Need your opinion Celling Fan should it be sucking or blowing

I've been thru this dilemma quite a bit. My research shows that both scenarios have valid reasons. But imo the fan rotation of sucking the air up and then letting it disperse down along the walls makes more sense for dispersing heat evenly. (at least for my house's layout)

kscowboy said:

Not sure which way works best blowing the heat down or pulling the heat up which moves the heat the best way Thanks

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The reason I put mine in updraft is because because I have a 12 foot ceiling in the stove room where all the heat wants to stay. In updraft, the warm air is forced down along the walls, which is where the doors to the other rooms are. When the air is moved into the doorways I can use a table or floor fan (if I want) to move the warm air into the adjoining rooms, or I can use the A/C system fan. In downdraft, none of this works. Those are my reasons and I'm stickin' to 'em!

Updraft seems to work a little better for me. That way the air circulates back down the walls and isn't blowing directly on people. In downdraft mode you can really feel the air blowing on you which seems a little cool even though it's 90 degree air at the top of the ceiling. Try it both ways and see what works for you.

You have three speeds and two directions. Try them all to see which works best. For me, it's medium speed, blowing down near the door to the room, which blows the hot air off the ceiling and under the opening into the adjacent space. If you stand in the next space you can literally feel the hot air blowing into the room. If I run it the other way around it doesn't do nearly as much.

Heat rises. I have a 20 ft cathedral ceiling and the ceiling fan stays blowing down all winter. I have to crack the upstairs windows at times, so I can't even imagine the temps I'd see with it blowing the hot air up.

Agree with everyone who suggests you just start trying speeds & directions until you find what works best for you. I run mine in updraft on a low - medium speed, and this works well for me, both in my home with cathedral ceiling and in my shop with flat 10' ceiling. Other folks report better results for their situations with different settings. You'll figger it out, I'm sure. Rick

Sucking )

This is one of those areas where this old dog learned new tricks. It is in the same category as moving the warm air horizontally. It just seems backwards to me, but it works. Suck warm air up to displace the air that is up there and horizontally blow cold air into the warm room rather than trying to move the warm air.

I think this also has something to do with air density. That is, cold air is denser than warm so therefore moving the cold air into the warm makes it circulate much easier.

Blowing down - it's a warm breeze, not a cool one. Pulling up makes the room feel cool, imo.

BeGreen said:

It depends on the room setup and the stove. Some folks are struggling to keep the room at 70. When air blows across the skin, it enhances evaporative cooling off the skin. At normal room temps, this can make the room feel chilly. On the other hand, if the room is already hot then it may feel comfortable to have a breeze from the fan.

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Exactly! You do not want to feel the fan blowing on you in the Winter, thus moving the warmer air up to hit the ceiling naturally pushes the warmer air down against the walls and not directly on you.

As many have already stated above, you have to try everything. I have a very high ceiling and of the six possibilities (3 speeds, 2 directions), I have tried them all. Medium speed drawing upward works the best for me. Good luck!

BeGreen said:

Here's a diagram of 3 different conditions with a ceiling fan in a peaked ceiling room.

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Is that supposed to be a specific room? I'd like to see data that supports the diagram. The middle picture shows the coldest spot in the room "downstream" of the stove, which logically probably can't be.

I know a guy who had thermal comfort courses while working on his architecture degree and he says that it really shouldn't matter too much -- if the fan is on, then it's moving the air, mixing it around, & preventing it from stratifying.

If you blow the fan down, then it will take hot air from the ceiling and blow it down into the middle of the room. If you blow the fan up, then it will take hot air from the ceiling and blow it down the walls. Either way warmer air will mix with the cooler air and you'll end up with relitively uniform temperatures. Either way, you could potentially be in the path of the moving, warmer air. Are you under the fan or near the wall?

Like many, I've tried it both ways and i prefer the sucking up and dispersing it along the walls....just feels more comfortable to me and my arrangements. I have cealing fans in all the rooms on the main floor and keep them going 24/7 both summer and winter. helps disperse the heat in winter and the cooler air in summer.

you'll find what works best for you. i just don't like the downdraft you get with them blowing down.

cass

kscowboy said:

Need your opinion Celling Fan should it be sucking or blowing?

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I've done both and can't notice any difference.