Can Someone Settle This Argument?

[syd barrett]

In Thailand most rooms are fitted with ceiling fans, with about three speed settings. Floor fans are readily available in the stores with also three speed settings (and a swing).

Here is the question. Which uses the greater amount of power (electrical units)?

I would have thought the same, but Thai's insist the ceiling fans burn much more power.

What do you think?

[bkkjames]

In Thailand most rooms are fitted with ceiling fans, with about three speed settings. Floor fans are readily available in the stores with also three speed settings (and a swing).

Here is the question. Which uses the greater amount of power (electrical units)?

I would have thought the same, but Thai's insist the ceiling fans burn much more power.

What do you think?

no electrician am i but if i was gonna wager a heineken on the outcome i would say the ceiling fan uses more power.

reason: the blades and motors are generally larger.

like i said, i dont know really but what intrigues me more is the reason for the question in the first place?

[sukeroku]

I think that arguing over the issue creates more heat and expends more energy.

[Harcourt]

BKKJames' is right, as a rule of thumb. You need to determine what wattage the motors are.

Watts = power

Electricity is billed in kwh, thousands of watts per hour. For example, a 100 w lightbulb will cost 1 kwh after 10 hours use

[bkkjames]

BKKJames' is right, as a rule of thumb. You need to determine what wattage the motors are.

Watts = power

Electricity is billed in kwh, thousands of watts per hour. For example, a 100 w lightbulb will cost 1 kwh after 10 hours use

Thanks Harcourt: Do you make house calls?

[Harcourt]

BKKJames' is right, as a rule of thumb. You need to determine what wattage the motors are.

Watts = power

Electricity is billed in kwh, thousands of watts per hour. For example, a 100 w lightbulb will cost 1 kwh after 10 hours use

Thanks Harcourt: Do you make house calls?

Hehe...from what Neverdie intimated to me, I'll have to say, no, sorry I don't.

[GungaDin]

At a rough guess I'd say the ceiling fan.

You can check the wattage on the box of the c-fan, & under the base of the regular fan.

My 18" Hatari's are 80watts, but is that on all the settings ?

One for Crossey I think

[jackdanielsesq]

The difference between the two in any given month is perhaps one very cold Chang. Maybe.

BR>Jack

[krading]

One would think that a ceiling fan would use more power when starting up because of the bigger blades but once going, the inertia built up would help to keep usage down a bit.

But what do I know, I was a boilermaker.

[TopDogger]

I would have said celling fan's consume much less as they don't have to deal with so much gravitational force compared with the upright one's and in theory could be fitted with a less powerfull motor? If you notice, when u switch on a celling fan it takes a good 5 seconds to get upto speed. Floor standing ones are flat out within 2. A more powerfull motor perhaps?

[Sakeopete]

I would guess the floor fans would use more for the same reason Krading mentioned about inertia. Also floor fans are often used with their swing function which would also increase power usage. Keep in mind ceiling fans need their blades cleaned regularly to be efficient.

[jackr]

In Thailand most rooms are fitted with ceiling fans, with about three speed settings. Floor fans are readily available in the stores with also three speed settings (and a swing).

Here is the question. Which uses the greater amount of power (electrical units)?

I would have thought the same, but Thai's insist the ceiling fans burn much more power.

What do you think?

Typical Thai reply. They basically don't know or that's what someone told them. That one would draw more juice than the other is totally subjective as you need to look at the motor... they're not all rated the same. Think someone already mentioned it takes more juice to run one up (ceiling) but when it's going it will use less. Short of getting an amp clamp and testing each variety - and then using W=VI (watts = volts x amps) to get the power consumption - you wouldn't know. In any case, it'd be less than 100 watt (perhaps around 50 or even 35) and even if it were 100W and you ran it 24/7 every day, that'd be roughly 200 baht a month... peanuts. Advantages of ceiling fans are they're quieter, they shift more air, and they don't get in yer face. One major disadvantage, however; you can't move the bugger around.

[cyb]

I would have said celling fan's consume much less as they don't have to deal with so much gravitational force compared with the upright one's and in theory could be fitted with a less powerfull motor? If you notice, when u switch on a celling fan it takes a good 5 seconds to get upto speed. Floor standing ones are flat out within 2. A more powerfull motor perhaps?

Ceiling fans even if they are the same wattage consume more power on start up than a floor standing one. Once they attain the speed there should be very little difference in consumption.

[syd barrett]

I just think that because the ceiling fans blades are heavier, (the floor fans are very light in weight) that the ceiling fan consumes more power.

I do notice an appreciable decrease in electricity units used per month if fans are not used 24/7.

It looks like my floor fans are rated at 68.4 Watts.

[Chaimai]

Advantages of ceiling fans are they're quieter, they shift more air, and they don't get in yer face. One major disadvantage, however; you can't move the bugger around.

Maybe a combination of the two would be the answer

[fiddlehead]

Well to me, this one is pretty obvious although i have not done a test.

