 In the 80's and 90's, there was a running joke in the automotive industry: anyone looking to buy a Jaguar needed two of them – one to drive and one to keep at the repair shop. Yet, at the same time, Toyota and Honda were producing some of the most highly rated, reliable cars available – for a much lower price. The lesson: while the look and prestige of a Jaguar was nice, the quality and reliability of Toyota and Honda were getting the job done. This applies to more than just cars, however. Sometimes, shelling out top dollar for the best looking “widget” doesn’t necessarily guarantee a long term, desired result. So, you need to ask yourself: do you value aesthetics or consistent performance? From the beginning, Patterson has prided itself on being a no hassle, no frills, nuts-and-bolts, INDUSTRIAL fan company. Our fans won’t win any blue ribbons or beauty pageants for looks. They won’t amaze you with fancy bells and whistles. But, when it’s 95 degrees in the middle of July and you need to keep your employees cool and productive, Patterson’s simple, cost conscious, industrial grade fans will provide the necessary relief. Maintenance, if needed, is never a problem – modular designs allow for work to be done in place without ever having to remove the fan. So if you’re moving the same air, which would you choose – an expensive, fancy looking fan with lots of automation (that could potentially malfunction in an industrial environment) or a rugged, affordable, dependable fan – designed with your industrial space in mind and going to perform year after year? Be sure to take a look at Patterson’s entire line of fan and air movement products – from the High-5 HVLS fan for large, open areas to the high velocity fans for aisles, mezzanines, and pick modules. Need to move air down a row of workstations or an assembly line? Check out the Power Tube or the new dB fan. Mobile cooling? Patterson has shop floor fans and pedestal strollers to help get the air where it’s needed most. All of this is backed by the strongest warranties in the market, and sold by representatives who have a passion for keeping your employees working safely. So, when it comes to the fans in your building, what’s it going to be? Style…..or substance? the authority in air movement
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 Well, folks, guess what? Summer’s over. Let that sink in for a second. No more cookouts and lazy days by the pool. Sorry about that but hey….there’s always next year! So, along with football season (or, if you’re like me, hockey season) comes the return of colder weather. As we’ve discussed before (see Strait Talk, February 2015), this is the time of year where your HVLS fans start paying for themselves by lowing your heating bills. But don’t be like the rest of the uninformed masses that continue to spin their fans in reverse. Why? Let’s discuss further... As we learned back in February 2015, the most efficient way to destratify air during the cooler months is to spin your fans slowly in the forward direction. This will mix the air vertically, giving you a warmer overall temperature profile (remember - HEAT RISES). So why not use reverse? Doesn’t it work for home ceiling fans? The answer is yes, but there’s a reason it works in a home setting: the fan is usually much closer to the walls. This deflects the air movement off the ceiling, then off the walls and down to ground level. Also, most house fans do not have a forward setting slow enough to not create a breeze. So running them in reverse not only mixes the air, it keeps those in the room from getting a chill. However, the same is not true in a warehouse or other industrial facility. Since HVLS fans are best used in large open areas, they are generally not near walls. Therefore, running them in reverse results in lower air mixing efficiency, and can increase the time needed to equalize the temperature from floor to ceiling. In reality, this means you never need to reverse your fans – simply vary your speeds from season to season. Turn them up in the summer to create a cooling breeze, and dial them back in the winter to destratify. Looking for more unconventional, yet helpful fan knowledge? Talk to the fan experts at Patterson today – before the real cold weather sets in! You could be well on your way to saving 25-30% on your heating costs!* *Actual savings depend on heating costs, size of facility, number of fans, and other factors. 
the authority in air movement MYTH BUSTING - the truth behind HVLS coolingSo….apparently there’s been a lot of talk out there in the air movement industry about how HVLS fans can lower ambient temperatures inside buildings (I’m looking squarely at you…Fans with a Posterior Larger than Normal). Is this really true? Can you simply place HVLS fans throughout your facility and have it act like air conditioning? Sadly, friend, the answer is no. Then….why do fan companies make these claims? Let’s dig a little deeper, shall we? All of you smart readers out there know that fans do not cool air, they simply move it. So why do fans make us feel cooler? Well….one reason is because you’re hot and sweaty! Wait…what? It’s true! Let’s break it down. When a fan accelerates air, you feel that air move across your skin. And since its summer (or at least close to it), you’ve been sweating – a lot. So when this accelerated air meets your perspiring skin, the sweat evaporates. This evaporation carries heat away from your body, so even though there’s been no change in the air temperature around you, it FEELS cooler! Even if you’re not moving around and sweating, HVLS fans can still make you feel cooler without an actual ambient temperature drop. This is due to the fact that we all have a heat “envelope” of 88 - 92°F air that encases our bodies. When air movement removes this “envelope” in a continuous fashion, relief can be felt despite the lack of perspiration. See there? A mystery solved and an advertising myth debunked all in two paragraphs! Here’s something else the “other guys” won’t tell you. When the air temperature around you reaches 95°F or more, using fans to move air across your skin will actually make you feel hotter, not cooler. If this is routinely the case in your facility, you may want to think about other ways to reduce the overall temperature profile (evaporative roof cooling, anyone?). Looking for more truths in air movement advertising? Check out Patterson’s complete lineup of fans, designed to make good use of all that body cooling sweat you’ll be producing this summer season!  
