Ceiling Fans?

[LJFULLER]

Not sure where this fits so I'll start it here.

I'm getting close to picking my ceiling fans and looking for some suggestions. Shop is 40 x 60 with 16' ceilings. The floor space is divided into two areas with a framed walled between the two ares, one is 20' x 40' and the other is 40 ' x 40'. The plan calls for a large ceiling fan in each area.

I set it up and pre-wired for 220, planned on using something like a BigAss Fan. Anyone use something else or have recommendations for a large ceiling fan?

 

[glentre]

I found the BigAss fans to be quality but they are very expensive and over my budget. I ended up using the 7 ft diameter industrial look aluminum blade fans from Home Depot. They are six speed, reversible, quiet and are remotely controlled by a hand held unit that mounts in a hard plastic pocket you attach to the wall.

Glen

 

[RWorth]

are you using them for cooling or to keep the heat down?

 

[kbs2244]

You cannot beat the cost of multiple big box room sized fans.
And they are small enough to go above your lights so they do not "strobe" your lights.

 

[LJFULLER]

are you using them for cooling or to keep the heat down?

Both, I have hydronic heat throughout the slab. In the summer I'll be cooling the slab and want to move air to heat and cool

 

[LJFULLER]

I found the BigAss fans to be quality but they are very expensive

I set everything up for one of their Powerfoil in 10', even put it in the budget. I've asked for a formal quote but keep getting phone calls with questions. Seems like they're trying to get me to have them install it

 

[IowaDon]

Here is the one glentre referred to:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Home-De...ng-Fan-with-Remote-Control-YG491-BN/205718225

Pretty good bang for your buck.

 

[garage guy1of38]

Big *** Fans!

Worth every penny.

 

[astrohip]

I have a Big *** Fan. Absolutely love it! It is quieter than a whisper, moves an amazing amount of air.

People will tell you it is overpriced, that you can get a fan "just like it for less", and you're crazy to spend that much money on a fan. Maybe they're right, but so what... it's the best fan made, and it does a great job.

I've never met anyone who has one who says they regret buying it.

 

[LJFULLER]

I have a Big *** Fan.

Which model and size did you go with?

I'm leaning toward the Essence in 10' for the larger bay to start with

 

[yeldogt]

With proper radiant in the floor you don't want to move any air -- that's the whole point of radiant floor. The temp at the ceiling should be cooler vs that at the floor -- circulation of air ..convection ... is what you are trying to avoid as it's going to make the body loose temp. With warm air heating -- that warm air goes to the ceiling ... not happening with radiant.

Are you cooling the slab in the summer with a chiller?

The point of a fan -- is to move air. That air (even warm) will cool the body -- that's why they work when it's hot in areas w/o AC.

BA's work great if that's what you need ,, and like the look. I have a single 52" hunter original in my studio and it's 35x36 .. 40x 40 is not that big. The old hunters move a lot of air w/o having to spin fast .. obviously the BA can move more spinning less. Big blade/ greater angle = more air moved. With high ceilings and AC running a fan will often increase the AC load

 

[NUTTSGT]

I believe Ryan had an article on the Big *** fans a few years back.


EDIT: Here's a link to that thread.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=67343

 

[That1Guy]

Though not nearly as much as convection (forced air heat), radiant floor heat still "circulates" air in that warmer air rises - always! A fan is still very useful to keep the warmer air from "stacking" at the ceiling.
A good visual to this is when you pull a snow covered car into a bay with radiant floor heat and the snow melts off into puddles on the floor, when you open the overhead door and pull the vehicle out, you can see the fog rising off the floor as the warm moist air comes into contact with the cold air from outside.

 

[justinthurn]

We have a 125x250 shop with 24'sidewalls and a 3:12 pitch so the peak is about 39'. R25 in the walls and r50 in the ceiling. Radiant floor heat only, no fans, no other heat. The ceiling is the exact same temperature as a foot off the floor in the winter. No need for fans for heating in our shop but we will be installing some in the spring for summer cooling. Obviously this is huge compared to the one I'm building at my house and most of yours, but I thought I would share.

 

[Shop Specialties]

Though not nearly as much as convection (forced air heat), radiant floor heat still "circulates" air in that warmer air rises - always! A fan is still very useful to keep the warmer air from "stacking" at the ceiling.
A good visual to this is when you pull a snow covered car into a bay with radiant floor heat and the snow melts off into puddles on the floor, when you open the overhead door and pull the vehicle out, you can see the fog rising off the floor as the warm moist air comes into contact with the cold air from outside.

With radiant floor heat the ceiling will be cool especially with the OP having 16' ceilings. Over the past 27 years I have had several customers complain about the shop being cool and going through oil. Turn off the ceiling fans and it gets warm and oil consumption goes way down.

 

[astrohip]

Which model and size did you go with?

I'm leaning toward the Essence in 10' for the larger bay to start with

Essence, 10', silver/black. We used their 8' extension tubes, with guy wires and a purlin kit. It comes either 110/220. Price is the same, and the BAF guy told me 110 is more than okay for this unit (so we went 110).

Thought I had a better picture, this is all I can find...

