A regular fan has one job: to blow air across your skin to make you feel cooler. An air circulator fan can do everything from cooling you off to keeping you warm to saving you money on your energy bill. The best air circulator fans eliminate hot and cold spots, making your home a more comfortable environment so you can better enjoy life.
If you’re still not exactly sure what makes an air circulator fan different from a regular fan, don’t worry — that’s why you’ve landed on this page. After reading through this guide, you’ll know how to choose the right size air circulator fan and have a firm grasp of the most efficient ways to use one.
To get started on your air circulator fan education, keep reading. If you’re ready to purchase and are just here to quickly see which models are the best, consider the air circulator fans we’ve spotlighted in this article.
Types
When considering the purchase of an air circulator fan, you need to make sure you get the best one for your available space. There are four basic options: table, floor, pedestal, and tower.
Table: This is the smallest size of air circulator fan. It is proportioned to fit on a table, and the best ones pivot and swivel or oscillate so you can direct the airstream exactly where you want it to go.
Floor: This type of air circulator fan is similar to the table model but larger and more powerful. If you placed this item on your desk, it would likely disrupt your ability to work. This air circulator fan can be positioned anywhere in a room where you have adequate floor space and there is no low furniture that would inhibit the airflow.
Pedestal: A pedestal air circulator fan is a powerful option that is best for larger rooms where you might have obstacles such as sofa, coffee table, or other low furniture that would make a floor air circulator fan less effective.
Tower: This type is often the most elegant air circulator fan. Its sleek design means the unit takes up less space than other styles and makes it great for use in a room where décor is important. The tower air circulator fan is a powerful option.
FAQ
Q. What’s the difference between a fan and an air circulator fan?
A. Both create currents of air, so the difference basically comes down to usage. A fan is a device that blows air directly on a person who wants to feel cooler. An air circulator fan, on the other hand, creates airflow that keeps all the air in a room in continuous motion to eliminate hot or cold spots. Additionally, air circulator fans can be used in warm and cold weather.
Q. How does an air circulator fan help in the winter months?
A. No fan actually lowers the temperature of a room; all it does is move the air. When a fan is blowing directly on you, it helps the air evaporate the sweat from your skin, which lowers your body temperature. An air circulator fan doesn’t (or shouldn’t) blow directly on you. In the winter, if you aim the fan up and set it on low, it can move the hot air that’s lingering near the ceiling and distribute it more equally around the room, eliminating those cold spots.
Q. How do I choose the right size air circulator fan?
A. Air circulator fans are categorized by how much air they can move in one minute. This is expressed as cubic feet per minute (CFM). To find the best air circulator fan for your needs, multiply the room’s length by width by height to get the cubic feet. Divide that number by 3 to get the ideal CFM needed to circulate the air in that particular room. For example, if your room is 15 feet long by 15 feet wide by 8 feet high, it is 1,800 cubic feet. Divide 1,800 by 3 to get 600. The ideal air circulator fan for that room is 600 CFM. Alternately, you could divide by 5 to get the lowest CFM advisable. In the above example, that would be 360 CFM.
