So here is a dumb question, but I still need to understand why?

[Paul Raz]

Last year I had my stove installed and I ran my ceiling fan the entire time it was on. After the season I had the install company come back to do the end of season cleaning. At that time he had asked if I used the ceiling fan with the stove, I told him I did and it worked great. He asked which direction the fan was blowing and I told him down. He says switch it the other way and pull the air up with the stove. My fan is on a cathedral ceiling with no ther rooms above. What will the fan going the opposite way do for my heat in my house? He says it will make the heating area 3-5 degrees warmer with the fan in that direction. My thinking is that the fan blowing down would keep the heat in the area I want it not draw it up to the ceiling. What are your thoughts?

 

[moey]

They usually say in the winter to have it blow up to create air currents around the walls and spread the heat out. Try both whatever works..

 

[sinnian]

He is correct, but not his rationale. By having the fan pull up, it will be pulling up cooler air displacing the warmer air above it and cycling it around.

 

[St_Earl]

yeah. all the heat collecting at the ceiling isn't doing you much good up there.

it's like when i put a box fan on the floor and pointing into the stove room.
if i stand outside the diningroom doorway, i can feel the heat getting pushed out of the warmer room up high under the lintel.

it works far better blowing the cool air into the hot room than trying to push the heat out.

well actually, it's just a better way of pushing it out.

 

[Paul Raz]

He is correct, but not his rationale. By having the fan pull up, it will be pulling up cooler air displacing the warmer air above it and cycling it around.

Ok that makes sense. Thanks

 

[john193]

With cathedral ceilings, why would you want to pull that warm air up instead of trying to blow it down? Reversing the fan works with 10ft walls, but not when you have cathedral ceilings. You had it right. I think if you reverse the fan you are just going to force the heat into dead volume.

 

[imacman]

With cathedral ceilings, why would you want to pull that warm air up instead of trying to blow it down? Reversing the fan works with 10ft walls, but not when you have cathedral ceilings. You had it right. I think if you reverse the fan you are just going to force the heat into dead volume.

Incorrect.

The warm air from the stove is going to go up to the top of any ceiling....do you live up there?

Having the fan on reverse pulls cooler air from the lower part of the room and pushes it up. That air pushes the warmer air outward and down the walls to the floor.

 

[St_Earl]

Incorrect.

The warm air from the stove is going to go up to the top of any ceiling....do you live up there?

Having the fan on reverse pulls cooler air from the lower part of the room and pushes it up. That air pushes the warmer air outward and down the walls to the floor.

i agree.

it's easy enough to tell.
try it on reverse and stand outside a doorway of that room.
just put the back of your hand up and see if you feel the heat rolling out under the lintel.

also if you think about it, if the fan is blowing down, you are only pushing on the portion of air directly under the blades.
whereas when you draw air up, it displaces the entire volume area of the upper part of the room.

 

[john193]

Incorrect.

The warm air from the stove is going to go up to the top of any ceiling....do you live up there?

Having the fan on reverse pulls cooler air from the lower part of the room and pushes it up. That air pushes the warmer air outward and down the walls to the floor.

Here is the point I was trying to make, albeit poorly.

The only time this method may not help lower energy costs much is when you have a large room with vaulted ceilings where the ceiling fan hangs on an extended rod in the middle of your room. In this case, the air forced upward may fall short of the full path upward, to the outer walls and then down them, netting a null effect.

http://www.ceilingfantasia.com/blog...ceiling-fans-save-energy-costs-in-the-winter/

Ps to add to your post, running the fan forward would move the air, it would also create a windchill effect thereby making the room feel cooler.

 

[Paul Raz]

Here is the point I was trying to make, albeit poorly.

The only time this method may not help lower energy costs much is when you have a large room with vaulted ceilings where the ceiling fan hangs on an extended rod in the middle of your room. In this case, the air forced upward may fall short of the full path upward, to the outer walls and then down them, netting a null effect.

http://www.ceilingfantasia.com/blog...ceiling-fans-save-energy-costs-in-the-winter/

The only room where I have a vaulted ceiling is the room with the stove in it. It also happens to be the same room that has the fan in it. So now what? Guess I'll just have to try it when the stove is on.

 

[john193]

The only room where I have a vaulted ceiling is the room with the stove in it. It also happens to be the same room that has the fan in it. So now what? Guess I'll just have to try it when the stove is on.

There is no such thing as a dumb question because this topic is already teaching me something new. In reading about the null effect I mentioned, one thing to consider is running the fan in reverse but at a higher speed.

 

[Paul Raz]

There is no such thing as a dumb question because this topic is already teaching me something new. In reading about the null effect I mentioned, one thing to consider is running the fan in reverse but at a higher speed.

Hmm not a bad idea. Maybe I'll give that a shot. Tks

 

[imacman]

...... it would also create a windchill effect thereby making the room feel cooler.

I have done the reverse fan thing for MANY years, including the pre-pellet stove days (wood stove). I have never felt any wind chill.....and I have two ceiling fans in my great room.

One tip I can give is that the fan does not need to be on high speed....I have mine set to about 1/3 of full.

 

[St_Earl]

i believe he wrote "running the fan forward" in the part you didn't quote. : )

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Well I just bought an infrared thermometer for 30 bucks, I was playing around with my ceiling fan last year without getting any great results, so this thermometer should help answer some questions when I start experimenting this season.....

