Ask Experts Questions for FREE Help !
Ask
    Ferdball's Avatar
    Ferdball Posts: 2, Reputation: 1
    New Member
     
    #1

    Aug 21, 2005, 11:59 AM
    Ceiling fan direction: Summer vs. Winter
    I moved recently and can't find my owners manual. But I remember it mentioned that you should have the fan direct air downward or upward depending on season.

    Does anyone know which way the fan should be pointing in the summer?

    Thanks.
    RickJ's Avatar
    RickJ Posts: 7,762, Reputation: 864
    Uber Member
     
    #2

    Aug 22, 2005, 03:11 AM
    The rule of thumb for maximum effectiveness is downward in warm weather, upward in cold.
    stanfortyman's Avatar
    stanfortyman Posts: 5,598, Reputation: 279
    Electrical & Lighting Expert
     
    #3

    Oct 12, 2008, 06:14 AM
    I know I'll get flamed for this, and I know this thread is ancient, but it is relavent.

    There is NO summer or winter "direction". This is a MYTH.

    Circulating heat and cooling is more a product of blade speed than direction, especially in larger rooms.

    Slow speeds do not blow the air around causing it to cool. Slow speeds take air and move it. What happens is where ever the air is moved the air that was there is displaced.

    In the winter, with the blades blowing upward, the cool air below is SLOWLY moved up and the warmer air above is displaced down around the ceiling and walls.
    Now take this supposedly "winter direction" and put the fan on high or medium. You WILL feel a cool breeze along the walls.

    With a high ceiling you can leave the fan blowing down in winter and you will do the same thing only the warm air itself is displaced downward and the cool air is moved out by the warm.

    Thing is, this all only works for a while. Once all the air is mixed you are at an even temperature plane. The fan in low speed is keeping the warmer air from separating and rising again.


    In summer medium and high speeds create a breeze, just like and other fan in a home, regardless of the direction. Do you want the cool breeze blowing straight down from the fan, or indirectly down along the walls?
    Simple as that.
    ceilingfanrepair's Avatar
    ceilingfanrepair Posts: 5,733, Reputation: 109
    Uber Member
     
    #4

    Oct 24, 2008, 11:17 PM

    I agree with Stan for the most part. Reverse feature is a gimmick, you can keep your fan in downdraft year round and just run it in low during the winter. On most fans, this is counterclockwise.

    The REAL Ceiling Fan FAQ:

    Frequently asked ceiling fan questions - Ceiling Fans N More

Not your question? Ask your question View similar questions

 

Question Tools Search this Question
Search this Question:

Advanced Search

Add your answer here.


Check out some similar questions!

Hampton Bay ceiling fan direction change [ 4 Answers ]

I have an HB fan that I can not find a model number for. The fan uses remote model UC7076T. Can anyone tell me how to change the direction of the fan, I can not find a switch on the fan and the remote does not have a direction button on it. Thanks and Hurry it is hot... :mad:

How do I reverse ceiling fan direction? [ 18 Answers ]

We moved into our home that already had a very nice Hampton Bay ceiling fan installed, but we have no instruction manual... It is a model that has a remote control, with an up light, down light and lo-med-high settings for the fan. However, we have noticed that the way the fan is blowing (counter...

Ceiling Fan Default Rotation Direction [ 8 Answers ]

I have a Hunter ceiling fan w/ remote and wall switch. The default direction is winter mode but I want it to be summer mode. If I only use the remote I set the direction once and then all is well. But if my kids turn off the fan with the wall switch then next time it is turned on I need to reset...

Outside AC unit kicking on in winter [ 3 Answers ]

I have central air, and the outside unit (condenser right? I'm a complete noob) kicks on for about 30 seconds, then stops for 30 seconds, then repeats. This doesn't seem normal. Advice? Thx!


View more questions Search