Ceiling Fan Direction | Summer vs. Winter

What if we told you your ceiling fan is spinning in the wrong direction right now? It may seem mind-blowing after a lifetime of simply flipping the wall switch and assuming that's all there is to it, but changing your ceiling fan direction in the summer vs. winter can help keep your home more comfortable while conserving energy and saving money on your utility bills, like heating and cooling costs. And doing so is as easy … as it is breezy. We show you how by answering a few basic questions, like which way should a ceiling fan turn in the summer? How about fan direction in the winter? Is there a ceiling fan switch I can just flip on and off?
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[@CheetahSnowLeopard]

Finally, a clear explanation of how hot and cold air work in terms of fan direction.

[@My-Nickel]

I just remember it, Winter sucks and summer blows

[@deliafrye1344]

So what does that mean if it's spinning to the right is that for Winter and spinning to the left for summer Clockwise Winter counter clockwise summer is that right?

[@My-Nickel]

@@deliafrye1344 yes

[@stacker6077]

I couldn't remember the correct direction, so thanks for the info! Like Tim below me said, "Finally, a clear explanation", and with humor too! 😂👍

[@rubenvarela4077]

His above 😅

[@HomeServeUSA]

Happy to help!

[@TawnyC_]

00:50 The fan is going CLOCKWISE for Summer when you say it should be COUNTER clockwise. 1:16 The fan is now going COUNTER clockwise for Winter. When you say it should be going CLOCKWISE.

[@Dan-ck4bg]

That's the way I see it, too. Video doesn't make sense. I can feel the breeze in the summer with my counter clockwise, though. My Hunter ceiling fan switch is positioned to the right.

[@justinwaite4932]

Are you sure you’re watching the video the right way?? Is the guy giving the demo standing to the left of the fan pretty much the whole time? He is on my video and his explanation is correct. But if for some reason your video is inverted, I can understand the confusion. Truly curious.

[@TawnyC_]

​@@justinwaite4932I'm watching it the way it IS. So you're saying at those timestamps you see the opposite?

[@jenellekline8385]

Yep, someone has their clockwise/counterclockwise backwards.

[@shardulmandloi]

It could appear that way to you because of two issues: 1. You are looking at the rotation from a different perspective. He might be looking at it bottom-up, and you, top-down. 2. The video recording camera might have mirrored the video. So while you both may be referring to the same perspective, the video just appears the opposite.

[@chuckgottschall3747]

Good video, easy explanation on the correct operation of the fan thanks

[@victorjeffers1993]

Yes Sir you are correct have been doing this since the first house we bought it does make a difference ! Good tip for those first time home owners !

[@elizabethneely8090]

Excellent video thank you

[@bennyezzy]

Thanks brother

[@thefitzwater4805]

Right on

[@poodledaddles1091]

Thanks

[@JeffpRRR666]

Thank you!!

[@harveypaxton1232]

If you place thermo-couples in five different location in a room at monitor them you will find there is no difference. The effect is from the movement off the air. It doesn’t matter which direction the fan is turning. Nice video though.

[@paulsawczyc5019]

Yeah, if all the doors and windows are closed, you are basically just mixing the air inside the house- like a blender.

[@williammurray8542]

As a heating tech I agree.

[@oromab.8740]

Wow this made a huge difference!

[@CaliforniaKevman]

Well. I have two fans, and it's not clockwise or counter-clockwise since they are opposite. It's about the blades; do they cut up (rotate with the higher side gong first) or cut down? Cut up for cooling, cut down for warming.

[@tamararichardson5509]

Thanks for great info!

[@HomeServeUSA]

You are very welcome!

[@OTseven]

Thx

[@grimreaper896]

Oh that's why when I visited my neighbour house I felt like I was being baked alive is because her fan was spinning the wrong direction 🤣

[@heatherryan9820]

Ha ha ha ha, what air consulting system? This is my air conditioning system. But thanks for the explanation on which way they should be spinning. I can never remember which is which.

