FAN FAQ TOPICS:

Best seller Fan ID - serial numbers Carbon Monoxide / CO Levels Electric fans and GFCI Exhaust extensions Honda GC versus GX motors Negative pressure ventilation (versus PPV) Fan lifespan and durability Fan stability and walking Safety Light option Noise levels

Propeller composition and blades Wood versus metal propellers Wheels - Pneumatic, Solid Fan placement Horsepower and size Confined space ventilation Shrouds Troubleshooting Thrust Warning

2010: Horsepower ratings have changed Due to litigation against small engine manufacturers (Honda, Briggs & Stratton, Tecumseh and others), horsepower ratings for the Honda motors utilized in VENTRY Fans and others have changed. While no wrong-doing was determined in the lawsuit, motor manufacturers have agreed to “a new ’Certified Power Rating’ standard to provide disclosure and to create uniform testing for the power of gasoline-powered engines...” (Source: https://lawnmowerclass.com on 8-5-2010. See the Overview and FAQ). Note: The motors and models have not changed, just the HP ratings shown. Our communications have been updated to reflect the new ratings and are therefore lower than you may see elsewhere, despite being the same motors, until all fan manufacturers update their specs. Please see our Motors Specs page to see/compare our fan motors’ original and new HP ratings.

Why aren’t VENTRY Fans made with higher hp engines?

What you need from a fan is AIR, not Horsepower! Most VENTRY Fans use the same engines as common box fans, but utilize a lower range of horsepower, from 1.5 hp electric to 5.5 hp gas. Other manufactures offer as high as 9 hp motors on fans with short propellers (16-20 inches) and put up to 13 hp motors on 24-inch fans! Horsepower is often used to compensate for poor propeller design. We believe this reduces value because while CFM might increase slightly, so does the price, while safety and usability decrease. Our fans use the highest horsepower motors that our Safety Propellers can efficiently utilize. Our Safety Propellers are designed to maximize the particular efficiency curve of each specific motor.

Adding horsepower to a fan increases CO output, noise, weight, expense, etc, but does not always increase air volume because there is a diminishing point of return given the length and design of a propeller. After a certain point, you can add horsepower, but no additional volume will be returned. It is extremely important when comparing ppv fans that you compare performance (air volume, CFM), not horsepower because the two are not always directly related!

Physical laws of nature limit the amount of horsepower you can efficiently absorb relative to propeller disc area. This is analogous to the limitations on drafting water through a 2-inch suction line. Regardless of how much horsepower you hook up to that suction hose, atmospheric pressure and friction losses limit how much water you are going to move. The same principals apply to moving air. Increasing horsepower without increasing the prop disc area actually creates more noise and stirs the air instead of pushes it. That painful racket you hear coming from oversized engines hooked to inefficient propellers is the sound of inefficiency.

TRUE STORY: Hot air balloon pilot Ken Manning has been pleased with the performance of his 24-inch GX160 VENTRY Fan, which he uses for inflation. He told us that a friend of his, also a balloonist, had asked him what size fan he purchased. When told it was a 5.5 horsepower model (4.8 hp now), the friend asked, “Why so small? What brand is it?” “A VENTRY,” Ken had responded. “Oh,” said the friend, “Then that’s no problem.”