[SML] Ceiling Fans on Battens

[Matthew Breton]

> However, I did once need to have 4, operable 5-blade, 50" fans on a single batten moving fairly slowly. The ultimate effect was visibly moving fan blade shadows on the deck and performers.


Sounds like a production I designed that was supposed to be set in an industrial warehouse.  Lovely look; we took the option of using a gobo rotator with either a 70-degree or 90-degree source Four.  (I recall having to change the lens, but not exactly to what.)

For the OP, it sounds like stagehands with leaf blowers or deck fans might do the trick -- at least that way, the direction of debris and wind gusts is a little more controllable.  I wouldn't be surprised if, in tech, you still got some odd rebounds, and things going where they shouldn't.


Matthew Breton
Design for Theater and Dance
________________________________
From: Stagecraft <stagecraft-bounces at theatrical.net> on behalf of Stephen Rees via Stagecraft <stagecraft at theatrical.net>
Sent: Wednesday, February 10, 2021 9:09 AM
To: Stagecraft Mailing List <stagecraft at theatrical.net>
Cc: Stephen Rees <Stephen.Rees at fredonia.edu>
Subject: Re: [SML] Ceiling Fans on Battens

Regarding Fans on Battens.  I won't address the effect desired here as I have no experience moving that much air via a downdraft fan. I do think blowing debris into an audience is ill-conceived at best. But that's for someone else to comment/decide on.

However, I did once need to have 4, operable 5-blade, 50" fans on a single batten moving fairly slowly. The ultimate effect was visibly moving fan blade shadows on the deck and performers. Off the shelf residential fans could not be slowed enough without overheating and were not cost effective. The "fans" were constructed from small variable speed split-phase motors that turned between 3 to 10 RPM if I recall correctly.  Blades were 1/8" luaun. The first time out, the single batten on which they were installed oscillated quite badly. The solution was the installation of counterweighted horizontal bridles fixed on EACH end of the batten running offstage approximately 30 degrees upstage and downstage with wire rope run through single sheaves attached to the building structure. The bridles had enough line to allow the batten to be raised out of sightlines and lowered to trim as needed. These bridles stabilised the batten sufficiently to stop all oscillations.  The variable speed motors allowed the fans to run at different speeds as desired by the director.

HTH,
Steve

Stephen E. Rees, Treasurer - Revitalize Dunkirk
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On Tue, Feb 9, 2021 at 2:49 PM Thomas (Tom) Marhenke via Stagecraft <stagecraft at theatrical.net<mailto:stagecraft at theatrical.net>> wrote:
Hey All,

Working on a show and the designer would like to mount 2 ceiling fans, each, onto 3 battens.  He wants 96" industrial fans.  I am concerned about the battens moving with the fans and the down pipe on the fan causing issues.  The battens have to move in and out.  Thoughts?

Thanks,

Tom

--
Tom Marhenke
Technical Director, Theatre
Hamilton College
198 College Hill Road
Clinton, NY 13323
315-859-4869
Tmarhenk at hamilton.edu<mailto:Tmarhenk at hamilton.edu>
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