[@AmberKober]

This was very helpful, thank you! A lot of the other videos would just say clockwise or counterclockwise and I just wanna know is it the pushing down direction or sucking up direction😂

[@HomeServeUSA]

You are very welcome!

[@theosteknion6219]

A-m-a-z-i-n-g

[@louf7178]

Also, I have also noticed better room cooling over night in the summer with the windows open and fan downward direction. I "confirmed" this by, one day, noticing dust particles in sunlight flowing up and along the wall toward the window, thus pushing the warmer ceiling air out the window.

[@am74343]

Marny Stanier from The Weather Channel explained this in the early 1990s!

[@silas8162]

Feel it for cold, that easy

[@saltylavender7096]

FINALLY....found a video that talks about the switch on the actual fan !! And how to use it ... Geez...got it.

[@HomeServeUSA]

*woot woot*

[@louf7178]

Correct. I only disagree with the reasoning for summer down draft. I believe it's more that one feels the all so subtle velocity, thus feeling the effects of evaporative cooling.

[@snookstheoriginal]

❤

[@wherever9154]

I love you 😘

[@haystacksniperr]

What about if you have floor vents for your heat/cool? Not ceiling vents. Does that change the way it should be directed?

[@dezhenry2087]

I actually like the fan to draw the air up in the summer because it pulls all the heat up and the cool air falls cooling the room. If I have the fan pushing the air down during summer I feel cool but warm air. My room is on the second floor so I think really either way works depending on variables such as the layout of the home, is the room door open or closed, and wiring tunnels. A wiring tunnel is used by electricians. I have one in my closet that leads to the garage. Brings so much heat 🤦🏾‍♂️

[@jameshood9694]

I intentionally make mine turn backwards. It makes the air conditioner compressor work longer and cools the room floor to ceiling .

[@r.deanmcknight136]

During summer blades should be going counterclock wise and winter clockwise 😉👍

[@cheddarcheese7978]

i got the same fan but a diff remote so i can’t switch it

[@JackieMurillo-Bitton]

I have a two story home. which way on each floor should the fans turn? The vents are on the floor on the top floor and the ceiling in the bottom floor. Thanks

[@louf7178]

It should be the same as told in the video.

[@PeterJ-ij6mm]

I live in Durban South Africa and we are in mid winter at the moment. The temperature today is 27 C (81 F), now what !!! 😂😂😂

[@debbiejohnson7758]

Just turn the fan off. 😅

[@geraldarcuri9307]

Exactly wrong. Fans don't blow cool air down! Cooler air ( denser ) naturally goes to the lowest levels in a room. The air at the ceiling is warmer. Blowing it down is useless in terms of overall cooling to temperature. Yes, you may FEEL cooler from the evaporative effect of air moving over your skin, but you are working against physics to try to push warmer air to the floor. You aren't actually doing anything significant to reduce the ambient temperature. We have opening skylights above our ceiling fan. In the summer, in the evening, we open those skylight vents and turn the fan on to push the warm air out, exhausting it from the room. In the winter, we have the fan on to blow the warm air that collects near the ceiling down as much as possible to recirculate with cooler air and to warm the room.

[@jeffreyparent2931]

IMO it's a matter of preference.

[@androm303]

My son has a loft bed and I'm not sure what to do to keep it cooler up higher in the summer/warmer up high in the winter. Would I want do the opposite of what it says in this video? Help please! TIA.

[@kamiskenaw4340]

Do that during the day and open his window during the night

[@martymarr8307]

What if your ac vents r 9n the floor

[@danyell4870]

I'm confused cuz in this video and every other ones I've watched the blades are spinning to my right or clockwise as the dial heads on a clock go right around the digits. And your winter it shows the blades are going backwards or left which is counter clockwise am i wrong??? help me out

[@TawnyC_]

You are right. No wonder everybody is confused.

