Drum Fans .........

[Tony Falotico]

Well, it's heating up in the south, and once again I'm looking for ways to keep the shop cool enough to work in. The shop is 20' x 28', has a 4 ft walk in door, a 12 ft roll up door, and small (14x24) windows on each side that open half way. I'm fairly well shaded in the mid to late afternoon, fairly well insulated walls and ceiling. An 8000 BTU window unit works well in the evenings, but beats itself to death in the hot afternoon. Anyway, I prefer to work with the 12 ft roll up door OPEN, gives fresh air, don't feel confined, can watch the Grandkids in the pool and yard, much better chance of being seen and heard with the shop open should I ever need emergency help, and the fresh air helps keep the dust down.

Been looking at a large drum fan. Locally I can get a 36", 4 blade, 2 speed belt driven, 1/2 HP drum fan that pushes 7300 cfm low speed and 10,300 cfm high speed for $199. Option two is a 42", 4 blade, 2 speed belt driven, 1/2 HP drum fan that pushes 9500 cfm low speed and 13,300 cfm high speed for $258.99. Both appear to have the identical motor, the 36" seems to run smoother, the 42" sounds like it works much harder, may be a little bogged down.

Anybody using fans to cool, does it do any good ?? Will simply pushing a high volume of (hot) air do me any good ?? Or am I wasting money ?? Is the drum fan worth the price over $35 borg fans (high velocity / low volume) ?? What’s your thoughts / experiences ??

[Doug Shepard]

Dont have any advice on the type of fan, but like real estate, it's LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. Summers get hot and very humid here in MI. I've found it take 3 fans going to keep my 24x26 garage cool enough to work. There's a large cupola mounted fan that does a decent job of pulling hot air out but it's not enough. I end up opening one of the back windows and setting a regular box type fan in the window sill blowing out. Then there's a large floor stand fan aimed at the area I'm working in blowing in. Between the 3 I get enough of a cross breeze moving through that it's not a sweatshop.

[skip coyne]

there used commonly down here in shops , warehouses , factorys etc.

In my experiance they work well . you dont mention roof , but since heat rises both insaltion and venting do a lot

as to pushing "hot " air its the same concept as wind chill air over the skin cools evan hot air

[Richard Wolf]

Hey Tony, I use a 36" drum fan and it does work well. I think my next one may be a pedestial type fan to get the air higher up.

Richard

[James Ayars]

I have a 12,000 sq foot gymnastics school and I cool using 4 barrel fans. Two 36" and two 42". All four are belt drive, two speed. I keep them on the low speed setting and they all blow from one end to the other~110 feet. Even with our humid summers(Southern Pines,North Carolina) they make a huge difference.
James

[John Shuk]

The fan that circulates the central air through my house works for me.... I can't take too much heat.

[Frankie Hunt]

I find the bigger the fan the better. A larger fan will turn more slowly to move the same amout of air, which makes it much quieter. Also it is less of a "pinpoint" kind of airflow movement with the larger fans, its a larger area of air that is moving. So.... Larger = quieter and better air flow pattern. (IMHO) Just 2 things to consider.

My shop is a 26' x 28' stand alone 2 car garage. It's well insulated except for around the garage doors. I have a small window ac unit. If it gets above 78 or so inside, I just open up the garage doors and run the fans, even if the outside temp is 87 or higher. I like the fresh air movment of outside 87 degree air better than inside stuffy 78. Our humidity is usually high too. (85% or so) When it gets in the high 90s I tend to not visit the shop as often.

[Frankie Hunt]

I would get the biggest drum fan. You will run it on slow speed most of the time anyway. The drum units are well worth the cost difference over the small high velocity fans.

Just a thought.... Wonder if it would pass the "nickel test" if you put a link belt on it ??:)

[Steve Clardy]

Two 18" oscalating fans, wall mounted. Then when it gets really hot,
I've got an extra 42" green house fan on a roll cart I use.
Pushes a lot of air, fairly slow speed.

But even after a while, it gets to pushing hot air, but I guess it dries up the sweat.

[Chris Fite]

I use a whole house fan mounted high in the gable end of my 24 x 28 shop to draw air through the 6 foot wide shop door mixed with some or all of the four small windows in the walls. This arrangement provides air movement as well the cooling effect from the air moving over you. The fan looks similar to this one.

[Frankie Hunt]

Hey Tony,

So.... Did you get that big fan?

It sure has been getting warm around here (91). My little AC unit kept it to about 74 in the shop today. If I turn it on in the mornings it keeps it cool, but it can't overcome an already hot shop.

[Tom Spallone]

I thought this was about being a fan of drums! sheesh. ya got me. I'll leave now.

[Tony Falotico]

The 36" went on sale at the farm supply for $178 last weekend so I got one along with an 18" wall mount fan. Put the wall mount in the 'dead' corner up high, put the 36"er by the roll up door, open all the windows and it sure does keep the air moving. Not sure if it lowers the temp or not, but it does keep the place inhabitable :) :)