Belt drive fans for 100 year old home

[liquid51]

Hi all. I'm in the process of adding a couple fans to our great room (420 SQ ft, 10ft ceilings), and want something that will be a good fit for the era of the home. I really love the Fanimation Brewmaster fans and have my heart set on them I think.

It's been difficult finding information around CFM ratings though. Most charts tell me I need roughly 5,500 CFM at a minimum for a room of that size, but the Brewmasters are rated at only 923 CFM. On top of that, I've read some "top 10 ceiling fan" articles that rank some larger fans (nothing like a BAF, lol, but HVLS all the the same) around 900 CFM as the best choice for large rooms. Seems like a lot of inconsistency around CFM ratings from fan manufacturers, and I haven't been able to find anything that addresses the discrepancies.

I did recently find a ridiculous deal on two of the Brewmaster motors (220v 50hz, now discontinued) by Fanimation, so I pulled the trigger. I'm not worried about the voltage - stepping up to 220v and either running at 60hz, or a VFD to achieve 50hz, won't be an issue for me. But I am wanting to be sure that once I install these beautiful fans, they won't end up being a disappointment in their performance.

The few reviews I've found for the Brewmasters are always 5/5, with no mention of poor airflow. However, I wanted to see if anyone had any input here as even with the awesome find on those motors, this will still end up being a several thousand dollar investment. Thanks!

[fantasticfans]

I have worked with some belt drive Fanimations before and they are pretty good. If the airflow doesn't satisfy you I know of another similar design that may be stronger but its probably gonna be even more cost to you. Keep in mind that the average airflow may not even be as much as you need. If you position them where the airflow is most needed and easily distributed they hopefully should provide what you want. The amount of heads on a motor also affect the airflow of the fan. The less heads(max of 4 per motor) means they move faster and more air is also moved. Speed doesn’t always equate to more are but with these it does.

[liquid51]

Thanks for the quick response. We've been living in the house for a little over 2 years without fans, and tbh it's not horrible. If they can at least provide some circulation throughout the room rather than the stagnancy we've had, it'll make it that much more comfortable (will be installing 2 fan heads, so speed shouldn't be an issue). I guess my main reason for asking for some feedback on these was to make sure they're not just fancy looking conversation starters.

And while I'm not looking for a wind tunnel or anything, I would be curious to know what the other belt drive options you were referring to were. Thanks again!

[fantasticfans]

Here is another brand with similar styles and more customizability
www.architecturalfans.com/

Fanimation also offers a more modern belt drive fan called the Kellan.