[@tariestbeet8906]

Its summer and my sisters room is hot and she has cold air blowing over her ceiling fan and not under, I flicked the switch and its spinning the other way but still is blowing cold air up??? What should I do . . .

[@carexpertandy]

While looking up at the fan, it should be spinning counter clockwise in the summer.

[@person880]

The direction largely doesn't matter. All the fan does is mix the air. If you want the benefit of air blowing on yourself when you are actually in the room and under the fan, then have the air blow downward. The reason this works on you is because you are a producer of heat, and the room temperature air, which is much cooler than you, blowing over you will remove heat from your body. However, if you don't want air to be blowing on you, then make the fan blow the air upward. This will still move the same amount of air without you being in the middle of it. This can be more comfortable for some people. One more thing: if the outside is hot, the more air you have moving across your windows and exterior walls, the more heat the air will pick up and then bring to the rest of the house, exactly the same way the air picks up heat from your body when it moves across it. This will just heat up your house faster and require more AC usage. For the most part, fans should be used simply for circulating some air to keep the air moving at a slow speed for the quality of the air, not the temperature. For example, after you cooked, or if you leave a fan or two running at their lowest settings just to encourage more mixing of the air so that you reduce temperature differences around your house. The direction of your fan is not some magic thing. You're just mixing the air.

[@louf7178]

True, but there differences in the intermediate action. Nothing happens with air quality; that is pure mixing. Winter: (especially with high ceilings) It puts the buoyant warm air down to person level. Summer: One feels the air velocity and effects of evaporative cooling.

[@deliafrye1344]

So what does that mean if it's spinning to the right is that for Winter and spinning to the left for summer Clockwise Winter counter clockwise summer is that right?

[@carexpertandy]

Looks like you have it right

[@danyell4870]

I'm confused because all the videos including this one looks to me like the blades are spinning to my right or clockwise as the dial heads go right around and winter it shows his blades are going backwards or left which is counter clockwise so help me out

[@carexpertandy]

@@danyell4870 In this video, 0:48 shows it spinning counter clockwise for summer. At 1:15, it is shown spinning clockwise for winter.

[@CoppersOnTheRun]

Why would you want to blow hot air from the ceiling to the floor???

[@jankyredstoner]

The hot air *isn't* near the floor. It's already at the ceiling. The fans just distributes the hotter air already at the ceiling, and some of it gets pushed downwards along the walls to the ground.

[@JoshuaXiong]

People turn on fan in the winter? We don’t. Only in summer we turn fan on.

[@nas0075]

I guess my fan is different. I can't feel a draft under it either in one direction or the other. I do however when I sit at the corners of the room, like sofa or dining table, I do feel a draft and it cools you down in summer. Maybe the angle of the blades has something to do? The one in the bedroom does make a draft under it.

[@petem6503]

Propeller fans tend to blow air in a cone pattern, with most of the air coming off the last quarter of the blade, roughly in a 45 degree angle outward. Yeah, depending on geometry, I'd not be surprised if you didn't feel as much directly below the hub of the fan. The further away from the fan, the more the air evens out into a uniform mass.

[@tchrisou812]

Summer = Counterclockwise; Winter = Clockwise

[@petem6503]

@@tchrisou812 Not always. Some fans are just the reverse. You have to look at the tilt of the blade to tell.

[@tchrisou812]

@@petem6503 True, but I have found that when people aren't well versed in whatever, it helps to explain in generalities. If we're being honest what percentage of people do you think would understand your method, apply it if they do or care enough to implement it?

[@petem6503]

Well, if the tilt of the blade is a cipher, you can always just turn the fan on and see if it blows air in your face. My point is that there are differences in fans, and if the object is to optimize their use, it's not that hard to understand how. That's the whole point of sharing information.

[@waynec4667]

Is the fan direction as you look up at the fan or looking down on the fan?

