Does Fanning Help on a Hot Day ?

F

fort

Active member
Joined
Mar 19, 2008
Messages
1,018
Reaction score
20
Points
38
The question here is about manual fanning ( in spite of my confused title ).

The Wall Street Journal Health & Wellness

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100...77573170646419502.html?KEYWORDS=fan+100+watts

The Straight Dope

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2171/is-fanning-yourself-energy-efficient

Le Figaro

http://sante.lefigaro.fr/actualite/2012/08/17/18804-agiter-eventail-est-il-efficace-pleine-chaleur

Quote ( Le Figaro ):

"So who is right? The American astrophysicist under largely underestimates the necessary energetic expenditure, while the website overestimates it. Most of the tables of reference on human metabolism relate that a slight manual task costs to the organism only between 10 and 20 watts, plus 100 watts emitted by a person sitting at rest. In most cases, the usage of the fan allows therefore to the organism to refresh itself efficiently. But this efficiency reduces itself anyway when the temperature surpasses the 37 ° C and that the humidity rate approaches 100%, a situation where the evaporation of the sweat becomes in any case difficult."

:cheers:
 

Attachments

  • 08d39260-e7cf-11e1-8c8c-cf0b3aeba40e-493x328.jpg
    08d39260-e7cf-11e1-8c8c-cf0b3aeba40e-493x328.jpg
    6.7 KB · Views: 7
Last edited:
I'd have to say no, the 'cold' air you feel from fanning is just the water on the skin evapourating. What would help is cold water on the skin to transfer the heat from the body.
 
Cool water + small towel or something + back of neck = glorious cool sensation.
 
Well, she's now 18 so it's legal to think about it...
0.jpg

... But I think Dakota Fanning would only make things hotter.:thumbup:
 
Yes of course ( I see that you are not really fans of fans). But the question seemed to be relative, rather to the energetic expenditure in the usage of fans.

Ghostrider said:
Dakota Fanning
Click to expand...

:)
 
Last edited:
I don't mind fans. Personally I don't see much benefit in manual fanning, though I'll do it occasionally in a pinch. A/C isn't common on houses where I live, so instead I make use of a fan heater with both elements turned off to circulate some air around the place. (35W).
 
It certainly helps if you have someone to do the fanning for you... :lol:
 
Those days I need to have a fan blowing wind at me. Else there is nothing to do but sleep. Glad to be next Week-End ; the temperatures should seriously cool down.
 
Is it me, or is it hot in here?

N.
 
Ghostrider said:
Well, she's now 18 so it's legal to think about it...
0.jpg

... But I think Dakota Fanning would only make things hotter.:thumbup:
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing :lol:

My contribution was going to be "Click 'Thanks' if you came to this thread hoping to see a picture of Dakota Fanning."
 
The fact that I left "fanning" with a capital at it's beginning, in the title of the topic, is quite accidental, but ultimately, the telescoping is fun ( with the name of an actress, a pretty one, I did not know ).

But don't disturb: we are talking about...:hmm: thermodynamic here.
 
Last edited:
Ghostrider said:
... But I think Dakota Fanning would only make things hotter.:thumbup:
Click to expand...
Even if she is blowing?

...Blowing her breath into your face?
 
Last edited:
Well, a lot of people claim that ventilators/fanning does not help on hot days. I have to say that I would have very hard times in my attic flat without any fan available. Sitting in front of a fan makes it liveable in my flat on hot days. Even more if my upper body is wet, after sports, or when I spray water on it. It feels great.

And I think it's not a subjective matter. You sweat to decrease the body temperature by evaporation. And wind does accelerate it. If it wouldn't help, nobody would buy ventilators.

Ghostrider said:
Well, she's now 18 so it's legal to think about it...
0.jpg
Click to expand...

Since when are thoughts legal or illegal? ;)

"Doing something" depends on the legal system of a country. In Germany it's legal since she was 16 :P Not that I would like it. Me thinks that even 25 is too young for me. I prefer yellow bananas, not green ones.
 
In my mind, it helps of course, if the temperatur of the environment is less then the temperatur of your body. See: a CPU also has a fan. This decrease the temperatur of the CPU but increase the temperatur of the room. So if you have wind on your skin, it will transfer the energy from your skin to the air.

But because of your evaporating sweet, this effect is also supported by the "evaporative cooling effect". I think this effect is also working if the "room temperature" is higher than your bodys temperature, but i don't know if there is a limit so the process will turn into the other direction... But of course, in a closed physical system, the room temperature and your body will have the same temperature after some time...
But if you drink water to produce sweet, the water transfer some energy during it's evaporation to the air.

I've heard, to drink "hot drinks" is better then drinking "cool drinks", becuase, if you drink "cool drinks", your body has to warm up the fluid of the drink to 37°. This is only possible by produceing energy => Warming up your body.
If you drink hot drinks, the body don't need to warm up it and can transfer the energy of the drink directly to your skin for the evaporation and because of the "evaporative cooling effect", this will cool your body.

[Edit]
Oh now I've understand your question right, so you ask, if it's help if you fanning manualy...
I think yes, because if you do work => producing energy, this will warm up your body => "evaporative cooling effect" on your skin.
But after thinking about it, I'm not sure...
Maybe we have to take the humidity into account...
Because, if you skin is wet and the air is dry, the "evaporative cooling effect" is much bigger...
 
Last edited:
Ghostrider said:
Well, she's now 18 so it's legal to think about it...
0.jpg

... But I think Dakota Fanning would only make things hotter.:thumbup:
Click to expand...


You know, I'm glad that came up. That made my day... :cheers:

...anyway...

I don't think that fanning would do you anygood. The energy used to fan yourself would just cause you to get hotter.

SE
 
Topper said:
[Edit]
Oh now I've understand your question right, so you ask, if it's help if you fanning manualy...
Click to expand...

Dont mind: i think that you are the first to understand my/the question since the beginning of the topic. And you win...:hmm: my consideration :lol:

( I must say that the title of the topic was not really explicit...).

Topper said:
I think yes, because if you do work => producing energy, this will warm up your body => "evaporative cooling effect" on your skin.
But after thinking about it, I'm not sure...
Maybe we have to take the humidity into account...
Because, if you skin is wet and the air is dry, the "evaporative cooling effect" is much bigger...
Click to expand...

Different answers are in the links in the first topic.

fort
 
Topper said:
Even if she is blowing?

...Blowing her breath into your face?
Click to expand...

That is mildly disturbing.

FADEC said:
"Doing something" depends on the legal system of a country. In Germany it's legal since she was 16 :P Not that I would like it. Me thinks that even 25 is too young for me. I prefer yellow bananas, not green ones.
Click to expand...

One of the few laws the United States got right.
 
Codz said:
One of the few laws the United States got right.
Click to expand...

Oh, don't be so hard. I think the one about not being able to marry your pick-up truck while standing upside-down on the roof of a burning bar full of midget pigs while playing with a yo-yo with your left toe is brilliant as well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top