The question of the utility of the ceiling fan has generated a huge volume of debate since the 1800’s. The debate revolves around the direction of the rotation of the fan to generate cool air in summer and warm air in winter. The first point to notice here is that ceiling fans do not heat or cool a room, but facilitate the circulation of air within a closed space that leads to the experience of greater relief and comfort.
During summer the ceiling fan is employed to aid cooling and provide relief from the heat. It gathers the air along the exterior walls and moves it to the center of the room. The warm air gets concentrated at the center of the room, while the cool air is rotated around the room, allowing circulation.
Explaining The Ultimate Phenomenon:
The phenomenon could be explained by a simple example:
- Consider that an exterior wall in your room has a window etched into it. As the warm air is gathered from the wall, the outside air which is cooler and heavier causes a displacement, conveniently taking the hot air’s place.
- The fan continuing its rotation gathers this air from the walls and pushes it down to the center where it replaces the lighter hot air.
- Subsequently the room temperature drops and you feel a comfortable cooling breeze or ‘wind chill’ that offers great relief to the warm skin.
- In the chilly winters, the direction of the ceiling fan’s rotation is reversed. As a result, the fan gathers the cold air from the exterior walls and pushes it down the center of the room.
- Consequently, it replaces the column of warm air that has gathered along the ceiling (being lighter than weight and hence pushed up by the cold air).
- Naturally the column of warm air spreads along the exterior walls which are most likely to allow passage of cold air draughts.
Where Should You Install The Ceiling-Fan?
The installation of a ceiling fan is conditional upon a height requirement. The minimum clearance height from the floor to the fan is 7 feet. In case of a lesser clearance height, the fan must not be installed. Ceiling fans also require some clearance height from the ceiling and a clearance width from the walls to avoid the blades hitting the ceiling or the walls. The fan should be hung at a minimum distance of 18 inches from the ceiling and the wall.
You must also consider the nature of the room before installing a ceiling fan. Installation in kitchens/kitchen cum dining room ought to be avoided for the greasy residue than hangs on the range and hood fan is also likely to settle on the fan blades. Cleaning this grease off is a real daunting task which you need to avoid.
Conclusion
Ceiling fans help in effective circulation of air. The fan can be easily used to optimize the benefits of air circulation by a simple technique of ensuring correct fan rotation direction. In summers, the fan should be a gadget with blades that should rotate in a clockwise motion while in winters it should rotate anti-clockwise. Ensuring that your fan is kept on the proper seasonal rotation can help you reduce your energy bills and save you some dollars all the year around.
Ryan Holdings is the author of this post. He uses his blog theceilngfansite.com to share useful facts and information about the various ceiling fans available in the market.