[@OTseven]

I have the same question. In the vid it shows the direction spinning to the LEFT, looking at it from the side . Look at the person speaking, and the fan behind him as he says summer should be airflow down with fan blades moving counterclockwise...but to me, what shows is the blades moving to the left, which to me is " clockwise". I feel the air coming down when the blades are moving to the left. Also after 4 years, I see an arrow on my thermostat...it points UP or DOWN, and it's adjustable. Lol lol lol. Duh.

[@myartel6814]

summer= clockwise winter= counter clockwise

[@ironshoes1720]

I only turn the ceiling fan on in the summer months. I guess I'm saving money on my electricity bill the rest of the year. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@randywells9676]

oh my wait, my switch isnt sideways oh no what do i do now..is there another video telling us how to move switch up/down?

[@rebfan9200]

My ceiling is 14ft with a long down rod for the fan. In my case this would not help, right?

[@yarpos]

actually you are a good case for it try it but wait 15 or 20 minutes to allow the air mixing to take effect

[@marie2511]

Wouldn't the direction of the fan depend on the placements of the vents in your home? My vents are on the ceiling, so wouldn't I want that warm air pushed downward?

[@HomeServeUSA]

Hello Marie, thank you for your message. We will respond back within our hours of operation, 8:00am-7:00pm EST. Thank you! If you are having a home repair emergency, please call our hotline at 1-855-336-2465 to reach an agent immediately.

[@donlaunius27]

Confucius say, Whatever way it blows the fart away

[@jlr3636]

Direction has absolutely no bearing on temperature, if anything in winter, pulling warm air up in the room center pushes the warm air towards the cold walls and brings the cold air to the center at floor level where you are trying to stay warm. Or you can reverse this logic and make an assumption for the opposite fan direction. I ALWAYS SET MY FAN TO BLOW DOWN, summer evaporation affect on skin, winter warm air on skin. The only way to prove this is to setup thermometers at walls (ceiling and floor), floor (mid room and walls), ceiling (mid and walls), record data summer and winter, fan turning both directions, heater, air conditioner, (on and off), and ambient air. As a matter of fact - a floor fan blowing on you in the summer cools you better because hot air rises and the floor fan is moving cooler floor air

[@ez3619]

My fan doesn’t have a switch on the ceiling fan or the remote. What do I do?

[@HomeServeUSA]

Hello, thank you for your message. We will respond back within our hours of operation, 8:00am-7:00pm EST. Thank you! If you are having a home repair emergency, please call our hotline at 1-855-336-2465 to reach an agent immediately.

[@littlefish1069]

I never understood this explanation nor observed it being effective. Are you not mixing all of the air either way? Like pull the warm air down or push the cold air up isn’t it still just trading places?

[@calebsw]

summer months: you want the air to blow directly on you, which has a cooling effect on your skin without changing the temperature of the air. winter months: you want to get the cool air off the ground and circulate it with the warm air on the ceiling to even the temperature in the room.

[@jlr3636]

@@calebsw - only if you are directly under and near the fan, a cheep floor fan is more efficient as it is moving cooler floor air and not hot ceiling air.

[@pol139]

I'm sorry this sounds backwards to me. The hot air naturally rises which is why its hottest near the ceiling. In the summer you would want to suck up the cold air from the floor not push the hot air down. That is the opposite of what this guys is saying.

[@louf7178]

No. He's correct.

[@jaynemo674]

Idk know if you know what clockwise and counter clockwise means

[@mjg3272]

Top of the clock (12) is side nearest you; bottom of clock (6) is other side of fan. So yeah, the video describes the directions correctly.

[@DeltaRoots]

35 years old, and I never knew that

[@HomeServeUSA]

#TheMoreYouKnow

[@awxomexd]

your video shows the fans spinning the wrong way

[@mjg3272]

Top of the clock (12) is side nearest you; bottom of clock (6) is other side of fan. So yeah, the video describes the directions correctly.

[@akwolf1434]

Wrong answer!

[@Thankful305]

@@akwolf1434 EASY FIX? You need to -- clarify with the solution . Thx!

