Best way to use electric fan?

[AnnO'Neemus]

It's hot. I bought an electric fan. What's the best way to use it?

It's a very long time since I tried and failed to learn thermodynamics and stuff, so if I turn on the fan, should I keep my bedroom window closed or should I open it? What's the best way to stay cool?

 

[editor]

The big tip is to keep your bedroom windows closed and the curtains drawn during the day.

 

[quimcunx]

If its hotter outside than inside, keep the window shut. If it's cooler outside open the window. If its the same temperature but opening the windows in different rooms creates a through breeze do that. If the sun is on your windows shut the blinds or curtains.

Place frozen water bottles in front of your fan.

 

[Fez909]

If its hotter outside than inside, keep the window shut. If it's cooler outside open the window. If its the same temperature but opening the windows in different rooms creates a through breeze do that. If the sun is on your windows shut the blinds or curtains.

Place frozen water bottles in front of your fan.

Everything here is correct.

Also, don't fall asleep with your fan on: Fan death - Wikipedia

 

[Epona]

Get a plastic drinks bottle, fill it with water, put it in the freezer (it works well to have 2 or 3 on rotation so you always have a frozen one).

Put the water bottle in a tupperware container or plastic ice cream tub or small saucepan or similar (this is important, so that condensation doesn't end up all over the surface the fan is sitting on, you do not want the fan or anything else electric to get wet!) about 30cm or so in front of the fan, between you and the fan.

Turn fan on so it is blowing at the bottle of ice and the cool air is coming towards you.

Don't leave fans on unattended or while you are asleep, because as with anything electrical there is always a small risk of a malfunction causing a fire.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Don't leave fans on unattended or while you are asleep, because as with anything electrical there is always a small risk of a malfunction causing a fire.

Or demonic possession

But use a fan how you like AnnO'Neemus - preferably while eating monster munch.

 

[xenon]

I just bought a new fan because the other one is kind of fucked, and I fear it will fall over and chew the duvet up or worse. But also my bedroom window doesn’t open. Yep I don’t know. It overlooks a stairwell. But I could jump / fallout the front window if that was the design concern. anyway fuck it moving air. However That is achieved, is what you want.

 

[petee]

this is an important question for us cheapskate tenement dwellers. having two fans is ideal: an intake/exhaust fan for the window, and your basic electric fan (oscillating, preferably) for whatever room you're in. use the oscillating fan to blow onto you the cooler (overnight) air that you're sucking in from outside; so you need them perpendicular. (i'm thinking of my own bedroom, you're positioning may be different).

Place frozen water bottles in front of your fan.

oooh, good suggestion.

 

[ska invita]

i have mine on all night long often these days + as many windows open as possible without attracting burglars

 

[two sheds]

Eta: right at the end he says how to position the fan

 

[WouldBe]

It's hot. I bought an electric fan. What's the best way to use it?

Plug it in and switch on.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Don't leave fans on unattended or while you are asleep, because as with anything electrical there is always a small risk of a malfunction causing a fire.

Problem being, my fan was bought for the purpose of being left on to help me sleep.

 

[MickiQ]

The Q strategy is windows/french doors open and fan on though fan only tends to get turned on as a last resort when the normal movement of air does not suffice.
I myself have serious doubts over whether Monster Munch can be classed as crisps but realise this is too emotional an issue with too many entrenched positions for a rational debate on the subject.

 

[JimW]

Swear I read a claim that you get best circulation with window open and fan far side of room blowing towards it but might be nonsense. I just have it on a chair pointing at me from a couple.of feet away. Have aircon but the one in my room is bust. Fixed twice and same fault recurs

 

[pbsmooth]

so science man above has the fan in front of the window facing out. sounds crazy.

 

[JimW]

so science man above has the fan in front of the window facing out. sounds crazy.

Actually, that might have been what I read, mainly recall it being counterintuitive.

 

[pbsmooth]

I guess it may be the best way, according to the science, to lower the temperature of the room, but perhaps doesn't factor in the cooling effect of the fan blowing on to you.

 

[newme]

I guess it may be the best way, according to the science, to lower the temperature of the room, but perhaps doesn't factor in the cooling effect of the fan blowing on to you.

Yeh taking 2c out of the room when it's 25 is piss all compared to it blowing directly on me sweating and evaporative cooling for me personally. Which is what I'm actually interested in.

Also I really need to clean my fan

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Also I really need to clean my fan

People clean fans?

 

[newme]

People clean fans?

Well it's been cleaned once and it was my SO lol. Been a few years now tho so the airflow is rather poor through all this.... made me think of cleaning computer fans and why that was necessary. For scale that about a 10 inch fan.

 

[dessiato]

What we did in Spain was to soak towels in cold water, let most of the water drip out then put them in the fridge. At night we would put the towels on us then have a fan on pointing out the window. This way we were kept cool and the hot air was blown out of the apartment. We never opened the blinds/curtains through the day. It helped a lot.

 

[newme]

What we did in Spain was to soak towels in cold water, let most of the water drip out then put them in the fridge. At night we would put the towels on us then have a fan on pointing out the window. This way we were kept cool and the hot air was blown out of the apartment. We never opened the blinds/curtains through the day. It helped a lot.

I mistakenly booked a room with no air con in Portugal, the countryside surrounding us was literally on fire and dropped Ash one day on the city. Couldn't get any airflow, arrived at midnight to find the room had closed windows and was basically an oven. We opened the balcony doors, put towels on the floor, moved the entire mattress so we were half out of the room entirely and got a breeze. There was a lot of towels in the fridge that week and frozen water bottles. Lesson learned and I was told we aren't going anywhere without air con now if its hot there lol.