If you’ve ever had to move inside because of the heat in your outdoor space, then you’d probably understand why it is important to have a cooling device outdoors. Ceiling fans are common household devices and are arguably one of the most energy-efficient ways of combatting heat.
You might only be familiar with indoor ceiling fans and are wondering what makes outdoor fans so different from indoor fans. Or perhaps you are considering moving one of your household fans outdoors. In this article, I explain how outdoor ceiling fans work and how they are different from indoor fans.
How Ceiling Fans Work
Unlike air conditioners, ceiling fans do not actually cool the air in a room. Instead, they move the surrounding air around. They do this by rotating pitched blades and this movement results in a change in airflow.
The performance of the fan is usually dependent on factors like the number of blades, the size and design of the blades, the speed setting, the fan’s capacity, and the blade direction.
By default, ceiling fan blades spin in a counterclockwise direction. The movement of the blades sucks the air above and around the ceiling towards the fan and their counterclockwise direction creates a downdraft. The downward movement of air results in a wind chill effect (a wind chill effect is a perceived drop in body temperature because of an increase in airspeed). So, whenever the air comes in contact with your skin, it makes you feel cooler and causes moisture on your skin and surrounding surfaces to dry faster.
Some fans have a reverse switch that allows you to change the blade direction from counterclockwise to clockwise. This setting is especially useful during winter as the movement of the blades changes the direction of airflow and creates an updraft such that whenever air comes in contact with your skin, it makes you feel warmer.
Ceiling Fans Are Effective Outdoors
Outdoor areas aren’t enclosed by walls and are usually exposed to the elements, so installing air conditioning would be a waste of money and effort.
Cooling systems typically function by moving hot air outdoors and then replacing it with cool air. Therefore, for optimal results, it’s recommended that you close every route through which conditioned air can escape.
Ceiling fans do not remove air from a room, so there isn’t a risk of losing conditioned air to the atmosphere if they are installed outdoors.
Their mode of operation makes ceiling fans one of the best ways to stay cool outdoors.
One thing to keep in mind is that the atmospheric temperature would influence the effectiveness of an outdoor fan. So, a decrease in atmospheric temperature means improved cooling from your ceiling fan and vice versa.
Besides their cooling effect, installing a ceiling fan outdoors has the added benefit of keeping pests away. This makes for a more comfortable lounging experience especially if you enjoy staying outdoors late into the night.
Ceiling fans also add character to a space and if you purchase one with lighting, it would provide extra illumination to your space.
Factors Influencing Effectiveness
Installation Location
As a general rule, there should be a minimum of 7’ between ceiling fan blades and the floor. Failing to adhere to this rule would put you and passersby at risk of getting injured by the fan.
Besides the safety concern, the distance between the fan and the room also influences how well the fan circulates air. If the blades are too far from the room, the breeze might be lost before it reaches you, and if the distance between the blades and the ceiling is less than 12”, the fan would not be able to effectively move air around.
For optimal airflow, the distance between outdoor ceiling fan blades and the floor should be between 8’ to 9’.
If your ceiling is very high, rather than using the downrod that came with the fan, you can purchase a longer rod to help reduce the space between the ceiling and the room.
The size and layout of the space also influence how well an outdoor ceiling fan performs. For instance, if your fan is too small for the space, it wouldn’t have much cooling effect. So, it’s best to put the square footage of the space into consideration while purchasing the fan.
Ceiling fans installed in outdoor spaces that have walls perform better because rather than being lost to the atmosphere, the walls cause the breeze from the fan to bounce back, resulting in improved cooling.
Fan Capacity
The CFM (cubic feet per minute) determines the volume of air the fan is able to move around in a minute.
If you are yet to purchase your fan, it’s essential that you purchase one that is ideal for your outdoor space as it plays a huge role in determining how much satisfaction you get from your ceiling fan.
Bigger fans typically come with higher CFM ratings and whether a fan is appropriate for your outdoor space or not would depend on the size of the space.
If the CFM rating is too low for the space, the fan would not be able to move around enough air which means that it won’t cool you properly.
Another factor that influences the performance of outdoor ceiling fans is the speed of air movement. This determines how fast the fan moves air and is measured using rotations per minute (RPH) or miles per hour (MPH).
Blade Size and Design
Although the effectiveness of an outdoor ceiling fan is ultimately dependent on its motor, the composition of the blades also influences how well the fan moves air around.
The elements of ceiling fan blades that affect airflow include:
- The blade’s pitch (the angle the blades are set) is one of the key factors that determine how much air a ceiling fan is able to circulate through an outdoor space. The higher the blade pitch, the more air it is able to move.
- The blade’s span also influences airflow. Shorter blades create direct airflow so they are only effective in smaller spaces while larger blades deliver sufficient airflow for large spaces.
- The number of blades influences how much air the fan is able the move around. Ceiling fans with fewer blades typically circulate air better because more blades increase the drag on the motor, causing the fan to circulate less air.
Do You Have to Buy an Outdoor Ceiling Fan?
If you intend to install a ceiling fan outdoors, then you most definitely need to use an outdoor fan.
Although indoor and outdoor ceiling fans share similar features, outdoor fans are specially crafted to withstand the elements, so they cannot be substituted with an indoor fan.
Here are some of the features that distinguish outdoor ceiling fans from their indoor counterparts.
The Ceiling Fan’s Rating
Ceiling fans are rated by the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) based on their installation location.
A fan can either be dry-rated, damp-rated, or wet-rated.
All indoor ceiling fans are dry-rated and outdoor ceiling fans are either damp-rated or wet-rated.
Weather Resistance
Outdoor fans are specially designed to withstand the elements.
The level of weather resistance of an outdoor fan is dependent on its rating. Damp-rated fans can only withstand a fair level of moisture exposure, so they are ideal for outdoor spaces that aren’t directly exposed to the elements while wet-rated fans can withstand direct exposure to the elements.
Exposing indoor fans to moisture would not only lead to physical defects, but it can also damage the motor and worse can become an electrical fire hazard.
Materials
The quality of ceiling fan materials varies from one fan model to the next. However because outdoor fans are exposed to harsher conditions, they are usually made from sturdier and more durable materials.
The motors of outdoor fans feature a weatherproof seal that protects motor components from moisture exposure.
Indoor fans on the other hand do not have any form of weather protection. The components of damp-rated fans are crafted from weather-resistant materials while wet-rated fans are made with weatherproof materials.
Blades
Cooling an outdoor space requires more air movement than indoor locations, so manufacturers sometimes use wider blades for outdoor fans. Outdoor blades are also crafted with a steeper blade pitch.