So how many fans, and what size should they be? The answer depends on any number of factors. First, fans should be sized such that they do not interfere with everyday work activity (retrieving items from modules, forklifts, etc.). Then, space your fans such that one fan accelerates the air from its predecessor in the aisle. A good rule of thumb is to place the next fan when the previous fan’s air speed slows to 2-3 mph. Fan size (air throw distance) and aisle length (fan spacing) will determine the optimum number of fans per aisle. Looking for more fan knowledge? Just can’t get enough? Great! Put Patterson’s 26 years of air movement experience to work for you! Their expertise is matched only by their enthusiasm to help you achieve a safer, more productive work environment. the authority in air movementCH-CH-CH-CH-CHANGES: |
| It seems like the only constant these days is change. Don’t believe me? Take a look at your cellphone. There was probably a time not long ago when it was the latest and greatest tech gadget ever released. Now, it’s likely been replaced by one or two updated versions, with features you wish yours had! But change isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially when it comes to proper ventilation. Getting the right amount of fresh air moving through your facility is vital to your employees’ safety and productivity. So, how do you accurately calculate your ventilation needs? It starts by determining the rate at which you need to completely replenish the volume of air in a given room. This is known as an air turnover (or air change) rate, and is usually expressed as minutes per air change (although it can sometimes be seen as “number of air changes per hour”). The number of air changes needed ultimately depends on the type of facility or the work being done in a particular area. For example, a typical warehouse should have an air change approximately every 7 minutes, though this can vary between 4 and 10 minutes. By contrast, a welding room needs to replenish its air at a rate of every 3 minutes to protect employees against heat buildup and noxious fumes. Once the air change rate is determined, we can proceed with our calculation. For purposes of this article, we’ll make the math easy (because….hey….who doesn’t love easy math?!). Let’s say you have a 100’ x 100’ building with a 10’ ceiling height. Based on the work being done, we’ve decided on an air change every 5 minutes. Your calculation would look like this: 100’ x 100’ x 10’ 100,000 ft3 5 minutes = 5 minutes = 20,000 CFM Based on our calculation above, you would need to move 20,000 cubic feet of air per minute (CFM) through your facility in order to achieve a complete air change every 5 minutes. Now that you know your ventilation needs, what’s next? Why not call Patterson? They have the people and the products to help you build the ventilation system of your dreams! You’ll be the envy of the industrial park, and your employees will thank you! |  |
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the authority in air movement
SOUND VS. PERFORMANCE:
GETTING THE MOST BANG FOR YOUR AIR MOVEMENT BUCK
We all love to have our cake and eat it, too. But, as anyone in a successful marriage will tell you, life is about compromise. (Seriously ladies, you can’t have it YOUR way EVERY time!) In the air movement business, a trade-off exists when evaluating a fan’s performance versus the noise level it produces. So how much noise is too much? When is it ok to use a quieter, lower performance fan? How do you strike the perfect balance between necessary air flow and acceptable sound levels? Answers forthcoming!
Before we go much further, let’s talk about the different fan types. High velocity (HV) fans are generally considered high performance – designed to accelerate (or “throw”) air over a distance. For HV fans, airspeed (measured in feet per minute, or FPM) is more important than volume. However, this also translates into slightly higher noise levels, typically measured in decibels (dBA). The other end of the performance spectrum includes cage fans (Strait Talk, October 2015) and ventilation fans (think supply, exhaust, shop floor, etc.). These fans covet volume over speed, and are usually rated in cubic feet per minute (CFM). Are they quieter than HV fans? Absolutely… but you won’t feel their airflow once you move more than a few feet away.
