Apparently, Ceiling Fans Have A Dual Purpose Switch But Not Everyone Knows That
Interview With AuthorYou may have been using your ceiling fans wrong, dear Pandas. A lot of people were stunned to realize that plenty of ceiling fans actually have dual-purpose switches after Anthony Bertoncin shared this useful little insight on TikTok.
“I finally realized that my ceiling fan has been making my room a sauna for six years,” the 20-year-old influencer from Kansas City, Missouri, said in his viral video. He told his audience of 1.5 million people how he always has his fan on because it’s hot. After a FaceTime call with a friend, he learned about the existence of the fan switch and realized that he had been making his room unbearably hot by himself. He flipped the switch and voilà—his room was noticeably cooler.
Anthony told Bored Panda that the majority of the people who didn’t know about the dual-purpose switches on ceiling fans happened to be on the younger side of Millennials and Generation Z. “My dad claims this was common knowledge 20 years ago but he didn’t show me this little trick, did he?! Apparently, this trick is explained in every owner’s manual when you buy a ceiling fan but personally, I can’t tell you a single time one of my friends has bought a ceiling fan. Maybe they can add this as a lesson when they reform the education system!” Scroll down for the rest of our interview with him.
More info: TikTok | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube
Influencer Anthony shared this surprising detail about ceiling fans having dual-purpose switches with his 1.5 million followers
@bertoncinOne. Little. Switch. 🤦♂️🤦♂️ ##foryou ##riseandshine ##layerup ##tellmeajoke♬ original sound – bertoncin
Anthony said that he’s surprised that his video has bounced back in popularity once again. “When I initially posted the video in late 2019, it got a good amount of traction (a few hundred thousand views) but then halted. During that time, over 3,500 people saved and used my sound in their videos, showing them discovering the little trick. Recently one of those videos blew up and got over 14.5 million views! Because of that video going viral with my sound, it drove a bunch of traffic back to my video which resulted in another spike of virality!”
We also wanted to know what other ‘obvious’ things Anthony realized since posting his ceiling fan video. “Around the same time, I also found out New Zealand wasn’t in Europe. After 15 years of schooling, I just made that realization.”
Anthony’s video from October 2019 got more than 547.7k likes on TikTok and was viewed by more than 2.2 million people. Though the video might be old, it’s still popular as Summer’s upon us and people really need to cool down. Some TikTokers are thanking the influencer for sharing this cool information. While others were surprised that so many people weren’t aware of the switch in the first place.
Here’s how the ceiling fan switches work
So the way that the switch works is that it toggles the direction in which the ceiling fan rotates. As it spins counterclockwise, it cools the air; while it warms the air by spinning clockwise if you’re feeling a bit chilly.
The logic is simple: when the fan blades move in a counterclockwise direction, they push the air down and this creates a breeze. The faster the fan spins, the cooler you’ll feel.
“This cooling effect doesn’t change the temperature of the air, it only makes you feel cooler. That is why you should turn the fan off when the room is empty. Otherwise, heat from the motor will actually increase the temperature in the room,” Today’s Homeowner explains how ceiling fans work.
However, when the fan rotates clockwise, it pushes the hot air upward. If it’s Winter, you’ll want to keep the fan rotating slowly, otherwise, it’ll create a strong draft and cool you down just like in Summer.
Did you know about fans having dual-purpose switches, dear Pandas? Or have you been using your ceiling fans wrong? Let us know in the comments below!
Some people already knew about the switch…
Image credits: 3BelowZero
…while others were shocked to learn about it
Image credits: GameswithGrayce
Image credits: gabbsterxoxo
Here’s how some other internet users reacted to the info
I think this article sums up the majority of "influencers" quite nicely
And their followers. Combined IQ of room temperature when the ceiling fan is in summer position.
Load More Replies...Wow so much shaming down here... Sorry guys, I didn't know this either! It's not necessarely common knowledge.
right? i only lived 3 months in the US but i didn't know this nor did anybody explain this to me... and we had those fans in the house i lived in
Load More Replies...I've never lived in a house that had a ceiling fan. If I moved into a place and wasn't handed a manual for one, I wouldn't have known this either.
So if you move into a house with a common machine that has two switches, on/off and a mystery switch, you just accept that as reality? You don't ask the next local "what?", you don't flick the switch to see a difference, you don't Google? That is just weird to me. But then, I don't have any valid warranties.
Load More Replies...So, if I make a video about turning my matress upside down, would I become an influencer too ?
Maybe by flipping your mattress AND rotating it.... surely you'll dine out on that post for months!
Load More Replies...When I was a kid my mom always switched the direction of the fan every winter to push the heat down. I thought everyone knew this......
The article says you should push the heat up, not down, in winter for warming effect... Pushing it down does make more sense, though.
Load More Replies...I happen to know this, but I can see why other folks might not. It's not intuitive.
never seen one fan do this in India. boyfriend looked at me like I have lost my marbles when I told him this. :/
Wow, I guess people didn't know this, I've known it since I was little...
