Ceiling Fan Direction

Who knew that a simple little science experiment would make the changing seasons easier to contend with? Well, for one, the guy who invented the ceiling fan did. And he came up with an ingenious theory that by simply flicking a button at the back of a fan, you could change the direction in which the blades rotate, and suddenly your plain old ceiling fan is suddenly serving an entirely different purpose. Enough with the button flicking nonsense, I hear you say?

Rotations and Seasons

The ceiling fan, as some of you may not know, can rotate both counterclockwise and clockwise. All it takes is a flick of a button which is generally located behind the rotor.

But let me start with a small science lesson here. The ceiling blades are so arranged that should they move in a counterclockwise motion, the result will be that the blades will pull the air around the room and provide to you a gentle breeze. It is known in the scientific circles as the wind chill factor. By making the blades move counterclockwise, the blades will suck the air around the room and blow the same towards you, making you feel cool. Which makes the counterclockwise blade motion pretty utile during the hot summer months.

So while the counterclockwise rotation ensured that the wind comes from all directions towards you, you seriously can't imagine keeping the ceiling fan running in the cold winter months, can you? Well...

The fan can also rotate clockwise, and by doing so, the effect produced is the opposite one. When the fan's rotation is clockwise, then the fan sucks air from the surroundings (a la, the exhaust fan) and circulates it to the other parts of the room. As a result, the opposite of effect takes place. So, how does this motion help in the winter? Because, during the winter, the warmer air will be concentrated closer to the ceiling and hence, sucking the comparatively cooler air towards the fan, the air will then push the warmer air down, suddenly making the room a lot warmer, even with the ceiling fan running in the winter months.

Steps to Change Direction

• Turn off the fan
• You will need a stool/chair/stand for changing the fan direction on high ceiling. These will prop you up to the height of the fan.
• Run your hand across the part of the fan behind the blades. There will be a toggle switch.
• Flick the switch the other way to change the direction.
• Restart the fan

As you can see, changing the direction is a matter of four simple steps. The fan is an amazing climate control contraption which proves its utility not only in the summer but also during the winter.