It’s Summer, Is Your Ceiling Fan Going In The Right Direction?

I am going to remind you of this, twice a year, every year from now on.

Now keep in mind that I've already written about this a couple of times before, and I personally had it wrong with three of my four ceiling fans (or was it right for three of my four ceiling fans?). The point is, your ceiling fan should be turning in different directions based on whether it's hot or cold.

It's my feeling that most people install a ceiling fan and never even give it a second thought. They leave it on whatever the default setting is, and that's where it stays for the rest of its mechanical life. That's not how they are actually designed. The blades are curved to either push air down or pull air up.

Right now, you should switch your ceiling fan to counterclockwise. This creates a downward draft to cool the room. Conversely, during cold months, it should be clockwise to recycle the warm air in the room.

Now if you find the whole clockwise/counterclockwise thing confusing in relation to a ceiling fan, it's easy to figure out. If the blades are going left to right, that's clockwise, and if they're going right to left that's counterclockwise.

There's another VERY important item to keep in mind too. Before you change directions with your ceiling fan, let it come to a full and complete stop. Switching the direction while it's running can be really bad (think putting your car in reverse while going forward).

Check your ceiling fans when you get home, and at work if you'd have 'em, and stay cool this Summer.