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I use an oscillating fan to stay cool at work because others like a warmer temperature than I do. I've noticed considerable buffeting when the fan is blowing directly on me. Our office is laid out in a grouping of cubicles.

I have tried locking it in place and pointing it directly at me (a lot of buffeting) and locking it in place and having it blow past me (not enough cooling). I have also tried getting a different fan and cleaning the blades to see if that would reduce buffeting.

What is the best way to use the fan to stay cool without it blowing directly on me?

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2 Answers 2

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From my (unscientific) experimentation, these two tips made the fan most effective:

  1. Place the fan on top of a desk.
  2. Make sure one stop point of the motion is aimed at the open corner of your cubicle. Have the other stop point toward the center of the space.

Each of these will help increase the circulation of air.

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  • Please see the most recent edit to the questions. Does your answer change knowing that I'm in a cubicle?
    – liebs19
    Commented Dec 16, 2014 at 13:55
  • @liebs19 No change.
    – Mooseman
    Commented Dec 16, 2014 at 14:07
  • Ok, thanks. Just wanted to make sure you saw the edit in case you had different advice. :)
    – liebs19
    Commented Dec 16, 2014 at 14:08
  • @liebs19 Np. One change is the height at which you can put the fan. If you're able to annoy coworkers, put the fan near the ceiling for circulation.
    – Mooseman
    Commented Dec 16, 2014 at 14:21
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You could make your own air conditioner.

Basically what you want to do is take two different-sized containers (one has to fit inside the other). In the larger container you want to cut out a hole in the top so that you can set the fan on it and have air blowing into the container., and a few small holes in the side so that air can escape.

Then, you take the smaller container, and fill it with ice. Simply place the container with ice into the larger container, then set the fan on top and turn it on. The fan will blow air over the ice which cools it, and the air will escape out the sides of the container.

DIY Air Conditioner source

I've seen different version of this made, some with 5-gallon buckets, but also some that have PVC pipe in the sides to direct the airflow. Something like that might be a good addition so that you can direct the air to your space, and not your coworkers.

An even dirtier solution than this, would be to place ziploc bags full of ice to the fan, that way it cools the air down even more. That should hopefully cool the air blowing from it enough that it doesn't need to be blowing directly on you to work.

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    Note, however, that the melting of the ice will add humidity to the room, making the room feel slightly warmer.
    – Mooseman
    Commented Dec 17, 2014 at 18:32

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