Everything You Need To Know About Large Gym Fans

The health and fitness industry is on the rise in the United States. In fact, according to the International Health, Racquet, and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), over 73 million Americans used a health club in 2019. And despite the pandemic, gym memberships are trending upward. However, there is an ever-growing need for members to feel safe in the facility. When it comes to large ceiling fans for gyms, ventilation and air quality are more important now than ever before.  

Luckily, as a gym owner, you have plenty of options available to help with air quality. It may seem like a challenge, but there are viable solutions. Regardless of location or fitness specialty, large ceiling fans help solve the most important challenges gyms face. And those challenges are maintaining a comfortable and well-ventilated environment for members.

The Challenge of Climate Control in Gyms and Fitness Centers

Every building has some obstacles that prevent it from being cooled effectively, but gyms have some very specific ones including:

• People working out. Unlike most office buildings and meeting spaces, people inside a gym are very active. Not only does this lead to an increase in individual body temperature, but the collective impact of many hot, sweaty people gathered in the same place also makes the space warmer.
• A larger area. Many clubs are housed in large spaces so they can accommodate more people and a wider variety of physical activities. While this might be great for members, larger facilities are generally harder to cool than smaller ones.
• Artificially heated areas. Lots of gyms have saunas, showers, and steam rooms. These areas are excellent for club members looking to unwind and ease their aching muscles, but they can contribute to high levels of humidity and heat throughout the facility.

Air conditioning and natural ventilation through windows and doors can help, but most fitness clubs are too big for these tactics alone to impact the entire space. HVAC systems have a tendency to "dump" air in a single place, cooling specific areas but leaving other parts of the gym uncomfortably warm. You will need to have some way to move all that cool air. In other words, we need to circulate the air effectively.

Top Fan Options For Your Gym

Adding a fan to your gym will help to circulate the air and increase ventilation. It will also help your customers feel cooler and more comfortable. And, impressively, large ceiling fans will also help destratify the air. That means they will help to break up the temperature layers, equalizing the overall temperature in the room. 

Let’s check out four viable fan options for your gym to help you make an informed decision on which fan is right for your fitness center. 

1 - Floor Fans and Oscillating Fans

Floor fans, including small high-velocity fans, box fans, and oscillating fans, are good options for strong directional airflow at the ground level. They work great when you are standing right in front of them. However, once you move away from them, you will no longer feel the effects. Let’s consider a gym atmosphere…not many people are standing stationary. What’s more, these floor fans can become safety hazards. That’s because there are extension cords running across the floor in order to keep the fans plugged into an outlet. This causes a tripping hazard, which can lead to injuries. Plus, all the extension cords can be a potential fire hazard.  

According to industry expert Jason Hornsby, “I have worked with facilities that bring in up to 80 pedestal fans all over the factory floor. This meant 80 extension cords creating a serious tripping hazard and safety concern. In addition; the cooling of the employees was ineffective because as the employees move around while working, they are out of the airflow.”

2 - Drum Fans 

Drum fans can move some serious air. They come in a variety of sizes, typically between 24-48 inches. They plug right into the wall and provide immediate airflow. They also allow variable speed, which means you can have slow or fast-moving air. The drawback to drum fans is 1 - they take up valuable floor space in your gym; and 2 - they are loud. Drum fans are fairly big fans, so having a few of them throughout the gym is going to take up floor space that could be used for another machine in your gym. Furthermore, noise is a major issue. Continuous exposure to high decibel levels (above 80 dBs) is dangerous for your hearing. Drum fans run between 70-90 dBs at a long range - around 10 feet.  

3 - Small Ceiling Fans

Small ceiling fans are a nice option for cooling a small room within your gym. Typically available in 36-54 inches in diameter, they are able to circulate a small stream of air downward to the people directly below the fan. Small ceiling fans will also keep your floor space cleared up, so there is more room for people to work out. However, you will need many small ceiling fans to run in large spaces. So that means in a big space like a gym, you will need to have multiple small fans to keep the space efficiently cooled so your customers are comfortable. When you add multiple fans, it ends up costing more to run and maintain them.  

4 - Large Ceiling Fans

Available in sizes 6-24 feet in diameter, large commercial ceiling fans are a great way to cool down a gym. Unlike the small stream of fast-moving air produced by a traditional small ceiling fan, large commercial ceiling fans send out large columns of air that travel a greater distance, meaning they impact a larger area of the gym. In fact, one large ceiling fan can take the place of 30-40 small fans. These fans also complement the way humans naturally keep their bodies at a comfortable temperature. Through a process called evaporative cooling, the evaporation of the moisture (sweat) from their skin cools the body and prevents it from overheating.

“I hear from my clients almost daily as to how nice it is to have good airflow and circulation.  That helps members not only stay here but also feel like they are comfortable enough to go to the next workout.” – Damion Meyer, Owner, Fitaholic Fitness

At MacroAir, these fans are our absolute favorites! We stand firmly behind the performance of our big fans. And as a gym owner, you need something that will work efficiently and effectively. Large ceiling fans are going to do just that. You will be blown away by the air movement. Running the fans will create a cooling effect in your gym leaving your customers feeling up to 15° cooler. In addition to the cooling effect, you will be able to run these fans for only pennies a day. Check out the charts below for more specifics on our product line. 

The Bottom Line

Don't let an uncomfortably warm environment limit the amount of success your gym, fitness center or sports club enjoys. Fix it! Nobody wants to work out in a hot, uncomfortable gym. MacroAir is here to help in any way we can! We pride ourselves on offering large fan solutions perfect for your space and your needs. We’ll help you choose an HVLS fan to reduce energy costs, increase your airflow, and make people happier while visiting your fitness facility.

 Find the fan that is perfect for your gym space. Check out our product page to find out more about our elite line of HVLS fans.