ceiling fan help

[kmkalf]

i just installed a ceiling fan in the 3 season room that is attached to the garage- it works but not properly- when you first turn on the fan you get a nice breeze and after about 45seconds there is no air movement- is the fan too close to the "drop" ceiling or is there a mount i can buy to drop it a little and put a trim piece around the gap or any other suggestions? i have 2 pictures to show the set up- thanks

 

[kmkalf]

btw i also tried in both directions and same thing happens with the air flow

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Is this fan only designed for "close" mounting? It should have come with a couple of different length downrods if it has a ball mount (close mount fans do not have a ball mount, but rather are a rigid mount)

If you have the height, a 6" downrod would possibly do wonders and certainly would not hurt anything. Its possible the fan is so close it is cavitating and not able to move air properly.

Charles

 

[kmkalf]

it is for close mounting- there is not a ball mount or anything of that sort. is there anyway to install a downrod or should i just go and buy another fan

 

[wssix99]

That fan is designed to be a flush mount, so there isn't anything you can change. The only way to get more air flow is to get a downrod style that is at least 12" off the ceiling or get a larger fan.

One thing about ceiling fans is that they don't "blow" on you like a desk fan. They are designed to be smooth and quiet, so you may notice the buffeting as it gets started and then the air flow may be smoothing out on you.

So, they really don't cool you by blowing air on you. Instead, they cool rooms by mixing the rising hot air and descending cool air. You blow the hot air down in the winter and **** the cool air off the floor in the summer. (Opposite of what you would think. If you are blowing hot air down in the summer, it could be uncomfortable.)

If you want to pull cool air in to your 3 season room from outside, a window fan will do that job and then your ceiling fan will mix things up in the room.

 

[luvit]

wssix99, ceiling fans blow down in the summer time, it is a cooling effect in addition to mixing air temps.
kmkalf, do you feel success at any of the high, med low speeds?

 

[wssix99]

wssix99, ceiling fans blow down in the summer time, it is a cooling effect in addition to mixing air temps.

Some fans will do that if they hang down low enough. If the fan doesn't have enough airflow to give a breeze, reversing the directions may be more effective. (All they can do at that point is mix air.)

 

[70redbee]

Blow down in the winter...hot air rises.
Blow up in the summer...cold air falls.

 

[luvit]

You blow the hot air down in the winter and **** the cool air off the floor in the summer. (Opposite of what you would think. If you are blowing hot air down in the summer, it could be uncomfortable.)

Blow down in the winter...hot air rises.
Blow up in the summer...cold air falls.

here. for all to enjoy.

 

[lametec]

Here's a better illustration of air flow from a fan. People who says it pushes the hot air down or draws the cool air up aren't thinking of the whole picture.

If you're pushing hot air down, you're replacing that hot air with something (or you end up with vacuum). Same for drawing cool air up.. it's gotta be replaced by something.

This picture show's the complete airflow:

So as you can see, it makes no difference which direction the fan is flowing as far as "mixing" the air.

 

[wssix99]

I looked at all of my current downrod ceiling fans' instructions and they say summer down and winter up.

When I sold ceiling fans 20-ish or so years ago, when I sold ceiling fans, the flush mount was all the rage. (Short ceilings were also a lot more common.) At that time, the manufacturer's reps told us to recommend the reverse - up in summer and down in winter.

For the OP - you might give it a try. It might work better for your situation with the flush mount. If not, you can switch it back.