[@nicklazzaro5055]

@@mjg3272 bro it doesnt matter! a clock can switch 6 and 12 and clockwise and counter clockwise is still the same rotation.... why are you people so stupid and why are you typing this on every comment!?

[@sleeks9939]

1:18 that is no way clockwise for warmer in winter lol 0:49 summer counter clockwise lol

[@Jesusiscomingsoon613]

Mmkay bud..

[@pergaminopoo]

Even thought hot air is at the top of the room?

[@c5cpe]

I want the fan to blow the warm air down in the winter and blow the air conditioned air down in the summer 🥵🥶

[@LK-bz9sk]

Now I am questioning what I see as clockwise and counter? This video messed me up.

[@curveball1318]

The correct direction your fan travels is the one that makes you the most comfortable. GEEZ

[@rustymonkey2746]

not true according to Big Ass Fan Co. They told me, my Haiku fan actually is more efficient in forward direction (counterclockwise) at lowest speed to move warm air into the living space. Might be design of their fan blades but they have documented testing to debunk the reverse blade theory. thanks.

[@billkraemer4710]

Set your fan to turn whatever direction suits you, not some wonky poster.

[@KATONKA...]

Wrong. Heat speeds up evaporation. Next time you get hot and sweaty take a blow dryer and set it on high then blow it on you.. You will dry off and cool down faster, then you can switch it to cool. My daughter laughed when she told me she was working hard outside and jumped in the pickup to blow the AC on her. I told her to switch it to vents with the heat and fan on high. Next thing I heard was, omg it's working. Try it before you slam it. Btw by the thumbnail you are pushing hot air down, hot air rises so you want to pull the cold air up into the hot and it will circulate it up and around the room eventually replacing the hot with the cool

[@media6969]

For those of you who don’t want cooler air blowing on your hot dinner, or air blowing on your deck of cards / papers on a desk, this is from Home Depot: Dining rooms: To keep the fan from cooling your food too quickly, set it to turn clockwise at a medium or low speed. There will still be air circulation to cool you, but it won’t be as intense. The same can be said if you are working on paperwork at the table or perhaps playing cards. A fan set to medium and turning clockwise will keep things from blowing everywhere. 👍🏼

[@igayparisjr]

Anyone else get the jrk m8 song?! 😂

[@am74343]

Um no

[@teojmciver]

says to turn fan counterclockwise for summer then proceeds to spin the fan clockwise…

[@tammyorton6356]

I noticed that too.....

[@Matowix]

Wow u had one job and got the fan going opposite to what you say.

[@nigelgregory7090]

Doesn’t work in industrial buildings

[@petem6503]

Nope. The key operative: ALWAYS have fan blowing DOWN, all seasons. For some fans this is CW, others CCW. But DOWN does the trick. Winter warm air with the fan blowing UP won't mix into the occupied area of the room because the entry side of the fan operates at a relatively low velocity, and low velocity does not penetrate very far.

[@yarpos]

nonsense, it works quite well. All you are trying to to is gently mix and circulate the air and gain a more even temp. In our house with high ceilings the warmth pools near the ceiling and using the fan this way distributes the heated air and provides more warmth at human level.

[@petem6503]

@@yarpos I started my career in HVAC in '72, working for a fan manufacturer, then as a Professional Engineer (mechanical), then contractor. So what I learned: penetration and mixing of air streams is pretty much "all about velocity". The inlet side of a fan generally has very low velocity because the air spreads across the whole inlet. The outlet is characterized by fairly narrow bands--or circles--of relatively high velocity at the tips of the fan blades. This means that the inlet side of the fan has almost no penetration. Typically (there are many variations) upward flow from a ceiling fan creates a warm air volume in the room that extends from the ceiling to about 6--12" below the fan inlet. This can be (depending) as low as head or shoulders on an adult. The room operates with a "thermocline" (barrier between hot and cold air). Usually, a seated person is in the cold zone. While you can argue that the upper zone is more comfortable, we tend not to live in that zone. Also, the air velocity upwards reduces the still air thermal insulating barrier at the ceiling (still air insulates better than moving air), which actually increases heat loss through the ceiling; the net effect varies with the amount of ceiling insulation. So, running the fan in UP won't (usually) improve temperature mixing or comfort. Running the fan in DOWN makes for much better air mixing, but the resulting velocity (and skin evaporative cooling) is not comfortable for most. We don't run our ceiling fans during the winter at all. [Of course, here in Central AZ "winter" is a debatable term!]

