Ceiling fan direction by season

[someguy]

I've always read and heard that in the summer, ceiling fans should blow straight down (counter-clockwise, I believe) and in the winter, they should blow up.

Very recently had an experienced HVAC person tell me the opposite. Her theory was warm air accumulates up high, so have the fan blow that warmer air down in the winter and suck up the coolest air from the floor in the summer.

We've always slept with a ceiling fan moving air to avoid waking up hot in the middle of the night so I've experimented with direction. We've found the bedroom fan blowing up on medium is a bit less noticeable than the fan blowing down on low. Also, that blowing up feels more steady than down, which seems to hit in pulsating waves.

Thoughts on the seasonal issue? What do you do?

 

[erkevin]

You are correct, she is not

 

[braumeister]

You are correct, she is not

+1

 

[RunningBum]

Counterclockwise (down) in summer. The air movement on my skin makes me feel cooler than what the actual temperature is.

If I use my fan in winter I reverse the direction. I don't want that air blowing down on my skin and cooling me down any more. It can redistribute the hot air that rises to the ceiling. I also like some air movement in general to keep the air from feeling stale, but I don't want that air blowing directly on me in winter.

https://yourairexperts.com/blog/did-you-know-ceiling-fan-direction-can-affect-cooling-efficiency explains this pretty well.

You can experiment with changing the direction yourself and see how you feel. I've done it, and I'm convinced that the more accepted way works best.

 

[sengsational]

Do whatever is most comfortable.



We tend to have the 78 in summer, 70 winter approach, and having the winter warmer ceiling air, say 72, moving across my skin, is uncomfortable. And not having air moving across my skin (as fast) in the summer is uncomfortable because we aren't running the AC very hard. So that's a "down flow summer" argument. But if you keep you house in the center of the comfort zone, an argument can be made to set it the other way (but on the slowest speed).

 

[davebarnes]

BigAssFans.com says 1 direction all year.

 

[projectmaximus]

Her reasoning is correct, but not the process. By having the fan face up, you push the warm air out and allow it to recirculate in the room.

 

[statsman]

While downward in the warmer months (counterclockwise fan direction) and upward in the cooler months (clockwise fan direction) is the general guideline, as some have indicated personal preference may alter that.

Another thing to consider is how high your ceiling is with relation to the fan blade heights. If you have a high ceiling, say greater than 10', and the fan blades are around the 7' height, using the upward air direction to try and force the warm air downward doesn't work very well. Usually with a high ceiling you use the downward air direction.

We have a 10' ceiling in the master bedroom with an 11' pocket center area where the ceiling fan is mounted. Because of the height, we leave the air direction downward all year.

 

[mountainsoft]

Our ceiling fan is in the middle of our 12'x24' kitchen/dining area with a 14' vaulted ceiling. I have ours blowing down year round. I tried having it blow upward once, but then the air flow was just down along the walls instead of in the middle of the room. It's a closed loop, so it has to flow somewhere.

Blowing down seems to push air through other rooms more, so I keep it there. I have to haul in my big 12' ladder to change it, so it's not changing.

I don't use our fan in the winter much, but sometimes if it's cold I'll turn it on to help distribute the heat from our wood stove. As long as I keep it on low or medium I can't really feel the air flow.

Even in the summer I rarely turn the fan on high as the sustained air flow tends to dry my eyes out, even when I can't feel it on my body.

 

[jcretire77]

Cheap *ss construction grade one direction fans. Time to Blow That Dough. Or go back to my daily nap.

 

[target2019]

Down in summer. Up in winter.
Based on personal comfort, you might go opposite direction. There are times when I forget to switch, and to be honest it is not noticeable unless your personal comfort alarm rings.

Bedroom ceiling fan is in large room with 10' ceiling, maybe more. In the summer it feels better sleeping if some pushed air (down setting) is hitting you. In the winter the opposite is true for some. But I wouldn't argue abot this one way or the other. It's all about how you feel in your dwelling.

 

[Telly]

Down in summer, OFF in winter. We have gas heat, no need to simulate a heat pump in winter

 

[Winemaker]

Sounds like the new " when to take SS" thread!

 

[MichaelB]

Luxury! When I was a wee lad we didn’t have air conditioning. We were too busy working to notice the heat and we’re grateful for a chip of ice to cool us down.

