Industrial grade metal floor fan with good air flow

**AKshun** · 06-13-10, 11:10 AM

It gets pretty damn hot out here in the summer time. The fan we use in the living room broke about 1 week ago and my roommate is looking for a new one. Yes, we have AC but like to take the cheap route most of the time, if possible.

My roommate is stuck on getting an industrial type metal floor fan with a piviotable stand, 20" in size, similar to this:

I personally own a fan similar to this but it's in storage. When I used it in the summer time, when the evening came, I'd open a window, point the fan outward and blow the hot air out of the room. I didn't find my fan to be very effective, even though it blows around quite a lot of air. Also, mine is 12" opposed to the 20" size my roommate is looking for, and I'm sure the 20" will be quieter and make less noise. Something like this?

I was watching a documentary about tug boats using a round housing around their propellers to provide more power and I suspect that having a drum around an air fan will do the same. Does it?

Anyhow, we're looking for a fan with the following requirements:
* constructed of metal
* pivot base
* 20" in size
* more than 1 speed setting
* less expensive is better

(we're hoping to find something for about $100)

Questions:
* Will more than 3 fan blades make a difference?
* Does anyone have any good info on fans and air flow? Where to buy one? Please provide links.
* What's the benefit of a belt driven fan?
* If a drum fan does provide better air flow, does a deeper drum well make any difference?

Many thanks!

**deathgodusmc** · 06-13-10, 11:36 AM

Those fans are babies. Niether pushed enough air. We use fans for drying surfaces wether it be prep or glue. What you need is a snail fan. There 300 bucks but they move twice as much as either of those could think about. I even got you a site that if your willing to wait to get it they are about half the normal price.

http://www.cleanfreak.com/cardry1-test.htm

Personally i like the viper. You know it good when you can here winding up to speed. In all seriousness though these types of fans produce major current. When we put them at the end of a hundred foot hallway you can feel the breeze at the other end. Little on the loud side as far as fans go. As for the ones in your pics the top one is a better fan for room use. The second one is used in an attempt at sucking dust outside on a construction site.

**deathgodusmc** · 06-13-10, 11:43 AM

I guess i could throw in there my newest one is 7 years old. They can take a beating. I know its not metal like you requested but i've seen fans over the years get shorts in them to when you grab it you get shocked.

**AKshun** · 06-13-10, 02:42 PM

Thanks, deathgodusmc! If the snail fans work as you described, I'd like it for the amount of air flow it can circulate, but do not like the following:

noise
price
sometimes, I like to feel the cool breeze

It's certainly something I would look at getting for my own use at some point in time, but not now.

EDIT: I just reviewed the snail fans and it doesn't look like it compares well to the standard or drum floor fans in terms of CFM. The snail fans only push about 3000-5000 whereas the floor fans I show in my original post move around 7500 (20" size). I don't see how those snail fans can compare when I look at the CFM number.

**AKshun** · 06-13-10, 04:35 PM

We went to Lowes and got a 20" Utilitech floor fan for $80. Loud but works.

**Nuckle** · 06-14-10, 03:27 PM

I have one in my bedroom at the hunting club like the first one posted. It puts out some wind. Loud too, I sleep like a rock even when others are up being loud.

**flame** · 06-14-10, 06:51 PM

This is the fan I would recommend for moving some air...

Oh your house isnt that hot, well if it ever catches on fire... Yeah thats what I think of when I think of a high flow fan.