Blower vs Fan: What’s the Difference & Which is Right for You?

Updated November 30, 2023

Figuring out how to bring fresh air into your working environment can pose a lot of difficult-to-answer questions. With so many different options available to you, how do you narrow down what’s right for your space? 

While many individuals think a blower fan and an exhaust fan are one in the same, they each have their unique properties that make them vastly different. 

Both of these options are engineered to circulate air throughout a space, with the main difference being the way they complete this circulation. 

In this post, we’ll cover the differences between a blower vs fan so you can make an informed decision on which choice is right for your application.

Let’s dive in. 

What is a Blower?

Blower fans effectively move air, typically through ductwork, by using impellers. Impellers are specially shaped-bladed rotors that are driven by a blower motor to force air through the blower housing. Using centrifugal force, these blowers can move quite large volumes of air at a time at relatively high static pressures.

Types of Blowers

There are two main types of blowers, centrifugal and regenerative. These operate similarly in principle, but differ greatly in their performance characteristics and uses in the field. 

Centrifugal Blowers

Centrifugal blowers are designed so the inlet and outlet are perpendicular. Air enters the center of the impeller, and then is divided between the blades. The rotating impellers pull air through the inlet and push it out the other side. Within this style, there are volume and pressure blowers. 

Volume Blowers

Volume blowers are designed to pull in or push out large volumes of air in low static-pressure environments. 

Pressure Blowers

Pressure blowers create a positive pressure in a sealed or closed environment, and can also be used wherever a clean stream of air is needed. They’re ideal for processes that have less CFM requirements at higher static pressures than axial fans are capable of.

Regenerative Blowers

Regenerative blowers are designed to work in a different way. Their impeller spins within a housing chamber that holds both an inboard and outboard channel. Once the impeller spins past the inlet, air is drawn in and trapped between the blades. 

As it spins, the air is pushed both inward and outward until the impeller stops rotating. Because of this, regenerative blowers can act as either pressure or vacuum blowers. 

Main Uses of Blowers

Different blowers are appropriate for different reasons. 

A high-pressure blower would be suitable for manufacturing processes, production assembly lines, and equipment or product cooling. 

A low-pressure volume blower can be used to force cooling of AC and DC motors, electrical cabinet ventilation, and removal of welding smoke and fumes. 

Regenerative blowers are best for wastewater aeration, vacuum cleaning systems and powering air knives. 

All blowers are typically hooked up to ductwork and used within a sealed system whether it be for air circulation in an HVAC system or a specific manufacturing process.

What is a Fan?

Fan in general is a very broad term and covers a wide variety of styles and applications. Axial or propeller fans are what you probably think of as a traditional fan. They use rotating blades around an axis to draw air in the back and force it out the front. These fans can create a large volume of airflow at low pressures. 

Similar to a centrifugal blower, a centrifugal fan or radial fan has a wheel of curved blades that rotates at a constant speed within a drum-shaped housing. Air enters the fan along the axis of the wheel and is then pushed out by the centrifugal force of the blades, exiting at an angle to the original entry point. 

Within these two types of fans, you’ll find many styles that can be narrowed down to find the right fit for your application. 

Main Uses of Fans

The goal of any fan is to provide air movement in a specific direction. Axial or propeller fans are the most widely used types of fans. Below are some examples of axial fans:

Wall Exhaust Fans

Wall exhaust fans are used to pull hot or contaminated air out of a space. These are used extensively in any enclosed building such as warehouses, manufacturing facilities, barns, poultry farms, greenhouses, and data centers. 

Inline Duct Fans

Inline duct fans are installed inline with a building's ductwork and help push the air in, out, and around the building. 

Ceiling and HVLS Fans

Ceiling and HVLS fans direct air from the ceiling of a space down towards the ground. This helps with air circulation and heat distribution to keep spaces more comfortable.

Roof-Mounted Axial Fans

Roof-mounted axial fans are mounted horizontally on the roof and pull air up and out of a large building. They’re not mounted to any ductwork inside the building, instead pulling free air from high up near the ceiling. 

Air Circulation Fans

Air circulation fans are possibly the most common axial fans. These types of fans are very adaptable and can be used on the ground, on a pedestal, mounted on a wall, column, or ceiling. They’re used to keep air moving horizontally in a space to keep the occupants more comfortable. 

They’re also available with high ambient temperature motors, washdown capabilities, explosion-proof motors, and OSHA safety colors for a wide range of commercial and industrial applications.

High-Velocity Fans

High-velocity fans are a very powerful type of axial fan.  They use high HP motors and aggressively pitched blades to generate a very strong, focused airflow. They’re most commonly used for cooling processes in manufacturing, personnel cooling in hot environments, and as loading dock fans to ventilate the inside of hot shipping containers. 

Centrifugal fans are more compact and used in different applications than axial fans. 

Roof Centrifugal Fans

Roof Centrifugal fans are mounted on the roof and are typically hooked up to duct work within the building. They pull air through the ductwork and up and out of the building. 

A good example of these types of roof fans are used in restaurant hoods to pull the hot, smelly air from the cooking range out of the kitchen. They’re also used with explosion-proof motors in automotive spray paint booths.

Centrifugal Air Movers

Centrifugal air movers are used for drying applications. Their compact construction makes them highly portable.  Also, they’re able to focus a strong current of air right at ground level to effectively dry carpets and other flooring.

Parking Garage Fans

Parking garage fans are purpose-built to exhaust automotive fumes from underground and covered parking structures. They pull in the contaminated air through the bottom of the unit, then shoot it out horizontally in a strong jetstream out the open side of the building.

Blower Fans vs Exhaust Fans

When it comes to selecting the right equipment for your application, you want to make sure you consider the application it’s being placed in. Fans and blowers are not always interchangeable and different applications have unique use cases that may not align with one or the other. 

Once you decide which type of industrial fan is the right fit for your application, check out Industrial Fans Direct for the widest selection and best prices.