Question about ceiling fans

[Louis Brandt]

Hello,

My wife and I have both central air conditioning and ceiling fans, and we've always set our ceiling fans on high speed during the summer, but I'd like to know how others set their fans.

For those of you who have both central air conditioning and ceiling fans, do you set your ceiling fans on high speed or low speed during the summer, and why?

Louis

[Rich Engelhardt]

Our AC guy told us to ditch the ceiling fans in the Summer.
He says all they do is pull the hot air from the ceiling down & make the AC run more.

[Steven DeMars]

I think your A/C guy needs to do a little reading beyond the sports page.

Perhaps a few HVAC related articles would help.

But don't feel bad, I had an HVAC guy tell me one time that you are better off running your central A/C with about 30% less freon than manufacturer's spec called for. He said the unit would not have to work as hard. You know pushing 2 tons instead of 3 tons.

Ceiling fans have been proven to make a room feel at least 4 degrees cooler than without any moving air. Similar to the actual temperature versus the "HEAT INDEX". (human-perceived equivalent temperature)

Perhaps he needs to spend a few nights in Louisiana in the summer time.

We also run both, and I can assure you there is a definite value in running a ceiling fan. Many nights I have to get up and turn it off.

As to the question posed by the OP, yes, a slow or medium speed will do an excellent job.

Steve

Our AC guy told us to ditch the ceiling fans in the Summer.
He says all they do is pull the hot air from the ceiling down & make the AC run more.

[Louis Brandt]

As to the question posed by the OP, yes, a slow or medium speed will do an excellent job.

Steve

But if a slow or medium speed will do an excellent job, wouldn't the highest speed do the best job? That's really my question.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

But don't feel bad, I had an HVAC guy tell me one time that you are better off running your central A/C with about 30% less freon than manufacturer's spec called for. He said the unit would not have to work as hard. You know pushing 2 tons instead of 3 tons.

He actually believed that there are tons of Freon in an HVAC system?

[James Rambo]

In the summer set the thermostat 2 to 4 degree warmer, put the ceiling fans to pull (colder) air from the floor to the ceiling with low to medium speed.

In the winter have the fans pull the (hotter) air from the ceiling to the floor. (hot air rises)

[Neal Clayton]

get real ceiling fans and you no longer need the forced air, just a marble floor under the fan .

here's mine...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gr5-gZN29E (turn the sound up so you can hear it, sounds like an aircraft turbine!)

keeps the ground floor of the house at 75 in the summer regardless of how hot it is outside, less the kitchen. downside is you don't even wanna walk by this room in the winter or you catch a shiver, heh.

people who saw the video and know about old ceiling fans seem to think it's made by a company/man named diehl, who made ceiling fans from ~1890 to the 1930s.

apparently ceiling fans are just like tools, older is better with those too.

[Jim Rimmer]

I run mine on medium. I don't know that high would be better. You just need some air movement. Do you want to blow papers of the table? But I also run my A/C around 76 - 78.

What James said is right on if you have reversible fans.

[Louis Brandt]

I run mine on medium. I don't know that high would be better. You just need some air movement. Do you want to blow papers of the table? But I also run my A/C around 76 - 78.

What James said is right on if you have reversible fans.

Yes, we know about reversing the direction in the winter. And like you, we run our A/C about the same 76-78 in the summer. But we've always run our ceiling fans at their highest speeds, and I just wanted to know whether anyone knew of any reason why that might actually be less efficient than running at a lower speed.

[Von Bickley]

I use my ceiling fans on medium year round. Mostly in the summer, but sometimes in the winter to.

[Steven DeMars]

Because it's noisey . . .

But if a slow or medium speed will do an excellent job, wouldn't the highest speed do the best job? That's really my question.

[Steven DeMars]

He actually believed that there are tons of Freon in an HVAC system?

You have to remember, I live in the south. The requirement to get a HVAC license is to work as a technician for for 5 years and then past a written test. Notice I said work, that includes humping new units into the attic and laying out flexible duct. Problem is a licensed tech/company owner can have a 100 x-burger workers working for him under his license. No training required. The licensed person does not have to be present when the work is performed.

I think I have gotten that guy a couple of times. Offered one a FLUKE one day to trouble shoot since he had none. He told me they had a "cheat sheet" that told them what to replace based on "what it was or wasn't doing". He said he did not need the FLUKE, nor could he operate one.

Same guy told me I just need to close off rooms I was not in at the time. I think I confused him when I told him I could only be in "one room at a time".

Also told me that I should "squirt" the condenser unit with a hose a couple times a day to "help it out".

My across the street neighbor's new condenser quick working after a couple of months. They told him his warranty was void because birds had been sitting above it crapping in it.

Another Carrier Dealer came out checked it out and determined it was just a faulty capacitor. When the neighbor told him what the last guy said he spewed Coke out of his nose laughing.

Had another guy check my freon with a stick gauge & told me everything was alright.

Living here in Louisiana you spend a lot of time talking to A/C people.

Steve

[Jim Finn]

I am a former HVAC Contractor/Service man and I run my ceiling fan along with my AC only in the bedroom at night. Just do what you like it matters little if you run fans or not. One thing I suggest is never to run your ceiling fan drawing the air upwards. Always pushing the air down. Running it with the airflow up will cause a dirty ring to form on the ceiling eventualy.

[Chris Harry]

I run my fans on low at night. Since the setback t-stat lets the temp rise overnight (I dont need it to be nice and cool while Im unconscious ), the ceiling fan is the little bit that we need to fall asleep comfortably and fall back asleep if we wake in the middle of the night.

[Matt Meiser]

When we have the ac on we use the one in our bedroom on high because I sleep better with a blanket on me. In our living room and dining room usually medium.