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Best Big Outdoor Fans for Patios

One of the biggest challenges about getting the most use out of your patio is keeping it cool during hot weather. You might think that the best way to do this is to use an outdoor fan, preferably a big fan. However, fans have some serious limitations that make them far from the best patio cooling solution.

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If You Are Looking to Choose the Best Fans for Patio

There are basically two main types of outdoor fans people choose for cooling their yard: ceiling fans and portable fans.

Ceiling fans are installed and can do a good job of moving around the air under the patio. They can create airflow on people, but can only be installed in patios that have a hard roof. A ceiling fan can work if your outdoor space has relatively cool air.

Portable fans are usually outdoor standing fans that can be placed, so they blow air horizontally across the patio. These can be used to draw air from outside the patio onto this area as well as moving air around on the patio. Portable fans might be suitable if you have a reservoir of fresh air, such as a shaded arbor or water feature near your patio to draw from.

Find the Perfect Portacool Outdoor Evaporative Cooler for Your Team

Portacool 510

The Portacool® 510 Portable Evaporative Cooler is a compact unit that offers powerful cooling capacity. It cools up to 300 sq. ft., making it ideal for a patio that accommodates 2–4 people. Equipped with Kuul® Control MicroTech™ evaporative media, oscillating louvers, water fill door, low-water shutoff and sturdy casters, the Portacool™ 510 is designed to provide maximum cooling comfort. This unit features a manual fill door with no hose connection. No assembly required.

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Cyclone 130

The Portacool Cyclone™ 130 is ideal for smaller spaces that require a little more air output than the smaller model. The Cyclone 130 is equipped with Kuul Comfort™ evaporative media, the highest-quality evaporative media on the market made in the USA exclusively for Portacool coolers to provide maximum cooling comfort. Perfect for cooling spaces where traditional methods of cooling are inefficient - patios, garages, hobby areas or single-stalls. We do NOT recommend this product being used inside homes or closed spaces where no ventilation is available.

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Limitations of Outdoor Fans

outdoor backyard patio fanIf you’re looking to cool your yard with an outdoor fan, we’ve got some bad news for you: fans don’t cool the air. Putting outdoor fans on your deck won’t make it cooler.

However, fans can make it feel more comfortable. They do this by helping more air move over your body. As long as the temperature of this air is lower than your body temperature, the air takes heat from your body, helping you feel cooler. This mechanism starts losing effectiveness once the temperature gets over 75° F, and by the time the temperature reaches 95° F, it’s become completely ineffective. In fact, having a fan on you can make you feel hotter.

However, even at very high temperatures, fans can help you feel cooler as long as you’re sweating. A fan can allow sweat to evaporate from your body, which makes you feel refreshed. Unfortunately, this can also contribute to dehydration, as your body is sending a lot of its water to the skin as sweat, taking salt with it. In addition, sitting around sweating is not usually what we think of as having a good time in your yard.

Cyclone 120

The Portacool Cyclone™ 120 is perfect for smaller settings, yet still delivers an impressive amount of air output. The Cyclone 120 provides mobile, energy-efficient, refreshing comfort to your outdoor or open spaces. Perfect for cooling spaces where traditional methods of cooling are inefficient - small patios, garages, hobby areas or single-stalls. We do NOT recommend this product being used inside homes or closed spaces where no ventilation is available.

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Cyclone 140

Cool down your patio, garage or favorite outdoor space with the unique Portacool Cyclone™ 140. Standing nearly five feet tall, this energy-efficient evaporative cooler elevates its airflow to provide maximum cooling comfort wherever you need it most. Additionally, the Cyclone 140 is equipped with Kuul Comfort™ evaporative media, the highest-quality evaporative media on the market made in the USA exclusively for Portacool coolers to provide maximum cooling comfort. Perfect for cooling spaces where traditional methods of cooling are inefficient - large patios, garages, barns or hobby areas. We do NOT recommend this product being used inside homes or closed spaces where no ventilation is available.

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Fans can actually make the heat worse, too. Often, hot air can collect under the patio roof, where it stays trapped because hot air rises. An outdoor ceiling fan can bring this hot air down. If your deck is shaded and relatively cool, setting up a fan can draw in hotter air from sunny areas to heat your patio. This can not only make the area hot, but it can also make it harder to cool your home, as there is more hot air surrounding your house.

For these reasons, an evaporative cooler is often a better choice for making it more enjoyable to spend time on your patio. All evaporative coolers have fans built-in, and some, like the Portacool 510, can operate just as fans. In addition, patio evaporative coolers actually chill the air. This doesn’t just make you feel invigorated – it makes the air cooler. An outdoor evaporative cooler can even create a cool air reservoir beside your house, which can help keep your house cooler, too. And with a Portacool, you can move the product around, taking it with you from your patio to your kids’ games to outdoor events like weddings.

Enjoy Your Patio More with a Portacool

If you are looking for a way to make your patio a more enjoyable place to be during summer months, choose Portacool. A Portacool can effectively cool a high volume of air to make sure you stay comfortable even in hot weather. They don’t use toxic chemicals – just air and water – and they are made in the USA.

To get a Portacool today, check out local and online retailers, or you can contact us for bulk orders.