How to Make a Fan Blow Cold Air

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Updated July 21, 2022

If you are new to the world of personal cooling appliances, you may want to learn how to make a fan blow cold air, which is certainly easier than learning how to make a fan blade. The best fans, after all, are not equipped with the types of refrigerants found with air conditioners. So how can you get your fans to blow cold air instead of warm or even hot air? Keep reading to find some solutions on how to use a fan to make cold air.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • If you are stuck without an air conditioning unit, use a simple fan or two to create some cool breeze or cool mist in your home.
  • You can drape a damp cloth directly in front of the fan blades or position some ice behind the blades. These tips don’t work with a ceiling fan, as hot air rises.
  • Another option is to try cross-ventilation by strategically placing a number of fans throughout the space.

How Can I Make My Fan Blow Cold Air?

Each fan is different, as is each living space if you are wondering how to run a ceiling fan without electricity. In other words, there is no universal solution to this issue, which is also the case when learning how to use an air circulator fan. Luckily, there are several common tips and processes to consider to make a fan blow cold air, even if you are conducting a Stanley 20-inch industrial high-velocity floor fan review.

Insider Tip

Each of these methods has a finite lifespan regarding efficacy, especially when it is extremely hot outside. You’ll need to refresh them often.

Here are the easiest and most effective methods to get that fan colder than ice, which work even when conducting a Vornadobaby Breesi LS nursery fan review.

Use a Damp Cloth

If you have a tower fan or pedestal fan, rely on the tried-and-true damp cloth method for creating cold air during those hot summer months. The process here couldn’t be easier. Dampen a clean cloth with cold tap water and simply drape it in front of the fan. The blades will push air into the cloth, and the moisture within the cloth will cool this air. Make sure to only use clean cloth for this process. Otherwise, you could infect your room with some pretty nasty smells that will get in the way of you enjoying that nice bowl of ice cream.

Try Ice

Ice is not just for cooling down summer beverages, but it also helps turn a simple standing fan into a de facto air conditioner. Just lay some ice packs, a water bottle filled with frozen water, or a bowl of ice cubes behind the blades. In time, the fan will begin transferring cooled air.

Create Cross Ventilation

This is a nifty trick. Use two or three fans to capitalize on the air coming through the window via a window fan. These fans will create a cross draft and spread cooled air throughout the space. Positioning varies depending on the design of your room.

STAT: A fan, if placed in front of an air conditioning unit can help to move the cold air from the A/C throughout the room at a faster rate than the fan inside of the A/C unit can. (source)

How to Make a Fan Blow Cold Air FAQs

How much electricity does a fan use?

They certainly use less electricity than portable air conditioners, heat pumps, and related appliances. The amount of energy that fans use is considered negligible, especially since they help with air circulation.

Is it okay to have a fan on all night?

It is fine to leave a fan on all night, though any plastic bottles you have filled with ice would melt by that time due to heat gains, especially during a summer heat wave.

How do you reverse the rotation of your ceiling fan?

Another option to beat the summer heat is to make your ceiling fan spin in a counterclockwise direction. Get this done by accessing the controls near the canopy.
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