Shop ceiling fan recommendations?

[®smpr_fi_mac®]

Next up is buying and installing a ceiling fan in my garage.  I don't need one with a light attached; I'm running LED shop lights.  I am budget minded; a Big Assed Fan is out of my budget.

Can you guys recommend specs on a fan?  Span? Number of blades?  I have a 12' ceiling and the space is ~24x24'.

Should it be one that mounts close to the ceiling or should I get one that drops down a few feet?

[bennybmn]

Funny you mention this, we replaced some fans a couple years ago because they were ugly. So I kept one. I've been meaning to mount it. My ceilings aren't that high, maybe 9', and the attic floor joists are 12" OC, so I was thinking of mounting the box on a block recessed up and in between the joists so the blades are less than 6" below them. Do you have a Habitat Restore near you? Maybe there's something there. Those bigass fans sure are nice...

[Joe_m]

I have a basement shop about the same size.  I went to Home Depot and bought the cheapest fan they had. Still running after more than 5 years.  For a garage, which is not as cool as a basement, I would suggest two fans. The main reason I installed a ceiling fan was to circulate warm air that rises to the ceiling in the winter.

I mounted it close to the ceiling to avoid hitting the moving blades while carrying long pieces of lumber around.

[Stwood_]

In a hot garage with no a/c, I'd be more inclined to install an attic fan.

[TDKPE]

It doesn't get as warm here for as long at a time as it does in MD, but I went with a pedestal fan.  A real pedestal fan, not a HF pedestal fan.  1/3 hp with ball bearings, 30" dia. cast aluminum modular air foil blades that sound a bit like an airplane prop (originally designed in the 30's, in fact, by Diehl, and in continuous production essentially unchanged since then), and presently made by Airmaster (which bought out Diehl), though they've got something going on with Grainger/Dayton, as it's an Airmaster with a Dayton motor and badge.  But regardless, on high speed it blows a strong column of air from the back of my garage halfway down the driveway.  On low speed I can hear the radio or have a quiet conversation but it still blows very strong.  I put it on a 2x3 frame with casters so I can get to stuff stored in the corner, and so I can aim it at me when working on the boat, and I piled storage boxes on it so the floor space wasn't wasted by the 30" round base.

Saw it on ebay and was the only bidder.  NIB, still strapped shut.  Which may be why nobody bid on it, with just a picture of 100 lbs of cardboard box.  Got it cheap, but Grainger lists it for nearly $900.  
Airmaster is over $1k for the same thing with a different badge.  
 

   

   

I considered a ceiling fan, but they don't move enough air to suit me (I don't do well in heat and like a strong breeze on me), and a typical box fan is just an anemic noise maker compared to a real fan.  
  For heat in the winter, I use a couple of old table fans to move the air around a bit and get it off the ceiling, but the ceiling is only 9 ft.  Which is also why I ruled out a ceiling fan or two.

That doesn't answer your question, but it's an alternative to consider at least.

[®smpr_fi_mac®]

And attic fan won't work; there is occupied space above the garage.

That pedestal fan is nice, but not in the budget at the time!

[K. L. McReynolds]

Exterior rated---better to keep out dust.

Want the fan to move air all over?  One ceiling fan won't do that.I have a fan with 42" blades--only covers one corner(where mounted).

Better option is a floor oscillating fan, will cover the entire area.

I have two Black and Decker 18" oscillating air mover floor fans(on sale for about $25 or so). One would cover your area.

[daddo]

You would need 6 ceiling fans to do any good. I have one in the shop and you have to be under it for any good air when it is really hot. It's 95* in the shop now- the only way to work out there is to turn the a/c on and I don't like paying the elect bill.

I would use a fan I could move when I do or one of those big 36" box fans.





There are industrial ceiling fans that actually push good air- check into these. (example)  http://www.airdistributor.net/c-2-ceiling-fans.aspx
28,000 cfm 56", 100 bucks. 5 year warranty.
 You can stand under one of these in the box store and feel the breeze very well and the fan is 20+ feet up. They don't sell them as I am told.




 
Typical ceiling fans at the box stores run 2,000 to 8,000 cfm for the same size.

[TDKPE]

Turns out, HF has their 30" pedestal fan on sale for $109 with coupon, which is on their home page at the moment.  It may not move as much air, but it still moves a lot of air.  And it's cheap at the moment.  https://www.harborfreight.com/

[LarryK]

I got 3 fans off a remodel 9 years ago. Mount them high. They work fine except yesterday my buddy flipped a 1x2 around. It caught the fan and hit me across the mouth. Ceilings are 10' fans at 9. He'd done it 3 times prior to I figured he'd have got it. No big deal I'm fine. Can't get mad I used to work for him now he works for me.