 

[LJFULLER]

With proper radiant in the floor you don't want to move any air -- that's the whole point of radiant floor. The temp at the ceiling should be cooler vs that at the floor -- circulation of air ..convection ... is what you are trying to avoid as it's going to make the body loose temp. With warm air heating -- that warm air goes to the ceiling ... not happening with radiant.

Are you cooling the slab in the summer with a chiller?

The point of a fan -- is to move air. That air (even warm) will cool the body -- that's why they work when it's hot in areas w/o AC.

My system is an Open Direct design, floor is a 6" slab with 2" of under slab rigid insulation. We are on a well so in the summer I can run the water through the tubing prior to sending it out to irrigate. I have 3 circuits and find that parts of the shop are too warm. Initially it feels fine but as I start working I want to circulate some air.

 

[yeldogt]

Though not nearly as much as convection (forced air heat), radiant floor heat still "circulates" air in that warmer air rises - always! A fan is still very useful to keep the warmer air from "stacking" at the ceiling.
A good visual to this is when you pull a snow covered car into a bay with radiant floor heat and the snow melts off into puddles on the floor, when you open the overhead door and pull the vehicle out, you can see the fog rising off the floor as the warm moist air comes into contact with the cold air from outside.

This is not correct ---

The opening of the door and the water creates different currents -- they will quickly dissipate.

 

[yeldogt]

My system is an Open Direct design, floor is a 6" slab with 2" of under slab rigid insulation. We are on a well so in the summer I can run the water through the tubing prior to sending it out to irrigate. I have 3 circuits and find that parts of the shop are too warm. Initially it feels fine but as I start working I want to circulate some air.

Slab cooling is a whole other matter -- typically needs dehumidifiers in green grass environments. Humidity is the problem -- fans can't fix humidity.

When trying to cool a large space with high ceilings -- take a church for example ... you cool below 8' ----everything above is hotter. It takes more energy to cool all the air .........and if you introduce fans -- you increase AC loads. Convection is not your friend.

Fans are fine when all the air in the room will cool with convection -- the body cools because of convection and because the body also radiates.

One of my homes is a converted church -- I have fans but only use them part of the year. It's very climate specific .. what works in texas will not work in maine with not work in NM

 

[Dragfluid]

Without writing the same stuff for the umpteenth time, please see my build thread. Wonderful fan system.

 

[James-W]

We have a ceiling fan with a light array over our dining room table. Obviously you would need a much larger fan, but I think what I am about to type has some bearing concerning the choosing a fan.

We have a remote controlled fan-light that works exceptionally well. This would be a good feature for your building. BUT, for some reason about a couple years ago the fan and/or the light will occasionally turn on or turn off for no apparent reason. I suspect the remote pickup and/or the circuit board is defective. I have thought about changing it, but when the I checked the price, it comes as a kit and you get the remote, the pickup and circuit board and everything except for the fan and light. That is fine with me, except the cost was almost as much as what the whole thing cost when we bought it. We may as well just buy a whole new fan and light.

Anyway, the point is, perhaps it would be in your best interest to look into a remote control fan. You can adjust the fan speed from the remote, which I think would be an ideal thing to be able to do.

 

[LJFULLER]

We have a remote controlled fan-light that works exceptionally well. This would be a good feature for your building. BUT, for some reason about a couple years ago the fan and/or the light will occasionally turn on or turn off for no apparent reason. I suspect the remote pickup and/or the circuit board is defective

We installed a fan/light with remote and had a similar problem. The light would come on for no apparent reason. I started watching and noticed that our neighbor was coming in at the same time and their garage remote seemed to be causing the problem. They switched their remote code and our fan/light lived happily ever after

 

[LJFULLER]

Without writing the same stuff for the umpteenth time, please see my build thread. Wonderful fan system.

Just went through it, one comment stuck out to me. I think that's one advantage to the larger fans, move a lot of air without the noise. I had Reznor heaters in my other shop and loved the heat but hated the noise, one of the major reason I went with Hydronic heating this time

Man, these things move some air! At high speed, the air movement drowns out the furnace.

 

[yeldogt]

Just went through it, one comment stuck out to me. I think that's one advantage to the larger fans, move a lot of air without the noise. I had Reznor heaters in my other shop and loved the heat but hated the noise, one of the major reason I went with Hydronic heating this time

That's why I mentioned the old Hunter Originals - Quiet -- they have greater pitch to the blades and run in an oil bath ... the motor has more torque and can run slower and still move the air because of the greater angle.

I'm not knocking the BAF -- they do what they do very well and make a statement. In a temperate climate with a large space where you have everything open to the outside they are great ... same thing in a large warehouse. With proper radiant you will not want -- and your space is not that large.

 

[Dragfluid]

Just went through it, one comment stuck out to me. I think that's one advantage to the larger fans, move a lot of air without the noise. I had Reznor heaters in my other shop and loved the heat but hated the noise, one of the major reason I went with Hydronic heating this time

I guess the way that was written makes them sound like F16's.

No, not that bad at all. The Beacon-Morris furnace is very quiet. If you're standing underneath one of the fans, with it turned all the way up, it would drown out the furnace. But normally, they aren't turned up all the way. Especially in winter.