If you find yourself needing a little air movement for cooling or chasing away those pesky mosquitos... A giant air mover will do the job.

Most box fans and even most of those big circular $$$ utility fans just don't seem to circulate air very well. If you are more than 10-15 feet away or if you go around on the other side of the truck the bugs will find you again.

Try this trick! You can make it to suit your needs.

Find a used 32-48" (fan dia.) attic fan. Set it on it's side with the motor down in one corner. Keep the box frame it came with, or put a 2x4 frame inside the opening. Fasten two 2x4 legs about half the "size" of the fan (48"=>24") to the bottom of the "frame". Leave about 1/3 of the legs sticking out of the frame on the inlet side of the fan. The fan will tend to "tip" towards the inlet. Put casters of your choice under the legs. Wire a line cord of sufficient size to the motor. Cover the inlet face of the frame, at a minimum, with hardware (screen) cloth with about 1/2" or 3/8" openings.

This type of fan will put out a very high volume of air and can be felt 20-30' away. Great to set over to one side and ventilate the entire work area. Also remember that if you put casters under the fan it will tend to sail off like an air boat on a smooth surface. A hose or old fan belt will keep it from moving around.

Keep small kids away from the area if the belt and fan blades are exposed. The dangerous side of the blades are on the intake. The outlet side blades will tend to knock your fingers or hand away with only a slight discoloration of your undergarments. A belt guard can be fabricated with some 1x4's and more of the hardware cloth. An exposed belt is always dangerous. A frame can be made for the entire outlet side from 1/2" plywood and covered with screen. If you are planning on a full guard, position the legs appropriately.


Remember-
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One little thing that I forgot to mention in the above post.

Check the amp draw on the motor to make sure it is not over the nameplate rating. If it is, replace the motor pulley with a smaller one. In free air, a fan motor will often draw more than the system was designed for.

Often a used "garage sale" fan will not have a good motor. Try the following guidelines for motor replacement:

Fan dia;Min HP
---------------------
30-32"; 1/4HP
34-38"; 1/3HP
40-48"; 1/2HP

Split-phase motors are recommended for a fan. A capacitor-start will work also but the high starting torque is not required.

Electric motors can be picked up at garage sales, just check them for operation. If they start slowly, or smell, or make growling noise don't buy them. If they have ball bearings and growl a little (bad bearings), and they want to "give" them away, sometimes the bearings can be replaced. Often though the starting switch and other things are worn out also.

Keep your cool and keep the bugs off!

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heres what i did.... i went to the local furnace/ac company and asked them if i could have an old squirrel cage fan out of a furnace and was told take what i wanted so i grabbed 2 and hung one from the cieling and put the other on a small cart that i made and them things move enuff air to keep it cool in my gatrage and keep the bugs away..

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 08-Apr-02 AT 11:05 PM (EST)]i just use a pretty big fan from the house in the gargage. seems to work for me. the 500W halogen light i now have will zap the bugs! lol!

 

Gents-

Check the amp draw on the motor for those squirrel cage blowers. When they are inside the furnace they are running in a partial vacuum and turn easier. When they are out in free air it takes more work to turn them. You may have to go slightly smaller on the motor pulley in order to keep the motor from getting too hot and shortening it's life. Even tho you got them for the "right" price it's easier to keep them working than to replace them. The next time you go down there they might want $20 for one!

That 500W bug zapper works good and it's fun to watch them fry!
When you use a real bug zapper put it well away from your work area towards the trees/bushes so them skeeters won't be tempted to get a snack b4 hitting the big city lights.

The big fan I was talking about building will move more air than half a dozen squirrel cage blowers. I have two of those. It is for when you need an air MOVER! I didn't quite believe it until I used one that I fixed up for a buddy, then I built my own. We call them our Bubba Fans.


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Find your friend that does HVAC work. See if he has the squirrel cage type blowers from a home furnace(at the friend discount). These move alot of air but not in a large area. However, if you are working in one area it will keep you cool. I've used these in metal buildings with no insulation in the Texas summers and it makes it more bearable to work in when I have to.