Does a ceiling fan lower a room's temperature?

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Since we live in the lower portion of the room I would think that it would actually raises the temp , relative to our location, as the air circulation would tend to avg the temp between warm at the ceiling and cool at the floor, regardless of the of the direction of the fan. JMSO
 
ohm said:
In a closed room with no heating or cooling does the fan lower the room temperature?:smile:
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My 2 cents...

All in all.....NO.

It will be cooler in the air stream (that the fan creates).
This is because the fans blades compress the air (small amount), and cause the air to release heat.
As the air moves away from the fan blades (expands), it will absorb heat, and make the air (stream) cooler.

Also, as the air blows across your skin, it will cause sweat to evaporate, absorbing heat, and causing your skin surface temperature to go down....cooling you off.

It's kind of like a car air conditioning system, only with the condensor in the passenger compartment....it's usually under the hood.
The air will be cool as it leaves the evaporator, and be hot when it leaves the condensor.

If you exclude any heat gain or loss thru the wall of the room and run the fan for a period of time, when you turn the fan off, and the room temperature stabilizes, it will be warmer than before you began.
This is because the fan will add heat to the room.
So, if the fan is in a closed room, it will ultimately make the room warmer.

steve
 
No. Put a thermometer in the room without the fan running and check the temperature. Turn on the fan and then check the temperature.

Tell us what you find out.

CFs cool by windchill. Inanimate objects do not feel windchill. You need water to experience wind chill.

Now, if you use a wet bulb thermometer, you might get a different temperature.

However, the home's air conditioner uses a thermostat that is probably not a wet bulb.

So, if you leave the room, turn off the fan.
 
If you do the thermometer deal you would really want one at the floor and one at the ceiling, before starting the fan the air at the ceiling will be warmer then the air at the floor.

Start the fan and the temps will equalize, so the entire room will be equal temperature. As the others have stated you will feel cooler due to the breeze.

All that said the fan actually adds a bit of heat to the room from the motor but that amount is fairly small.
 
I wonder if the heat generated by the fan motor would be offset by the heat lost by air molecules striking the walls of the room, imparting their thermal energy to the walls?
 
It also depends on if the windows are open and it's cooler outside. The fan will move the air around, and lower the temperature quicker than if there was no air movement.
 
I must confess I asked this same question in a different Forum but it was several days before I got the same answers as this Forum has settled on.

The fan only raises the temperature in a closed room and waste energy.

If a person is present evaporative cooling occurs because of the moisture on their skin.

Thanks all.:grin: :grin:
 
Not to highjack this thread but............

Does it really make a difference which way the fan spins? I know your suppose to switch them with the change of seasons but never can remember.

I always leave them in the factory direction when installing regardless of the season.
 
ElectricianJeff said:
Not to highjack this thread but............

Does it really make a difference which way the fan spins? I know your suppose to switch them with the change of seasons but never can remember.

I always leave them in the factory direction when installing regardless of the season.
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up in the winter to circulate the heat around, down in the summer to feel the breeze.
 
cal1947 said:
actually the fan should blow up in the summer and down in the winter,cool air falls ,warm air raises
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I agree that's what the manufacturers recommend but my experience is just the opposite. In the summer I want to feel the air on me and the winter I don't want that wind chill effect.
 
Dennis Alwon said:
I agree that's what the manufacturers recommend but my experience is just the opposite. In the summer I want to feel the air on me and the winter I don't want that wind chill effect.
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I tend to agree w/ Dennis I wonder hy the manufacturers the opposite?:confused:
 
zog said:
Right, these NC winters are rough :)
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I use the fan to move the air from my wood stove. It pushes the air down the hall to the col air return and then we run the fan on the furnace to circulate the air. Works pretty well.

It gets cold here at times but not for long as you well know.:smile:
 
Dennis Alwon said:
I use the fan to move the air from my wood stove. It pushes the air down the hall to the col air return and then we run the fan on the furnace to circulate the air. Works pretty well.

It gets cold here at times but not for long as you well know.:smile:
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Sounds like a good idea, I'll bet you really miss those big energy bills.

I just wired a big addition to my sister-in-laws cabin in Tenn. The're going to try & heat a two story 3000 sq ft great room with just a wood burner. I suggested they use lots of ceiling fans. And, pull warm air into the bedrooms with in-wall fans then exhaust it back into the great room with another fan. They could even install T-stats on the fans like some of the big atruim hotels.

What do you think?
 
ohm said:
Sounds like a good idea, I'll bet you really miss those big energy bills.

I just wired a big addition to my sister-in-laws cabin in Tenn. The're going to try & heat a two story 3000 sq ft great room with just a wood burner. I suggested they use lots of ceiling fans. And, pull warm air into the bedrooms with in-wall fans then exhaust it back into the great room with another fan. They could even install T-stats on the fans like some of the big atruim hotels.

What do you think?
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I think that is not a cabin..:grin: Are you serious- a great room that is 3000 sq. ft or did you mean 300 sq. ft. One is 50 feet by 60 feet, etc or a 15 by 20.

I don't believe I have ever seen one room that big in a house.

What do I think????
I think there are stoves that will heat a wide open room like that but they will be logging all day just for heat.
 
Dennis Alwon said:
I think that is not a cabin..:grin: Are you serious- a great room that is 3000 sq. ft or did you mean 300 sq. ft. One is 50 feet by 60 feet, etc or a 15 by 20.

I don't believe I have ever seen one room that big in a house.

What do I think????
I think there are stoves that will heat a wide open room like that but they will be logging all day just for heat.
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Yea, 50' x 60' w/ 17' ceiling etc. w/ 11 ceiling fans. Not your typ. great room. It really needs a stuffed grizzly bear in the corner.

Maybe an overkill (pun intended).
 
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