Size Matters - When to use a large industrial fan

Whether you realized it or not, you were also likely comfortable in whatever warehouse, factory, gymnasium, or other giant space you were in. That’s because huge industrial fans are designed specifically to work in very large buildings. 

What exactly do these kinds of fans do? Why are they so big? Do you need a huge industrial fan?

WHAT IS CONSIDERED AN INDUSTRIAL FAN?

Ceiling fans have been around for a long, long time—nearly 150 years. They’ve become ubiquitous in houses, offices, and shops worldwide. Chances are, you have at least one in your home. 

But if you installed a standard ceiling fan in a warehouse, it’s unlikely you’d notice any difference. That’s because regular, 3- or 4-foot fans aren’t big or powerful enough to create airflow beyond an area of about 200 or 300 square feet (about the size of a typical bedroom). 

In industrial facilities such as warehouses (which average 50,000 square feet or more), a regular ceiling fan isn’t going to make any noticeable difference. They’re decorative, at best.

Then about 20 or so years ago, some smart engineers started experimenting with a new kind of ceiling fan for larger spaces. These fans had more powerful motors, more durable parts and materials, and were bigger—MUCH bigger—than their domestic counterparts. Called HVLS (high-volume, low-speed) fans, these heavy-duty machines were created specifically for industrial settings where the conditions could be harsh and the demands on their performance often extreme. 

Just how big are huge industrial fans? Most range in size from 2.4 to 7.3 meters in diameter, and Big Ass Fans offers the largest industrial ceiling fan on the market: 9.1 meters in diameter. That’s as wide as a regulation volleyball net or the length of a school bus. 

WHEN SHOULD YOU USE A HUGE INDUSTRIAL FAN

If you have a warehouse, factory, or another industrial facility that’s 10,000 square feet or larger, you should use a huge industrial fan. 

If your warehouse gets too hot or too cold and doesn’t have HVAC, you should use a huge industrial fan. 

If your employees find it too uncomfortable to focus on their work because of the hot, humid, and/or dusty conditions in your warehouse, you should use a huge industrial fan. 

If you have HVAC in your warehouse but would like to supplement it with a system that’s more energy efficient, you should use a huge industrial fan. 

If you want your warehouse workers to be comfortable and productive, you should use a huge industrial fan. 

If you want to reduce the amount of energy you use and lower your electric bill, you should use a huge industrial fan. 

If the ceiling in your warehouse is at least 15 feet high, you should use a huge industrial warehouse fans 

SPEAK TO OUR EXPERTS TO DECIDE

You can see for yourself if a huge industrial fan is right for your huge industrial building. When you contact one of the airflow experts at Big Ass Fans, we’ll guide you through the process of choosing which fan is right for your space. 

We’ll even take the measurements of your building and create a computational fluid dynamics model of how one of our industrial fans will impact air circulation in your facility. It’s an easy—and complimentary—way to see the precise results you’ll get from investing in one of our huge industrial fans.