Is it just me or did anyone else think that he should have turned the fan off, before touching the switch? Those blades were getting pretty close.
Not just that; reversing the motor while it is in motion puts a huge strain on the motor. Maybe if he'd read the manual this could have all been avoided ...
Load More Replies...Really? I mean the fan came with operating instructions. Even if you did not read them, would you not try the switch out of curiosity to see what it does? Common sense has died. RIP.
Do all fans do this or only in countries where there are 4 seasons? I live in a tropical country and NEVER heard of this. XD
Good question. Also, are there fans in countries with 4 seasons? I've always associated them with countries of eternal summer.
Load More Replies...Seriously, I'm in my forties and have only just discovered this myself. Mind blown.
I've known this for about 50 out of 66 years, but here's what no one ever shares: Counterclockwise looking up at it? Or down on it? :-)
If someone is considering installing ceiling fans, it should be noted that some fans don't have a switch to reverse direction -- in my experience, cheaper fans and industrial fans (6-10 foot blade span). It's infuriating to discover this after you've already installed the fan. Many fans that have a remote control do not have a switch on the unit, because the fan reversal is on the remote hand unit. When switching direction, make sure the fan has come to a complete stop -- reversing the motor against itself causes it to burn out faster.
everyone who didn't know this because they've never lived somewhere with a ceiling fan: i'm not shaming you, i just feel bad for you, ceiling fans are amazing and wonderful
Yes, I know about the switch, always have. Trying to find it, even with a ladder is not easy. Switch if one way, get down, turn on fan and observe its direction... be nice if they printed the words in letters for something larger than an ant to read from a ladder.
What has always intrigued me is the "clockwise" 'counterclockwise" instruction. From looking up at it? Or the direction moving when down... :-) You'll see it change before your very eyes.
Load More Replies...It's an "adulting" thing...you figure it out. ;-) I'm still laughing at him getting too close to the fan while it was on and ... THUDTHUDTHUD - "Ooops!" Something else for him to learn, apparently. ;-)
Adulting. My next favorite word after "influencer" but before "conversate and tied with with the phrase "hate on" as in "everyone hates on influencers."
Load More Replies...People are so proud of their ignorance. Next we'll learn how to hold a knife and fork.
Problem solving went by way of coddling and helicopter parenting.
Load More Replies...I guess it depends on the model of the fan and if you had one before. Growing up, all the ceiling fans I've seen had 2 cords. One was the on/off switch and the other was to choose the direction of the rotation. I learned about it very young because I asked about why we would want to change the rotation. I guess if you've never seen a 2 cords model, you'd never have thought there was a way to change the rotation.
yup. that makes some of us more knowledgable than others. would guess if one didn't know that, they've never bought one, let along installed one. even so, just the difference in the draw and push of air should have stirred some inquires. noting how the air movement is different when a fan is facing a person versus facing away. it can be felt. just being under a fan, feeling no breeze, even if the fan was set at high movement - why wouldn't that register? (don't tell me some people aren't aware there are speed settings too?) but the guy also put his hand next to a moving fan blade. so it figures.
Completely inaccurate explanation. First, clockwise or anticlockwise will push air down depending on which way the blades tilt, cause you can buy them tilted either direction. Second, the size of the room has an affect on whether pushing or pulling the air is more efficient at circulating the air. Remember, fans don't cool or heat at all, they just move air. They are circulators. They work with your HVAC, they don't provide their own.
Don't tell that to the people who leave fans on when they aren't in the room. They think they're saving money on a/c.
Load More Replies...Dual purpose? It just changes the rotation to blow down or up. Everybody knows this, I would have thought.
Everyone knows that cigarettes cause cancer, but they still smoke. There's no accounting for ignorance as a choice.
Load More Replies...I've known this since I was a kid. My parents switched the setting on the fan every year. They obviously weren't cleaning their fan often otherwise they would have wondered why there was a switch on it.
There's this thing called a "manual" that comes with. Read it. It tells you.
How many people get the user manuals to ceiling fans that are already installed in houses they move into?
Load More Replies...Fans are more efficient and cheaper to run than airco. Houses in North America are built differently than here in the UK/Europe so fans are a great way to circulate air in the home.
Load More Replies...I think this article sums up the majority of "influencers" quite nicely
And their followers. Combined IQ of room temperature when the ceiling fan is in summer position.
Load More Replies...Wow so much shaming down here... Sorry guys, I didn't know this either! It's not necessarely common knowledge.
right? i only lived 3 months in the US but i didn't know this nor did anybody explain this to me... and we had those fans in the house i lived in
Load More Replies...I've never lived in a house that had a ceiling fan. If I moved into a place and wasn't handed a manual for one, I wouldn't have known this either.
So if you move into a house with a common machine that has two switches, on/off and a mystery switch, you just accept that as reality? You don't ask the next local "what?", you don't flick the switch to see a difference, you don't Google? That is just weird to me. But then, I don't have any valid warranties.
