleteExcellent post!! Didn't realize the fan direction made a difference. I just changed the direction and speed of the ceiling fan over the woodstove and it made a difference immediately. Thnaks so much!!! Stay warm :)
ReplyDeleteYou know, I've gotten a couple of direct emails where people didn't know you could do that either. Heck, I only learned it a few years ago, but I just usually forget, ha.
DeleteAnd thank you so much for sharing and commenting, very nice of you. Stay warm too!!
DeleteThanks
ReplyDeleteFor me, this is important. I use fan at home. Didn't know the fan direction made a difference from could to warm air in the room.
ReplyDeleteGlad this helped you!!! Thank you!!!
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