HVLS Ceiling Fan
Industrial Ceiling Fan
A direct-drive IE5 fan that covers up to 1,700 m2 of high-bay floor on 1.5 kW, with no gearbox and no oil change for the life of the installation.
HVLS Fans in an Indoor Sports Hall and Gym
An indoor sports and fitness facility. The client is not named at their request; the installation photographs are our own.
Project Challenge
The Building and the Problem
A full-height sports hall used for court sports and children's sessions, with an adjoining gym floor and a studio. Holding a comfortable temperature through seasonal variation is difficult, and an uncomfortable environment is one of the reasons people stop coming to a facility.
Customer pain points
- Overheating during sessions, with the risk of heat exhaustion in a hall full of people exercising
- Moisture and odour, both of which are common in gyms and recreation facilities and both of which are made worse by still air
- Air conditioning for a full-height hall would have been loud and expensive to run through opening hours
- The gym floor ceiling was committed to lighting and services, leaving no position for a fixed fan
Our Solution
What Was Installed and Why
Industrial HVLS ceiling fans over the sports hall where the clear height suits the larger diameters, a commercial ceiling fan in the studio where the fan is close to the users and appearance matters, and portable fans on the gym floor where the ceiling was unavailable.
1
Diameter chosen by clear height
The hall took the industrial range because of the roof height; the studio took the commercial range at 2.4 m to 3.7 m because it sits closer to the users and is seen.
2
Noise checked before appearance
Both ranges run under 38 dB at the fan, which is what allows coaching, music and announcements to work underneath them.
3
Evaporation rate as the real target
Proper airflow dramatically increases the rate at which moisture evaporates, which is what deals with both comfort and odour in a facility like this.
4
Portable units where the ceiling was full
The equipment areas took wheeled fans, positioned so the air runs along the machine rows rather than at one user.
Quality Control
What Was Checked Before Despatch
- Blade dynamic balancing on every unit, because a fan running above a court cannot vibrate
- Four and five level mechanical retention features on the ceiling ranges, checked at final assembly
- Finish inspection on the commercial units, which are installed in full view of members
Final result
A hall that holds a usable temperature through the season with air movement rather than mechanical cooling, and a gym floor served without touching the ceiling.
Customer benefit
A facility that feels substantially cooler to members, with lower running cost than adding air conditioning capacity and no wall of noisy oscillating fans.
Products Used
The Equipment in This Reference
HVLS Ceiling Fan
HVLS Ceiling Fan
Commercial Ceiling Fan
For rooms under about 7 m where the fan is part of the interior: 330 m2 of coverage, under 38 dB, and a bronze airfoil blade that does not look like plant equipment.
HVLS Floor Fan
Big Movable Fan
A wheeled HVLS fan that throws air up to 28 m in open space, for bays where nothing can be hung from the roof and the cooling has to follow the work.
HVLS Floor Fan
Industrial Stand Fan
Three sizes, four wheels, IP55, and a pivot that puts the air where the work is rather than where the fan happens to point.
Questions
Questions About This Installation
HVLS fans generate a perceived cooling effect of up to around ten degrees, which is what members notice. The air temperature itself is unchanged; the evaporation rate and the air movement are what the body responds to.
Both HVLS ranges run under 38 dB at the fan, which keeps instruction, music and announcements clear underneath them.
Yes. Proper airflow increases the rate at which moisture evaporates and reduces unpleasant odours, both of which are common problems in gyms and recreation facilities.
A stand fan with 45 degree up and down tilt puts the air at player height from the side of the court, which is exactly why the tilt exists on that range.
A Building Like This One
Send a photograph of the roof structure and the building dimensions. That is usually enough to start.