Because large, low velocity ceiling fans effectively move air, they also result in improved air quality and can reduce condensation, mold growth and wet spots on floors. All of this makes the technology ideal for many large warehouses, distribution centers, and manufacturing plants as well as institutional, aviation and sports facilities.

Because large, low velocity ceiling fans effectively move air, they also result in benefits in improved air quality, and can reduce condensation, mold growth and wet spots on floors. All of this makes the technology ideal for many large warehouses, distribution centers, and manufacturing plants as well as some institutional, aviation and sports facilities.

The 10,000-square-foot Alcoa Fujikura Corporate Hangar located at the San Antonio International Airport houses one corporate jet year-round. Without air conditioning, the employees who perform regular aircraft maintenance used small, high-velocity fans to beat the heat. But with unforgiving summer temperatures, and problems with condensation forming on the plane, the small fans couldn't provide the air movement and cooling breezes they required. "Besides the hot and humid weather, when the plane would come back from altitude, it would be covered with condensation from the temperature differences and would be dripping well through the night," says Ron Hoffman, Aircraft Maintenance Manager. "On humid mornings the floor would be slippery from the moisture coming up through the concrete. Not only was it a nuisance, it was a maintenance issue, because that condensation can cause corrosion on the aircraft." The hangar's high-velocity floor fans were substituted with a 24-foot-diameter large, low velocity ceiling fan — a move that Hoffman claims resulted in a lower operative temperature, increased thermal comfort and immediate elimination of condensation on the incoming plane.

As an alternative to air conditioning, large, low velocity fans can improve airflow in warehouses and distribution centers where extreme temperatures can have a negative impact on products and employees. Bill Oliver owns Oliver Winery in Bloomington, Indiana, where the warehouse has 32-foot-high ceilings. Wine is stacked close to 20-feet high, exposing the bottles stored at the top to the warmest air which rises to the ceiling, a situation that can compromise the integrity of the wine. In balancing floor to ceiling temperature differences, "Regular ceiling fans were not doing the job," says Oliver, explaining that wine needs to be stored at temperatures in the upper 60s or low 70s °F. Changes in temperature will make the fluid expand and contract, creating different pressures in the bottle, with the change in temperature acting to prematurely oxidize the wine. "A steady temperature is as important as the right temperature," adds Oliver, who installed large, low velocity fans to remedy the problem and recommends them for any situation where uniform air temperature and movement is desired without the whir of multiple standard ceiling fans.

Advanced Technology Fans

The latest technology incorporated into the design of large, low velocity ceiling fans makes them virtually silent, increases the aesthetic options available for integrating the fan into the visual scheme of the environment and enables a greater variety of fan controls and decorative accessories.

Eliminating any noise from a large revolving machine that hangs high in the air is based on extensive engineering. The key to today's silent fans lie in their specially designed motors. Cutting edge research and development has replaced traditional gearboxes with high-powered, low speed electronically commutated motors. The advanced technology drives the blades of the large fan without relying on a gearbox, eliminating noise and potential oil leaks for an effortless experience.

This patented airfoil and winglet design decreases vortices at the tip, thus decreasing drag and energy use. The upswept winglet profile also pushes more air down to the floor over a greater area. Photo Courtesy of Big Ass Fans®

Other innovations are made possible by the onboard placement of the motor's integrated electronic control system, rather than the conventional remotely located variable frequency drive. Fans can be operated from a small and stylish wall-mounted LCD panel, providing operating status of the fan. Further, new technology permits the attachment of accessories such as lights, loudspeakers, and surveillance cameras on the bottom of the fan. Advanced, onboard diagnostics measure the temperature, balance and performance of the new models.

These new technology fans have 10 blades with a patented airfoil design optimized to produce large volume airflows at low blade speeds with a decibel reading less than that of an empty library. Turbulence is greatly reduced and quiet operation is enhanced by the aerodynamic design.

A large, low velocity fan in candy-apple red makes a dramatic statement. Photo Courtesy of Big Ass Fans®

These commercial fans were designed for clean, quiet applications not in sync with the more industrial nature of the typical big fan. The typical large, low velocity fan, designed for industrial and agricultural applications, generates noise from moving gears and from electrical control units. In a noisy warehouse situation, the noise of the fans would be negligible, but this is not the case in a sound-sensitive environment such as an auditorium or church. While industrial fans might provide non-industrial customers the air movement they desire, the industrial sound performance may not be something they prefer.