Which Way Does Your Ceiling Fan Turn?
Ceiling fans are my friend! They help the house feel comfy all year long, yet ask so little for energy consumption. Back when we had cable, I watched Trading Spaces a lot. Very few of those designers liked ceiling fans. I used to get so frustrated when the first thing they'd say is "The ceiling fan has to go." Obviously, my decorating tastes lean toward the practical. Give me pretty, practical, and inexpensive, and by golly you got yourself a winner!
I always get confused about which way the fan should turn. Is is clockwise in the winter, and counter clockwise in the summer? Or the other way around? I've just been guessing for awhile.
Then earlier this week, I noticed that one fan in the house was going the opposite way of all the others, and that made me wonder which is right?
So, to trusty Google Search I went. And found that there is no easy answer to the question, "Which way should my ceiling fan turn?" Well, it isn't all that complicated, but I was looking for a set in stone rule; summer - clockwise. Turns out different manufactures make their fans different ways. (Go figure!) It depends which way they made forward and which is reverse.
To make it real simple (which is what I need to be able to remember,) you want to feel the breeze in the summer. You don't want to in the winter. Well that makes sense. So earlier this week, had you been in my house, you may have found me standing under one of my four ceiling fans with my arms out, testing to see if I could feel the breeze. Now, all my fans are set so I can feel the breeze, and believe it or not, they all do turn the same direction.
But wait! You knew it couldn't be that simple! If you have ceilings over 8 ft, or a fan in a stairwell, you may want to reverse the above logic. I don't have either of these issues, so I didn't figure out why. I leave that to you!
Source: WonderQuest
Frugal Fridays
Technorati Tags: 
ceiling fans, 
frugal
Labels:
frugal fridays
9 comments:
I too dislike ceiling fans. At least the ugly ones most people install (I have 4 in my house right now I am itching to replace!) I got to splurge just a little of our tax refund on buying a new fan for my kitchen. It is copper with great lights, perfect for my kitchen. The old one went upstairs in the apartment, that was part of my justification, we had to "buy" something anyways! They are a great way to move the air around summer or winter. Our house would bake without them! Great Frugal Friday!
Great tip. I really enjoy our ceiling fans. I know they help keep it cooler in here during the summer.
Very interesting! I never knew which way they were supposed to go. We only have two in this apartment but now I am going to make sure they are turned the right way. ((Oh and I love my ceiling fans....They are always on especially when I sleep. I need the noise!))
Linda
It always killed me when they removed those fans. In Texas, we gotta have those fans! I'd love to have the beautiful ones too, but can't quite convince my DH--yet!
Sherry
LOL! I stood under ours last week too to see if the "felt right" good idea for the google search!
Another Texan chiming in to say that we couldn't live without our ceiling fans! They allow us to keep our AC at a higher, less expensive temperature!
If you're not sure which way your fan is supposed to turn, look at the way the blades are tilted. If you're wanting your fan to cool the house, then you need it to move in the direction that the blades are tilted up. They'll hit the air and move it downwards. For heat, the fan moves in the direction that the blades are tilted down. Hope that makes sense!
We couldn't live without our fans either here in Tidewater Virginia! It gets hot here most of the year. It doesn't get real cold until January, and then it's hot again in April.
Ours moves clockwise in he summer, and counter clockwise in the winter(if I remember to reverse and use them!).
Unfortunately, there is no direct answer to find out what is forward and reverse, because it depends on the manufacturer.
The only way is to test your fan. Here is how to do it:
Standing directly below your fan, try both ways at high setting. If you feel a breeze, this is the "summer setting". In the winter, you will not feel any air being blowned to you since it will be pulled up to the ceiling.
You could also look at the angle of the blades, or take a look at the link given here... Ceiling Fan Direction
Thank you very much for this posting! A friend of mine had made me notice some time ago that usually fans in the same room (say, in a restaurant) turn all the same way. I live in Florida and my ceiling fan has only one setting: the summer setting, with the fan rotating with the blades tilted up.
Post a Comment