[@petem6503]

@@ashleyelizabethyelton Heat does rise from a person, but at such a low velocity (low energy differential) that the upward motion can be disturbed by almost any other air motion. [Tech note: look up "displacement cooling design": intended to create a near-floor, 5' high cold zone without any air motion so that all heat would rise. Turned out to be much more difficult in practice than you'd think.] Yup, there are times air velocity isn't convenient; I turn off my shop fan when I'm gluing wood or finishing.

[@robbiejk9613]

Oh no, a Fan Nazi

[@louf7178]

No

[@jeffreybower5959]

just blows cold air in both directions

[@HomeServeUSA]

Good Afternoon, Can I assist you today? Thank you,

[@randytyson755]

That is NOT counterclockwise it is clockwise…..

[@jamesmichael7455]

Doesn’t it also depend on the pitch of your blades?

[@mjg3272]

Top of the clock (12) is side nearest you; bottom of clock (6) is other side of fan. So yeah, the video describes the directions correctly.

[@MrPHUCKYOURSELF]

This is a myth it feels cooler spinning them clockwise in summer in my house

[@philnoreen8642]

Do u understand clockwise?? Cause u say one thing and show the opposite

[@ciaranmcginn2234]

Your voice over doesn’t match the video footage, you saw have your fan spinning clockwise but the footage shows a fan spinning counter clockwise.

[@HomeServeUSA]

Your eyes may be playing tricks on you (even members of our team see different directions). Try to picture yourself lying on the floor, staring up at your ceiling fan. That should help with seeing the correct direction of the fan!

[@nicklazzaro5055]

@@HomeServeUSA we are.... you people just arent educated in anything other than fans and nonsense.... go to school.... if you look at the bottom (side closest to you) and the fan goes left... its clockwise. Just the same way that if that was 6 o clock 7 is to the left. If you stare at the top of the fan (blade furthest away) and it goes right (like 12 o clock to 1 o clock) its clockwise as well. Your video shows a clockwise spin.

[@jwporteresq]

Why are you telling my wife anything about clock wise or counter clock wise?!? My fans run exactly opposite of this, why don’t you show something real? Down for summer, up for winter, how stupid.

[@HomeServeUSA]

Good Morning, I would like to assist with your service needs. Can you please provide the covered full covered address?

[@mr_thekid]

What if I'm not rich and don't have a remote on my fan? How do I tell which direction is clockwise and which direction is counter-clockwise? Where is 12 oclock? Am I looking up at the fan, or down at the fan? Should the high side of the blade angle be on the front of the spin or the back of the spin in summer and winter? Why can no website or video give a real clear explanation without all the bullshit that doesn't help? A remote for a fan...gtfo....

[@lindypetitt7592]

i hope this is a joke. he clearly shows you the switch is on the fan itself. the remote control has nothing to do with it. do you know how to tell time using a clock? if so you should know what clock wise means. counter clockwise would be the opposite of clock wise lol. you do not have to know where 12 o clock is and it does not matter if you are looking up or down at it, it will be the same either way.

[@dalehunt8191]

As long as it moves the air it makes no fucking difference! A floor fan blowing toward a wall would perform just about as well. I can't believe KZbin pays people for these idiotic videos.

[@RealMTBAddict]

Delete this.

[@georgepbriles696]

Don't have one!