Load More Replies...So, if I make a video about turning my matress upside down, would I become an influencer too ?
Maybe by flipping your mattress AND rotating it.... surely you'll dine out on that post for months!
Load More Replies...When I was a kid my mom always switched the direction of the fan every winter to push the heat down. I thought everyone knew this......
The article says you should push the heat up, not down, in winter for warming effect... Pushing it down does make more sense, though.
Load More Replies...I happen to know this, but I can see why other folks might not. It's not intuitive.
never seen one fan do this in India. boyfriend looked at me like I have lost my marbles when I told him this. :/
Wow, I guess people didn't know this, I've known it since I was little...
Is it just me or did anyone else think that he should have turned the fan off, before touching the switch? Those blades were getting pretty close.
Not just that; reversing the motor while it is in motion puts a huge strain on the motor. Maybe if he'd read the manual this could have all been avoided ...
Load More Replies...Really? I mean the fan came with operating instructions. Even if you did not read them, would you not try the switch out of curiosity to see what it does? Common sense has died. RIP.
Do all fans do this or only in countries where there are 4 seasons? I live in a tropical country and NEVER heard of this. XD
Good question. Also, are there fans in countries with 4 seasons? I've always associated them with countries of eternal summer.
Load More Replies...Seriously, I'm in my forties and have only just discovered this myself. Mind blown.
I've known this for about 50 out of 66 years, but here's what no one ever shares: Counterclockwise looking up at it? Or down on it? :-)
If someone is considering installing ceiling fans, it should be noted that some fans don't have a switch to reverse direction -- in my experience, cheaper fans and industrial fans (6-10 foot blade span). It's infuriating to discover this after you've already installed the fan. Many fans that have a remote control do not have a switch on the unit, because the fan reversal is on the remote hand unit. When switching direction, make sure the fan has come to a complete stop -- reversing the motor against itself causes it to burn out faster.
everyone who didn't know this because they've never lived somewhere with a ceiling fan: i'm not shaming you, i just feel bad for you, ceiling fans are amazing and wonderful
Yes, I know about the switch, always have. Trying to find it, even with a ladder is not easy. Switch if one way, get down, turn on fan and observe its direction... be nice if they printed the words in letters for something larger than an ant to read from a ladder.
What has always intrigued me is the "clockwise" 'counterclockwise" instruction. From looking up at it? Or the direction moving when down... :-) You'll see it change before your very eyes.
Load More Replies...It's an "adulting" thing...you figure it out. ;-) I'm still laughing at him getting too close to the fan while it was on and ... THUDTHUDTHUD - "Ooops!" Something else for him to learn, apparently. ;-)
Adulting. My next favorite word after "influencer" but before "conversate and tied with with the phrase "hate on" as in "everyone hates on influencers."
Load More Replies...People are so proud of their ignorance. Next we'll learn how to hold a knife and fork.
Problem solving went by way of coddling and helicopter parenting.
Load More Replies...I guess it depends on the model of the fan and if you had one before. Growing up, all the ceiling fans I've seen had 2 cords. One was the on/off switch and the other was to choose the direction of the rotation. I learned about it very young because I asked about why we would want to change the rotation. I guess if you've never seen a 2 cords model, you'd never have thought there was a way to change the rotation.
yup. that makes some of us more knowledgable than others. would guess if one didn't know that, they've never bought one, let along installed one. even so, just the difference in the draw and push of air should have stirred some inquires. noting how the air movement is different when a fan is facing a person versus facing away. it can be felt. just being under a fan, feeling no breeze, even if the fan was set at high movement - why wouldn't that register? (don't tell me some people aren't aware there are speed settings too?) but the guy also put his hand next to a moving fan blade. so it figures.
Completely inaccurate explanation. First, clockwise or anticlockwise will push air down depending on which way the blades tilt, cause you can buy them tilted either direction. Second, the size of the room has an affect on whether pushing or pulling the air is more efficient at circulating the air. Remember, fans don't cool or heat at all, they just move air. They are circulators. They work with your HVAC, they don't provide their own.
Don't tell that to the people who leave fans on when they aren't in the room. They think they're saving money on a/c.
Load More Replies...Dual purpose? It just changes the rotation to blow down or up. Everybody knows this, I would have thought.
Everyone knows that cigarettes cause cancer, but they still smoke. There's no accounting for ignorance as a choice.
Load More Replies...I've known this since I was a kid. My parents switched the setting on the fan every year. They obviously weren't cleaning their fan often otherwise they would have wondered why there was a switch on it.
There's this thing called a "manual" that comes with. Read it. It tells you.
How many people get the user manuals to ceiling fans that are already installed in houses they move into?
Load More Replies...Fans are more efficient and cheaper to run than airco. Houses in North America are built differently than here in the UK/Europe so fans are a great way to circulate air in the home.
Load More Replies...
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