Ceiling Fans

[red vette mike]

I am about through with my garage addition (31x54x12). I put a central heat/ac system in and I insulated really well (r30 overhead, r13 in the walls plus foam wall boards and radiant roof decking and a roof ridge vent). I wondered if any of you fine folks have put in ceiling fans. My garage has tall ceilings so I would think that you would need to drop the fans down some to make them more effective? I want to run the a/c as little as possible since I don't like paying high utilities. Plus, there are 4 large doors (9x10) that will let some air escape even though I plan to insulate and seal them as best I can.
Thanks, Mike

 

[bmwpower]

I have 2 in my 30x30. They are a must when I kick the heat on as they help push the heat down from my 14' ceiling. I forget which size they are, but I do have them a good 12"-18" off the ceiling.

 

[logical]

These are the best of what I've found....you can get cheaper but I wouldn't. They say to keep at least 10' overhead. I bought 3 for my new garage but haven't installed yet. You can also spend a lot more but usually that gets you lights or something.
http://cgi.ebay.com/3-Blade-Bala-Industrial-56-Ceiling-Fan-NEW-IN-BOX_W0QQitemZ4338711577QQihZ001QQcategoryZ20699QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[brownbagg]

I got two cheapy 52 in my metal building. in the deep south it gets hot. the fan move the air around and its not bad., my buildng is 36 x30 with 12 foot peak

 

[sjsfire]

When we built our house 2 years ago I had the electrician wire in ceiling fan boxes on a switch before the drywall went up. I later installed two 48 inch fans I got at Menards for 12.99 each. They run a lot and for cheap fans work pretty good. I have 10ft ceilings and I bought flush mount fans, when these give out I'll probably go with a larger fan with a drop. I had a space issue with the diameter of the fan due to my attic access door but realize now I could have bought a 52 inch fan. You won't regret doing this. Everyone else I know thats been building thought I was nuts until they sat in my garage this summer.....They put them in their garages now

 

[BowtieNut]

I have an Emerson 56" industrial ceiling fan in my 28x34 and it makes a huge difference. I can feel the air moving no matter where I am in the garage. I don't think you'll regret putting one in.

 

[Rrumbler]

One thing that you must remember: don't put lights above the fan blades; it will create "flicker", and no matter how slight, it will eventually drive you nuts.

 

[Der Bugmeister]

I'm glad I wired for a fan now that I'm hearing all these comments. I'm surprised how hard it is to find just a fan, though. Home Depot, Home Hardware and Rona all seem to think everyone wants a light attached!

 

[Iron-Iceberg]

One thing that you must remember: don't put lights above the fan blades; it will create "flicker", and no matter how slight, it will eventually drive you nuts.

A friend of mine did that. Can lights and two fans. The strobe effect was crazy. Good for a disco though

 

[red vette mike]

One thing that you must remember: don't put lights above the fan blades; it will create "flicker", and no matter how slight, it will eventually drive you nuts.

I guess I have a real problem-I have 15 4 ' 4 gang fluorescent fixtures attached to the ceiling. Any fan would hang beneath these fixtures. Am I going to have flicker with fluorescent lights?
Thanks,
Mike

 

[Charles (in GA)]

I'm glad I wired for a fan now that I'm hearing all these comments. I'm surprised how hard it is to find just a fan, though. Home Depot, Home Hardware and Rona all seem to think everyone wants a light attached!

60" industrial fan

http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDU...earchResults.jsp&MID=9876&N=2984+4233&pos=n12

 

[Rrumbler]

I guess I have a real problem-I have 15 4 ' 4 gang fluorescent fixtures attached to the ceiling. Any fan would hang beneath these fixtures. Am I going to have flicker with fluorescent lights?
Thanks,
Mike

It depends on how low the ceiling is, but, I imagine there would be some flicker. You will have enough light there that it will likely diminish the effect, but I think it will still be there to some degree. As was said in another post, can lights, or any more focused light for that matter, and fans, are a real headache maker.

 

[Egan]

These are the best of what I've found....you can get cheaper but I wouldn't. They say to keep at least 10' overhead. I bought 3 for my new garage but haven't installed yet. You can also spend a lot more but usually that gets you lights or something.
http://cgi.ebay.com/3-Blade-Bala-Industrial-56-Ceiling-Fan-NEW-IN-BOX_W0QQitemZ4338711577QQihZ001QQcategoryZ20699QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Here's what these look like installed:

And the switch:

What's weird is that the fans spin at two different speeds. I wired them to a common switch and the faster one is the one that is farther away from the power source.

Other than that, they work great, even in my 13' high ceiling space.

 

[Ign]

I guess I have a real problem-I have 15 4 ' 4 gang fluorescent fixtures attached to the ceiling. Any fan would hang beneath these fixtures. Am I going to have flicker with fluorescent lights?
Thanks,
Mike

I guess mileage varies. I don't get any flicker - at least that I notice - from this setup

Come to think of it my old shop was very similar (lower ceilings) and I guess there was a bit of flicker only when the fan speed was turned down, but it never once bothered me.

Those are the Home Depot fans Charles in Ga reco'd. I had two of them in my old shop, and three in my current shop. The interior peak is 19', that I-beam is either 18 or 24" (can't recall), and then I'm using the shortest provided drop rod, so figure the fans are still 15 to 16' off the floor. I still find them very effective, and if you're standing in their "wake" you get a forceful draft on the floor. I still have to be conscious of it when using the MIG.

I simply wired them into a $15 rotary speed control capable of 5A (each fan only draws 1A) from my local electric supply. Works great. I had no desire to want to control each fan individually, nor any desire to run the extra wire. The stepped speed control that comes with the fans is only good for 1.5A, so it can't handle the draw of more than one.