My husband and I have been having a debate now for a couple of years on the positioning of our box fan, so that it can provide maximum results.

We have a small living room area, only about 15x30 and in the evenings, when the weather cools off, we like to open our windows and get a breeze and fresh air. In our living room, there are only 4 windows. Three of them are on the south side, and the other is on the opposite side, the north side. Here is where the debate starts:

My husband feels that by putting the box fan in the north window backwards, it can 'pull' all of the hot air out of the house, by sucking in cool fresh air from the 3 windows on the south side. He says its like a heatpump, and something about how you can't move cold air but you can move hot air....

My argument is that his method DOES work, but by putting that box fan into the north window and by facing it inward, it blows cool air into the house, thus cooling it faster. Plus, it blows on ME< where I sit at my desk, and so I feel cooler. With his method, I don't get that blast of air blowing on me---instead, we get a gentle breeze through the long room, as the air is pulled into area, through the 3 windows on the south side.

The digital thermometer on my desk tells me my method works better. Or maybe just faster. His method works great in the fall, when it is not so hot. He says that when he was a kid, his parents would only open the windows on one side of the house a couple of inches only, and then put one box fan backwards in an opposite window and this method would cool down the house.

Which method do you think works better? I think we are both right, but I think he thinks his method is better!

SO: WHO is right? Does his method of trying to pull the hot air out of the house work better than my method of pushing cool air into the house

Your husband is like mine. In S. Fla the cars are like ovens in the summer, so when I get in the car, I put on the air and it will cool down eventually. He opens all the windows and then puts on the air to "get the hot air out".

To me you're just letting MORE hot air in....lol. We argue over this constantly.

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I say get 2 fans.. one for the north window.. and one at the south windows (not in) to push the cool are coming in towards you.

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I vote for turning on the air conditioner and calling it a day....

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My husband is the same way too I was going to say maybe it's a guy thing but my mom used to do ours that way when I was a kid.

I am with you, I like it blowing on me!

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I'm w/susiecat - I think your best bet would be to get 2 fans for opposite walls, one in and one out.

However, I think if you have cross ventilation and you put the fan in either way the air will circulate in and out of the windows, regardless of how the fan goes in. It's a matter of stabilizing air pressure. If you put the fan forcing the air in, it will force the air to go out the opposite window - if you put the fan facing out it will draw the air in from the opposite window.

But my DH also thinks putting the fan facing out is better.

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I put the fan facing out. I hate air blowing on me. If I want a rapid cooling I put one facing out and one facing in on opposite ends of the house / room.

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I'm with you. Remember men are backwards? Do it your way it works much better!

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Well this sure has turned out interesting! It seems like most of the men's opinion is to turn the fan outward, so it sucks air through the house. Hmm. Like dnj51 says, it must be about stabilizing the pressure.


Kelliii's answer probably the best idea though! LOL

I vote not to use box fans at all.

As a small child, my parents put a box fan in front of my door for air at night. The fan tipped over, facing the carpet and the motor caught on fire blocking the door.

Luckily, the smoke alarm went off we only had one - and my sister ran down the house to my parents room and told them I was on fire. My dad was able to throw a wet blanket over the fire and grab me out of my room.

30 years later...I can't even be in the same room as a box fan and apparently my father never slept naked again.