eli5: If hot air rises and cool air falls, why are we told to have our ceiling fans blow up in the winter and down in the summer? Wouldn’t it make more sense to pull the air in the opposite direction it naturally goes to help it circulate?

Question

eli5: If hot air rises and cool air falls, why are we told to have our ceiling fans blow up in the winter and down in the summer? Wouldn’t it make more sense to pull the air in the opposite direction it naturally goes to help it circulate?

In: 6539

Answer 1

In the winter, the warm air in the room “pools” around the ceiling. The air dragged up from a ceiling fan in winter mode pushes the warm air away from the ceiling and gets it to circulate back into the rest of the room where you can feel it.