If you work in a garage, hangar, or machine shop, the heat probably gets unbearable at times. Depending on the type of shop and its location, the heat might only be exceedingly bad in the summer, or it might build up all day so that the last hour of work is always hard.
In response to the heat, you might be thinking an industrial fan is the right solution. If so, here are five things to take into account.
This is the biggest question of all and the one you have to answer first. Unfortunately, the answer is usually “no.” In order to effectively cool you off, you must have the right conditions, such as:
If there isn’t a reservoir of cool air for your fan to draw on, it won’t cool your workspace. Remember, fans don’t cool the air, they just move the air around. So if there’s no cool air, the fan is just moving hot air around. Moving hot air around can work if you have exposed skin. Then the moving air will be able to evaporate sweat off your skin. This can effectively cool your body.
However, if you can’t meet one or both of the above conditions, a portable industrial fan won’t help you keep cool. In fact, it can make you hotter. When you can’t meet the requirements for cooling with a fan, you should consider other options like an industrial evaporative cooler. An evaporative cooler can actually drop the temperature of the air. By lowering the air temperature by up to 30° F in one pass, an evaporative cooler can make your workspace cooler, helping you and your coworkers stay productive despite the heat.
Assuming a fan will truly work for you, you should be looking for a fan that gives at least 10 cubic feet per minute (cfm) of airflow per square foot of floor area. That’s assuming that you’ve got a standard height ceiling (about 9 feet). If the ceiling is higher, you’ll need more cfm.
This is an important consideration. You need to have someplace to put the fan, so it will distribute the air. You want to make sure it’s not blocking critical walkways. You can opt to put it in a door to exhaust hot air from the room or bring in cool air from outside, but make sure it won’t interfere with normal operations. Also, consider that you might want to move the fan throughout the day as you move around the garage doing work in different places. If that’s the case, carefully evaluate how portable the fan really is. Some manufacturers use the term very loosely.
As with anything these days, most portable industrial fans you can buy are made overseas and imported. It’s important to factor this into your decision-making. Not only does an American-made fan support American jobs and meet American standards for treating workers well, but it’s less likely to have a disrupted supply chain in times like a pandemic, during trade wars, and other times when international trade is not running smoothly.
Warranties are a good way to measure the quality of a product. The better warranty that a manufacturer is prepared to put behind their product, the more confidence they have that their product will function for a longer period of time without needing service or replacement.
If you’re considering a portable industrial fan, it’s likely that the above considerations are making you question your choice.
If you’re thinking an industrial fan isn’t going to do the job for you, it’s time to consider a Portacool. Portacool is a portable evaporative cooler that has models suitable for every level of use, from casual patio and RV use up to heavy industrial needs in a garage, machine shop, or more. With impressive airflow up to 22,500 cfm, they can tackle the largest hot spaces to help you stay cool even in very hot weather while doing hot work. Plus, our evaporative coolers have been made in the USA since they debuted in 1990. They also come with a warranty of up to 5 years on the electrical components and a limited lifetime warranty on the housing.
If you want to get a Portacool for your industrial worksite, visit a local or online retailer. For detailed questions or bulk orders, use our online contact form.
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HVLS fans, or High-Volume, Low-Speed fans, are large ceiling fans designed to move a massive volume of air at low rotational speed. These mechanical fans are typically between 7’ and 24’ in diameter and are designed to provide a cooling effect to large, open spaces like warehouses, factories, and barns. HVLS ceiling fans have been around since the late 1990s, but recent innovations from companies like Hunter Industrial & Commercial have led to a recent increase in popularity.
Large industrial ceiling fans are useful year-round. In the hot months, the breeze these big fans produce creates a cooling effect of nearly 10 degrees! Studies have shown that once temperatures get into the 80s, workplace productivity starts to drop. HVLS ceiling fans can be the difference between an unsafe, unproductive environment, and an enjoyable workplace. When it is cold outside, HVLS fans aid in DESTRATIFICATION, or the mixing of layers of air in an environment. This mixing of air means that the heat trapped at the ceiling of your facility will be distributed evenly.
There are two primary differences between HVLS fans and the kind of fan you might have in your living room or bedroom: size and rotational speed. Home ceiling fans are much smaller, spin much faster, and create less airflow than industrial HVLS fans.
Airflow is measured in cubic feet per minute, or CFM. A standard home ceiling fan generates about 6,700 CFM of airflow set on high. When a 24 ft. Hunter Titan HVLS fan is set on high, it generates 316,000 CFM of airflow, meaning the Titan HVLS fan is 47 times more powerful than a standard residential ceiling fan!
So, we know that HVLS fans move a lot of air, but how else can these large fans help you? Cost savings, for one thing. HVLS ceiling fans, also known as our industrial outdoor fans, cost just pennies an hour to operate,, and decrease the workload placed on your HVAC system. These cost savings don’t stop with the end of the summer either; installing HVLS fans in your business can lead to as much as 30% in energy savings! And keep in mind, a comfortable environment is also a safer and more productive environment. Ensuring that your employees are working in a comfortable space leads to higher employee retention and fewer accidents.
If your space has large, open ceilings, it will benefit from the installation of HVLS fans. Warehouses are one of the most common applications, where large industrial cooling fans keep workers safe and product from spoiling. Gyms and other fitness facilities use HVLS fans to keep guests comfortable and handle unpleasant odors. Automotive shops harness the power of HVLS fans to mitigate the unpredictable environment created by open bay doors, and deal with potentially harmful fumes.
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At Hunter Industrial & Commercial, we pride ourselves in making the most innovative HVLS fans on the market. With three different HVLS fan models, all available in a wide variety of sizes, there is sure to be a Hunter HVLS fan that meets your needs. Hunter is the only industrial fan company that offers an Adjustable Downrod, which ensures ease of installation. Our 700E Environmental HVLS Fan Controller comes with sensors that automatically detect and respond to changes in your environment. And all Hunter HVLS fans come standard with a direct drive motor, which means there is no risk of oil spills.
High-Volume, Low-Speed industrial ceiling fans are an effective, reliable, and efficient way to take control of your working environment, ensuring your business remains safe, comfortable, and productive in the process. HVLS fans generate a nearly ten-degree cooling effect and help save money year-round. These big fans are an easy way to improve your space! Hunter Industrial & Commercial is the only company that offers a Limited Lifetime Warranty on all HVLS ceiling fans, and most orders ship within ten days.
Are you ready to take your workplace to the next level by installing Hunter HVLS ceiling fans? Our experts will work with you to get the air flowing in no time.
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