 

[reallyte]

I run mine blowing up in my vaulted and stove room. It worked well because the stove feeds hot air right to where fan is, gets sucked up and the convection brings warm air to couches nearthe walls. If it blows down tthe wall adjacent areas feel cold and the center is drafty. Rarely ever use ceiling fan above 2/3 setting.

 

[jtakeman]

I have a Hunter ceiling fan and this is what they recommend in the manual.

8-3. Ceiling fans work best by blowing air downward (counterclockwise
blade rotation) in warm weather to cool the room with a direct
breeze. In winter, having the fan draw air upward (clockwise blade
rotation) will distribute the warmer air trapped at the ceiling
around the room without causing a draft.

 

[imacman]

I have a Hunter ceiling fan and this is what they recommend in the manual.

I rest my case.

 

[DexterDay]

I have a Hunter ceiling fan and this is what they recommend in the manual.

Hunter is the brand to beat... Nuff said..

 

[smwilliamson]

one cannot fight natural convection. fans may move air around but warm air cannot be coaxed in to being heavier than cold air, fan pulling up adds velocity to the warmer air which when it hit sthe ceiling and has nowhere to go, circulates around back to the floor...or something like that

 

[chico]

yeah. all the heat collecting at the ceiling isn't doing you much good up there.

it's like when i put a box fan on the floor and pointing into the stove room.
if i stand outside the diningroom doorway, i can feel the heat getting pushed out of the warmer room up high under the lintel.

it works far better blowing the cool air into the hot room than trying to push the heat out.

well actually, it's just a better way of pushing it out.

OK for years I have been looking that perfect fan to draw the worm air from my small room with the pellet stove in it into my larger living room that is attached ... Are you saying I would be better off using the fan to blow the cooler air from my Living room into the smaller room that has the pellet stove in it ?????

 

[Bioburner]

Could very well be the case.

 

[john193]

Here is another discussion via Wikipedia (with source)

Exception
There is an exception to the standard rule of blowing air down in the summer and pulling it up in the winter. When a ceiling fan is mounted in a room with very high ceilings (two stories/levels high or higher),or at the head of a tall set of stairs, the mode of operation is reversed. In this scenario the fan is mounted so high up that there is no significant "wind chill effect". The purpose then becomes to move hot air down in the winter and pull cold air up in the summer.[4]

The OP is not trying to address a standard situation, if he were, there would be no further discussion. The OP has also operated his fan in the downward direction for the entire heating season with great results. The manual does not specifically address high ceilings, which lends itself to this more unique situation.


http://www.inman.com/2013/02/22/ceiling-fan-provides-relief-in-2-ways/

If you have a very high ceiling, such as a room with a two story vault, you’d like to get the warm air that’s trapped up there pushed down, so the lower floors can take advantage of it. Typically, that means that the fan rotation should be such that the blades are pushing the air down. However, in homes with lower ceilings, that downward push of air, even though it’s pushing the heat down, may also create an unpleasant breeze that actually makes you feel cold.



- See more at: http://www.inman.com/2013/02/22/ceiling-fan-provides-relief-in-2-ways/#sthash.Mdw9kMu0.dpuf

 

[St_Earl]

OK for years I have been looking that perfect fan to draw the worm air from my small room with the pellet stove in it into my larger living room that is attached ... Are you saying I would be better off using the fan to blow the cooler air from my Living room into the smaller room that has the pellet stove in it ?????

yep.
i actually use a box fan on the floor pointing into my stove room and a vornado up at the top of the door frame blowing out to further accelerate the warm air being pushed put of the stove room.

but since the two rooms you mention are directly adjacent, you probably won't even need a second fan blowing into the living room.
i lean the box fan on the door jam pointing down into the stove room. i can then feel the hot breeze pouring back out under the lintel.

even a small fan will work. the box fan may be more obtrusive than you like.
a little vornado or honeywell on the floor would do just fine and maybe be quieter.


you're filling up the room with air. the air already there has nowhere to go but out the top of the door way. at least in my house it doesn't
if your stove room opens up into the rest of the house away from the living room, the return pressure might be lower and the result more gradual.
for me it's a breeze i can easily feel with my hand.

some folks here do this with the fan in a room all the way at the other end of the house from the stove.
the key is keeping the cold air blowing along the floor so the hot air can return up high.

 

[chico]

yep.
i actually use a box fan on the floor pointing into my stove room and a vornado up at the top of the door frame blowing out to further accelerate the warm air being pushed put of the stove room.

but since the two rooms you mention are directly adjacent, you probably won't even need a second fan blowing into the living room.
i lean the box fan on the door jam pointing down into the stove room. i can then feel the hot breeze pouring back out under the lintel.

even a small fan will work. the box fan may be more obtrusive than you like.
a little vornado or honeywell on the floor would do just fine and maybe be quieter.


you're filling up the room with air. the air already there has nowhere to go but out the top of the door way. at least in my house it doesn't
if your stove room opens up into the rest of the house away from the living room, the return pressure might be lower and the result more gradual.
for me it's a breeze i can easily feel with my hand.

some folks here do this with the fan in a room all the way at the other end of the house from the stove.
the key is keeping the cold air blowing along the floor so the hot air can return up high.

Well thanks for this info I will give it a try this winter for sure