Common sense Q… is leaving a ceiling fan on 24/7 in an empty house safe?

Posted by LuluUK78@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 34 comments

I was born without common sense so this might be a really obvious yes or no answer but I’ll ask it anyway!

If you were going away and the weather in the UK was going to be hot - 29/30 territory - is it safe (from an electrical/fire safety perspective) to:

A) leave a ceiling fan running while away

B) have a pedestal fan running on a timer while away

This would be for my cats, pet sitters will be coming in AM and PM but a house with shut windows and doors will be super stuffy/hot.

All curtains will be closed to try and keep the house cool. I normally use a portable air con unit when we have mini heatwaves but obviously can’t do that while I’m away. They’re indoor cats so their comfort is my responsibility!

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Djinjja-Ninja@reddit

Leaving a fan on in a closed up house will do nothing for temerature, if anything it'll make it worse with a ceiling fan as it will force the hot air to circulate down.

I'd tend to be wary of leaving anything with a traditional brushed motor running unattended for that length of time, if there is a problemn with it, it will sieze and overheat rapidly, and at best short circuit.

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Fruitpicker15@reddit

That's true although fans use induction motors because they're quieter.

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Djinjja-Ninja@reddit

Ah, good point, forgot about difference between AC and DC motors.

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Sorry-Programmer9826@reddit

Leaving a fan on in a closed up house will do nothing for temerature

This is true from a literal sense (a thermometer will record a slightly higher temperature) but the experience of a human or animal will feel cooler because the layer of warm moist air against their skin is blown away

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Puzzled-Barnacle-200@reddit

It doesn't benefit cats like it does humans. Because they don't sweat and their fur really minimises the effects of the breeze

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PeevedValentine@reddit

I dunno, I've seen a few videos of cats falling into baths, and they looked quite perturbed.

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VideoNo82@reddit

Cats sweat through their paws so a running fan won't make much of a difference to them

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Cardabella@reddit

A cooling mat would be worth looking at. Have the cat sitter put ice in their water and several bowls down

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Jayatthemoment@reddit

My cat punched the fan the other week, so unimpressed was he with the blowy-cold machine.

I’d be worried it would trip the fuse for some reason and my freezer would defrost. This happened to me once when I went on holiday and I wanted to just take a flamethrower to the whole kitchen when I smelled it.

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Acrobatic-Ad584@reddit

It will just circulate warm air if in a closed off room

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West_Category_4634@reddit

Honest answer - It is until it isn't.

All it takes is something to get stuck, something to overheat, or a trip switch/fuse fail to trip.

If you're in the house (and awake), this is more of an acceptable risk. E.g. you will notice or smell the issue or can act to rectify.

If you're asleep or away, it is in my opinion an increased risk.

(One that a lot of people take. I probably wouldn't though).

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LuluUK78@reddit (OP)

!answer - thanks, mind made up. They’ll just have to swelter rather than perish in the resulting house fire!

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draenog_@reddit

They are ultimately adapted for desert living, so they'll probably be completely fine and comfortable regardless. They have a much bigger surface area to volume ratio than us, so they lose heat to their surroundings more efficiently even with their fur. :)

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elgrn1@reddit

Can you leave windows open for them and have the pet sitter put the fans on when they are there?

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BG3restart@reddit

Can you lock your upstairs windows so that they're open a crack? I do this when I go away. In fact the window in the bathroom I don't use is always locked open, whether I'm there or not.

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VideoNo82@reddit

Cats sweat through their paws so a running fan won't make much of a difference to them.

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ukbot-nicolabot@reddit

OP marked this as the best answer, given by /u/West_Category_4634.

Honest answer - It is until it isn't.

All it takes is something to get stuck, something to overheat, or a trip switch/fuse fail to trip.

If you're in the house (and awake), this is more of an acceptable risk. E.g. you will notice or smell the issue or can act to rectify.

If you're asleep or away, it is in my opinion an increased risk.

(One that a lot of people take. I probably wouldn't though).

^(What is this?)

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TurbulentHamster3418@reddit

The ceiling fan 'should' be fine. Have you looked into cool mats though? you could lay a thin blanket over the top to make them more inviting but won't be as warm as normal.

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LuluUK78@reddit (OP)

I can guarantee they wouldn’t sleep on it, they’re the type of cats who sleep in the box of the very cool bed that I buy them!

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LuluUK78@reddit (OP)

Thanks all - enough ‘no’ answers to make me rule it out.

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andy_-G@reddit

Assuming you have some dark cool spots in the house I'm sure the cats will be fine, they regulate heat better than we do. As long as you have sitters changing the water with the food, just leave a few extra bowls of cold water throughout the house for them!

Source: also have house cats and they are still sleeping on fluffy blankets in this weather.

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Stinkinhippy@reddit

It 'should' be fine. There are always rare exceptions, but a ceiling fan will run pretty much forever with no real issues in normal circumstances.

As others have mentioned, the pedestal on a timer may be more of an issue.. never been a fan of timers.

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Confuseduseroo@reddit

I would never leave a house with electrical appliances running, other than those which are designed to run 24/7 (like your freezer).

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Alarmed_Crazy_6620@reddit

Why can't you keep the AC on?

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Anxious-Molasses9456@reddit

Its portable, he would need to leave the window open

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Alarmed_Crazy_6620@reddit

Ah, thought OP has one of those window install ports

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Quiet-Tourist-132@reddit

Very rare to have AC in the UK

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Alarmed_Crazy_6620@reddit

> I normally use a portable air con unit when we have mini heatwaves but obviously can’t do that while I’m away

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Willeth@reddit

The OP explicitly says they have one.

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SmileAndLaughrica@reddit

Yes, I would say it is safe especially because you have people coming in to check the house in your absence. If you would leave the pedestal fan running overnight then that’s your answer IMO

Ask the pet sitter to run the AC, even 30 mins would do something.

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