So which fans are right for your facility, and how should they be used? Well… both… and it depends! (How’s that for an answer?!) For an effective overall air movement solution, it is best to incorporate both fan types. For example, use large supply and exhaust fans for cross ventilation, and couple them with HV fans to accelerate air movement from one end of the building to the other. This works particularly well if your aisle ways run parallel to the airflow. If noise abatement is an issue (industry standard tends to put an upper limit around 80 dBA), mount HV fans well above the floor on columns or racks. If small area “spot cooling” is needed, employ one or more shop floor or cage fans – allowing for airflow without violating any noise level requirements.
So… maybe that example doesn’t fit the layout of your facility. Perhaps you’re looking for both performance and low noise? Great! Give Patterson a call and learn more about their new dB fan! It offers the performance of an HV fan, with a 70% reduction in noise level! No matter the fan type, Patterson has the products and the expertise to keep your facility cooler, safer, and more productive!
Before we go much further, let’s talk about the different fan types. High velocity (HV) fans are generally considered high performance – designed to accelerate (or “throw”) air over a distance. For HV fans, airspeed (measured in feet per minute, or FPM) is more important than volume. However, this also translates into slightly higher noise levels, typically measured in decibels (dBA). The other end of the performance spectrum includes cage fans (Strait Talk, October 2015) and ventilation fans (think supply, exhaust, shop floor, etc.). These fans covet volume over speed, and are usually rated in cubic feet per minute (CFM). Are they quieter than HV fans? Absolutely… but you won’t feel their airflow once you move more than a few feet away.
So which fans are right for your facility, and how should they be used? Well… both… and it depends! (How’s that for an answer?!) For an effective overall air movement solution, it is best to incorporate both fan types. For example, use large supply and exhaust fans for cross ventilation, and couple them with HV fans to accelerate air movement from one end of the building to the other. This works particularly well if your aisle ways run parallel to the airflow. If noise abatement is an issue (industry standard tends to put an upper limit around 80 dBA), mount HV fans well above the floor on columns or racks. If small area “spot cooling” is needed, employ one or more shop floor or cage fans – allowing for airflow without violating any noise level requirements.
So… maybe that example doesn’t fit the layout of your facility. Perhaps you’re looking for both performance and low noise? Great! Give Patterson a call and learn more about their new dB fan! It offers the performance of an HV fan, with a 70% reduction in noise level! No matter the fan type, Patterson has the products and the expertise to keep your facility cooler, safer, and more productive!
the authority in air movement.
POWER TUBES:
THE TOTALLY TUBULAR WAY TO DESTRATIFY HEAT
If you’ve been reading Strait Talk on a monthly basis (and I KNOW you have), you’ve learned that the Patterson High-5 HVLS fan is a great way to destratify heat in the winter. But did you know you can accomplish the same goal using Patterson’s Power Tube and high velocity fans? You didn’t?! Well that, dear readers, is why we’re here!
Patterson has been utilizing its fan/Power Tube combination for years to deliver cooling to a large area, while using only a single fan. But this same configuration can be used during the winter months as well. Fan/Power Tube combos placed near the ceiling can help transfer heat from elevation back down to the working level, where it’s needed most. The same concept can be applied to open-ended Power Tubes, which can move and distribute heat from one area of your facility to another. This fan/Power Tube setup is a great option for smaller facilities, low ceilings, or areas that might not otherwise accommodate a much larger HVLS fan.
Whether heating or cooling, a Patterson Power Tube is an economical yet effective way to deliver employee comfort 12 months a year! To learn more about this and other quality air movement solutions, contact your Patterson sales representative today!
Patterson has been utilizing its fan/Power Tube combination for years to deliver cooling to a large area, while using only a single fan. But this same configuration can be used during the winter months as well. Fan/Power Tube combos placed near the ceiling can help transfer heat from elevation back down to the working level, where it’s needed most. The same concept can be applied to open-ended Power Tubes, which can move and distribute heat from one area of your facility to another. This fan/Power Tube setup is a great option for smaller facilities, low ceilings, or areas that might not otherwise accommodate a much larger HVLS fan.
Whether heating or cooling, a Patterson Power Tube is an economical yet effective way to deliver employee comfort 12 months a year! To learn more about this and other quality air movement solutions, contact your Patterson sales representative today!
the authority in air movement
JOHN STRAIT
Patterson Fan's
Air Movement Guru & Man of Wisdom
Air Movement Guru & Man of Wisdom
“If at first you don't succeed, find out if the loser gets anything.”
- William Lyon Phelps
- William Lyon Phelps
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