How Do Outdoor Fans Keep Patios Cool in Summer?

Buying an outdoor fan is a great and cost-effective way to beat the heat and enjoy outdoor spaces like patios, decks, and gardens. Unlike indoor fans which only circulate air, outdoor fans provide a focused stream of air while withstanding heat, rain, and dust. During the summer, an outdoor fan becomes necessary to break the warm stagnant air and reduce the discomfort due to the heat. Adding outdoor fans to your patios greatly improves the comfort level of your space, especially while you are trying to relax, dine, or socialize with your people under the overlapping sun. Unlike indoor fans that just circulate hot air in a room, an outdoor summer fan increases air flow at a 5 movement and assists the cooling process in flipping hot air quickly. With the rise of comfortable outdoor living spaces, there is a growing demand for outdoor living space fans. Understanding the benefits to fans in outdoor spaces, and how and why they work is possible, especially for businesses and homeowners that like to optimize summer patios.

The Complementary Cooling Activities in a Patio Fan.

An outdoor fan cools patios and outdoor living spaces through a two-part process that works together to lower the heat. First, an outdoor fan augments convective heat transfer. Activated, an outdoor fan causes air movement and a steady stream of air to flow in the patio.

The flow of air takes away warm, still air, and replaces it with cooler air, avoiding heat accumulation. For instance, on a sunny patio heated to 35 degrees Celsius, an outdoor fan positioned correctly allows this to be cooled to 27 to 30 degrees Celsius by taking away the air heated in the stagnant layer of around 5 to 8 degrees above the ground. The second way it changes this is by increasing the speed of evaporation. The body sweats, and when the fan is outside blowing on the skin, it accelerates this process. The burning of the body fat is replaced with the heat of the body when this sweat evaporates, and it produces a cooling effect which is felt even when the air temperature is not cooled. The outdoor fan is ideal in this sense to be placed on the patio where the air conditioning unit is not effective, because it uses sweat evaporation and air flow unlike an air conditioning unit which uses refrigeration and requires a closed room. For this reason outdoor fans even placed on patios, where air conditioning is not effective, allow the evaporation process to be replaced when focused air is blown on a skin.  

Benefits of an Outdoor Fan  

Among the outdoor cooling solutions, like misting systems and portable air conditioning, outdoor fans allow cooling to be added to patios. Another reason they can be used in cooling patios is the fact that they are energy efficient. For portable air conditioning which uses more than 1000 watts of electricity, a fan uses only 50 to 100 watts.

This means your utility bills will cost less because the outdoor fan has a low energy consumption rate, even when it runs all summer long! They are also very weather resistant. Premium outdoor fans have rust proof frames, UV resistant plastic blades, and sealed motors. This means they can operate safely during the rain, and in humid or extremely sunny weather, and withstand the abuse indoor fans would suffer, and malfunction, in outdoor conditions. They are also very simply designed for installation and day to day use. Most outdoor fans designed for the patio use very simple mounting options which require very little tools. They can also be controlled (remotes or pull chains) very simply to adjust to the desired speed. An outdoor fan works very silently, unlike the noisey misting pumps which works to provide a mist, and will allow you to converse or relax in peace on your patio.

How to Choose the Right Outdoor Fan for Your Patio

This means your utility bills will cost less because the outdoor fan has a low energy consumption rate, even when it runs all summer long! They are also very weather resistant. Premium outdoor fans have rust proof frames, UV resistant plastic blades, and sealed motors. This means they can operate safely during the rain, and in humid or extremely sunny weather, and withstand the abuse indoor fans would suffer, and malfunction, in outdoor conditions. They are also very simply designed for installation and day to day use. Most outdoor fans designed for the patio use very simple mounting options which require very little tools. They can also be controlled (remotes or pull chains) very simply to adjust to the desired speed. An outdoor fan works very silently, unlike the noisey misting pumps which works to provide a mist, and will allow you to converse or relax in peace on your patio. 

In order for the outdoor fan to perform optimally, the most important factor when selecting the right outdoor fan for your patio would be the size of your patio.

When selecting outdoor fans for small patios (less than 10 square meters), choose those with blade spans of 36-42 inches. For 10-20 square meters, blade spans of 44-52 inches are required. For large patios (over 20 square meters), fans with 54 inch blades or larger, or multiple fans, will be needed to distribute air evenly. Second, select the right mounting type. For covered patios with solid ceilings, ceiling mounted outdoor fans will clear the floor space and distribute the air evenly. Wall mounted outdoor fans serve uncovered patios or the regions where ceiling mounting is not an option. They can be tilted to focus air flow on certain areas. Freestanding outdoor fans can be a good option for spacing. They can be moved to focus on areas with the most people or heat. They can also be placed where heat is most needed under the cover of a tent or patio. Third, check for value adding features. An outdoor fan with a variable speed (to adjust air flow for comfortable cooling), a reversible motor (to recirculate warm air and cool air out of the house in summer), and built in LED lights (to cool and illuminate the patio) are amenities many will appreciate. They will improve the functionality of outdoor fans.

How to Get Your Outdoor Fans to Work More Efficiently on Your Patio

If you want to get the best performance from your outdoor fans and keep your patio cool, follow these few practical ideas. First things first, position your fan correctly. For ceiling fans, install them 2 and a half to 3 meters high and for wall mounted or freestanding fans, aim them downwards at a 15 to 20 degree angle for one of the fans to blow air at the people sitting or standing at the patio. Make sure to provide clearance between the fan and the wall and any furniture to avoid blockage, which will make the fan less effective. Second, combine the patio fan with shade. Outdoor fans provide some relief by moving air, but covering the patio with umbrellas, awnings, or pergolas will lower the overall heat on the patio. This combination will make the fan work better, since it will cool the shaded area instead of fighting to lower the temperature from the sun. Lastly, change the fan speed according to the weather. Low or medium speed will provide a comfortable breeze on mild summer days, but on hot summer days, you will need to switch to high speed for maximum air flow.

To cool a space before using a patio, run the outdoor fan a few minutes before people go out. It removes some of the hot air and cools the space. 

Common Myths About Outdoor Fans and the Truth Behind Them

There are a few outdoor fan myths that can result in a missed chance to cool the patio. The first is, “an outdoor fan only moves hot air around and doesn’t cool.” While an outdoor fan doesn’t drop the air temperature, it diminishes the temperature by high evaporation and moving hot air away and keeping it cold around the body. The cooling sensation is effective for making the patio comfortable. The second myth is, “an outdoor fan is only useful on windy days.” Mistakenly, it is thought that outdoor fans are not useful when there is wind. In fact, outdoor fans are invaluable on windless days. Stagnant, heated air is uncomfortable and an outdoor fan removes this stagnant trap air, providing essential airflow to the area.

The third myth is that `all` outdoor fans are the same so the price does not matter. In reality, cheap outdoor fans have poor quality motors that wear out quickly, weather non-weatherproof components that will rust and break in the rain, and poor inefficient blades that will move little air. When you buy high quality outdoor fans, those will be durable, work better, and last longer, which saves you money in the long run. The fourth myth is that outdoor fans are too expensive to run all day. Again, both claims are false. An outdoor fan uses very little energy. For instance, running a 75 watt outdoor fan for 8 hours a day will cost a few cents a day.