this might be a stupid question, but do all fans spin clockwise/counterclockwise?

dr.stevil

dr.stevil

[H]F Junkie
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Sep 26, 2008
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before I get flamed, I tried sticking my hand in the case to see which way the air was blowing, but I can't really tell as it doesn't flow enough CFM to distinguish the other air circulating through the case from the air being pulled/pushed through the CPU fan :p

on my case, I have an exhaust fan on the back, sitting literally right behind the CPU (as it is in most cases). Directly in line with that fan, is the fan for the CPU heatsink. The problem is that the fan blades on the heatsink are tilted opposite of what the exhaust fan blades on the case fan are.

This could mean that the cpu fan spins the opposite direction of the case fan, pulling air through the sink and effectivly negating the effect of exhausting the warm air out of the case. Either that or it spins the same direction and pushes air through the sink and effectivly routes the air towards the exhaust fan and dumps it out the back.

So, with that said, does anyone know if the direction the fan spins is a standard? Or is it up to the manufacturer to decide? I'm debating flipping the exhaust or CPU fan, but like I said, I cannot tell which direction it's spinning. I tried looking at it upon startup, but it spins so fast, so qucikly, that I cannot honestly tell which direction it's going.
 
you could always stick your finger in the fan.. dont stop it completely but just touch the fan blades.. usually you can feel what direction they are going.. but generally most fans when set to exhaust out the case you will see the support bars/back of the fan motor.. so use that as a reference..
 
all fans i own have arrows that show what way they spin and what way the air blows.
 
sirmonkey1985 said:
you could always stick your finger in the fan.. dont stop it completely but just touch the fan blades.. usually you can feel what direction they are going.. but generally most fans when set to exhaust out the case you will see the support bars/back of the fan motor.. so use that as a reference..
Click to expand...

thats a good idea actually. I'll try that later when I get home

all fans i own have arrows that show what way they spin and what way the air blows.
Click to expand...

I'll have to look closer, they may have the same marks. thanks for the tip
 
Use a piece of tissue paper to see if the sucks into the grill or blows it away from the grill. This will save you possibly hurting your fingers or the fan. It works with even low CFM fans. Just hold on to one corner to prevent the fan from sucking it right in. ;)
 
Temo, beware, that was not the question (i was thinking same as you). He asks in what direction he fan blades move, not where the air goes.
 
faugusztin said:
Temo, beware, that was not the question (i was thinking same as you). He asks in what direction he fan blades move, not where the air goes.
Click to expand...

In that case, check the arrows as it tells you both. Or if you know which way the air is blowing, you can always check the orientation of the blades.
 
actually, temos suggestion should work perfect lol I just need to find out which way the fan is pushing the air. I don't know why I didn't think of that :D
 
ok, thanks guys. Just checked and sure as shit, it's blowing air the same direction as the case fan so it's good to go.

appreciate the suggestions
 
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