 

[Sue J]

I know they tell you to have it blow down in the summer. But I found I didn't like the cold draft blowing on me when I'm under the fan. So I have it pulling up from the floor, where the registers are. The cool air gets circulated throughout the room anyways.

We don't use the fans in the colder months.

 

[travelover]

Luxury! When I was a wee lad we didn’t have air conditioning. We were too busy working to notice the heat and we’re grateful for a chip of ice to cool us down.

What? You had ice?

 

[lemming]

My fan is blowing clockwise. It will remain that way because I do not climb and balance on the bed at my age. And the button to change it is up on the ceiling. I hope the installer gets a crick in his neck every time I think of him.

 

[target2019]

Luxury! When I was a wee lad we didn’t have air conditioning. We were too busy working to notice the heat and we’re grateful for a chip of ice to cool us down.

Back in the day I slept in a second floor bedroom. There was one register on the entire floor to blow hot, and later, cold air. It never made a difference. Before the "A/C" was installed I remember getting a smaller floor fan for the room, and it did not help much.

I am completely hooked on central A/C, ceiling fans, and various Vornado fans. The old days are over!

 

[someguy]

Luxury! When I was a wee lad we didn’t have air conditioning. We were too busy working to notice the heat and we’re grateful for a chip of ice to cool us down.

And in the winter: uphill, both ways; in the snow?

 

[bjorn2bwild]

A ceiling fan with a remote control allows one to easily test all options with a push of a button.
I use down flow in the summer, off in the winter.

 

[Dtail]

And in the winter: uphill, both ways; in the snow?

You beat me to it.

 

[Car-Guy]

I've always read and heard that in the summer, ceiling fans should blow straight down (counter-clockwise, I believe) and in the winter, they should blow up.

Very recently had an experienced HVAC person tell me the opposite. Her theory was warm air accumulates up high, so have the fan blow that warmer air down in the winter and suck up the coolest air from the floor in the summer.

Thoughts on the seasonal issue? What do you do?

Was she a blonde? Regardless, she was wrong.

It wasn't an issue 60+ years ago when all's we had was an attic fan.... You only needed one to pull air throughout the entire house and up into the attic in the summer and we didn't use them in the winter... Now that was a ceiling fan!

 

[steelyman]

This thread reminded me to check the ceiling fan direction in the master bedroom. I like cool when sleeping and hadn’t been using the fan at all this year. I’ll be running it counterclockwise and low (quiet). it may let me dial up the thermostat a few degrees. [emoji4]

I agree about whole house (attic) fans but I don’t have one.

[ADDED] Here’s a piece from Home Depot on the topic. Their advice on use with vaulted ceilings is interesting to me (leave on counterclockwise year-round):

https://www.homedepot.com/c/ah/ceil...er-and-winter/9ba683603be9fa5395fab9036ab25bf

 

[sengsational]

Luxury! When I was a wee lad we didn’t have air conditioning. We were too busy working to notice the heat and we’re grateful for a chip of ice to cool us down.

When I was about 8 years old and spending a summer at a remote resort, the owners grandson took me to a huge pile of saw dust. He dug into it and there were huge blocks of ice under there! We chipped off some, rinsed it in the lake, and enjoyed the chill. That was the last winter that they cut ice for the resort... after that, they bought/used an ice machine. But I did and still do find it amazing that ice cut from the lake in the winter would last all summer.


And the tons of cooling power of your AC is measured that way because it's equivalent to that many tons of ice!

 

[bjorn2bwild]

When I was about 8 years old and spending a summer at a remote resort, the owners grandson took me to a huge pile of saw dust. He dug into it and there were huge blocks of ice under there! We chipped off some, rinsed it in the lake, and enjoyed the chill. That was the last winter that they cut ice for the resort... after that, they bought/used an ice machine. But I did and still do find it amazing that ice cut from the lake in the winter would last all summer.


And the tons of cooling power of your AC is measured that way because it's equivalent to that many tons of ice!

During the lean college years, our only source of 'air conditioning' was a swamp cooler.

On the hottest days of summer, the trick was to ride the short block down to the corner store on my bike and pick up a block of ice. Placed in the water pan, it was good for a few hours of extra comfort.