The blades on those ceiling fans are heavy and made out of metal.

The plastic ones on the cheap portable fans are very lightweight.

I would guess it to be almost double to the smaller portable models.

[Moonrakers]

Well to me, this one is pretty obvious although i have not done a test.

The blades on those ceiling fans are heavy and made out of metal.

The plastic ones on the cheap portable fans are very lightweight.

I would guess it to be almost double to the smaller portable models.

Maybe not that simple.

The heaviness of the blades and the larger size may mean that they have more momentum when turning, meaning less power is required to maintain their velocity. What's more is that the blades on a portable fan may be smaller and lighter, but they do many more revolutions than a ceiling fan.

Having said that though, I don't know much about electric motors and the like.

[vreemd13]

IMHO a very easy answer: just check Watt usage at motor label: higher Wattage is more energy used (What is Watt? It is energy consumed by product).

However: higher Watt usage will tell nothing about your effective feelings of cooling down.

BTW: a fan will not cool down room temperature, it just makes you feel cooler, because your skin perspiration make your body lose heat easier, if you are closer to a fan.

Ouch: but a real good "fan" can make you heat up faster internally, than a fan can cool you down externally

[DP25]

They both use so little compared to an air conditioner that I would never notice.

[Moonrakers]

They both use so little compared to an air conditioner that I would never notice.

True, and both are also much better than AC in so many ways.

[Lickey]

Dont know about the power useage of either fans, But my preference is the moveable floor fan,we do have a 5 blade ceiling fan in the TV room, but useing this, my beer is flat as a witches tit in 30seconds, it just pushes hot air from the top of the room down,whereas floor fans push cooler air to start with.

You could try giving your ceiling fan a bit of help to get going, give the blades a push, when i do this, the lights dont dim so much,,

[vreemd13]

They both use so little compared to an air conditioner that I would never notice.

True, and both are also much better than AC in so many ways.

I agree, but AC (AirCon) is the only way to cool down physical heat exercise in a true scientific view.

[Harcourt]

Did Thailand ever have the punka wallahs? Those chaps that would sit outside pulling a rope that attached to a horizontal cieling fan.

Get yourself one of those: two bowls of rice a day ought to do it.

[vreemd13]

Did Thailand ever have the punka wallahs? Those chaps that would sit outside pulling a rope that attached to a horizontal cieling fan.

Get yourself one of those: two bowls of rice a day ought to do it.

But still, scientifically speaking, modern A/C would be very more efficient for you personally to cool down, than any fan or "fan" or chap.

Calculate, how much energy it will cost to produce two warm bowls of rice a day at your home all year round for this chap. Problably cost a lot more than any (fan/AC) motor electricity Watt usage a year, by electricity which can be easily delivered by copper wire at your home. Advantage this modern way: no mentally intervention talk, just turn on/off switch

But, who cares, I have been condemned by techno-babble before.

[Crossy]

In practice I don't think there's actually a great deal of difference if you compare cooling effect (it's not actual cooling).

Floor fans tend to be smaller (except Gungadins turbo-props) and move a fairly small air column at a fairly high speed, ceiling fans move a much larger air column but tend to move it more slowly. The actual effect is very similar.

Our 14" Hatari floor fans (rated at 60W) pull 50W at speed 2 (measured with my handy-dandy Kill-A-Watt), the ceiling fans are rated at 80W but are only ever run on speed 1 for a similar feeling of cooling. I can't conveniently measure the power used but I'd reckon it's as near 50W as makes no odds.

Personally I like the feel of a ceiling fan (less draughty), but each to his own.

Moved to DIY for more opinions

EDIT For the energy-misers here, check out the Sycamore fan http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/06/sycamore_ceilin.php

[trogers]

Cooling with fan is only practical when outside temp is below 30C, since using only fans means you are also relying on breeze from opened windows and doors. If windows and doors are closed, it will be uncomfortable due to buildup of humidity.

Floor or table mounted fan is practical for cooling small gathering of people, usually not more than 3. The swing effect means 3/4 of the time, people seated at the edge of a large group do not feel the air blowing.

Ceiling fan cools a large group, provided it is installed to a high ceiling (2.6m min). It is not as efficient in space of low ceiling.

[LeungKen]

Thanks for the link Crossy.

The fan looks like this :-

[trogers]

Thanks for the link Crossy.

The fan looks like this :-

A designer ceiling fan. Cost is probably over Bt5k.

[Crossy]

A designer ceiling fan. Cost is probably over Bt5k.

And the rest mate, it's 450 Euros in Italy ( http://www.deckenventilator.com/advanced_s...amp;x=0&y=0 one of the few sites I could find with prices) that's 21,600 Baht, it will take a LONG time to recover the 40W or so it's reckoned to save.

There's another single blade design from the same place at a whopping 1,200 Euros = 58,000 Baht.

[GungaDin]

Sycamore in Aus is A$650 + A$120 for the remote.