Oscillating Fans

Oscillating fans help keep your home or office cool on hot days. A fan lowers temperature by moving air around and generating breezes. It can help reduce the cost of cooling a home or an office by supplementing or replacing an air conditioning unit. While an air conditioner pulls out warm air and circulates cool air throughout a room, fans can provide local cooling. This is a welcome feature for an office where people prefer different temperature settings. Staples® has many oscillating fans as well as other cooling and heating solutions.

Choose From Different Types of Oscillating Fans
Oscillating air blowers include tower, pedestal, table, floor, wall, and misting fans. Pedestal and tower fans are tall units. Tower units are slimmer and sleeker while pedestal models have round heads. Choose a tower fan for tight spaces. Since it blows out cool air along its length, this design is better for homes than offices where desks can obstruct airflow. Pedestal models are usually more powerful and blow cool air at sitting and standing heights.

A table fan is a shorter cooling appliance meant for desktops. Most look like smaller pedestal fans, but you can also find some with a tower fan design. A table unit is best for personal cooling. It is also portable and easily repositioned. A floor fan sits directly on the floor and does not need a wide base. Usually very powerful, these oscillating coolers are mostly for industrial and commercial venues. Misting fans generate tiny water droplets alongside breezes and are available for indoor and outdoor use.

Features to Look for When Shopping for Oscillating Fans
Regardless of design, you should choose a fan with multiple speed settings. These not only help adjust airflow but also noise level. Efficient units keep noise levels down even when blowing hard. Choose a fan with a remote control if you plan on positioning it out of arm's length. Another useful control feature to look for is a programmable timer. This can help save energy by shutting down the appliance when you are asleep or away from your desk. If you have kids or pets around, find a fan with its blades enclosed in a protective cage. A stable base is another feature to look for in such situations.

Can Oscillating Fans Rotate Up and Down?
Most rotating fans can only move from side to side. However, some are also capable of rotating upward and downward.

Are There Bladeless Oscillating Fans?
Yes. A bladeless fan is safe to use around kids. It hides its fans in a stout base and blows air out of a hollow ring or tower at the top. In oscillating models, the top section rotates to direct cool air around a room.

Should You Consider CFM When Comparing Oscillating Fans?
Yes. CFM or cubic feet per minute is a measure of fan power. It describes the volume of air moved per minute and indicates how quickly the fan can circulate air around a room. For example, a 400-CFM fan will take 5 minutes to circulate air around a room with an area of 250 square feet and a floor height of 8 feet. It will take 2 minutes for a 1000-CFM unit to cover the same 2000-cubic foot area.