I'm from South Korea.
Most koreans believe "Fan death"
I found out very interesting fact about fan death in Wikipedia.
Fan death is an urban legend that originated in South Korea, but has since spread to other countries in the Far East. The belief is that an electric fan, if left running overnight in a closed room, can result in the death (by suffocation, poisoning, or hypothermia) of those inside. This belief also extends to air conditioners and the fans in cars. When the air conditioner or fan is on in a car, some people are apt to leave their car windows open a crack to avoid "fan death." Fans manufactured and sold in Korea are equipped with a timer switch that turns them off after a set number of minutes, which users are frequently urged to set when going to sleep with a fan on
Have you believed it?
Never heard of that, and wouldn't believe that... The idea seems just strange/weird/comical almost.
All a fan does is move air around a room... I can't see how that could kill somebody.
Well, a fan can only harm you if you come n contact with it. I don't see how a fan can kill a person who is asleep about 2-3 metres underneath.
| madsencarl wrote: |
| All a fan does is move air around a room... I can't see how that could kill somebody. |
a fan never causes death... but the thing about air conditioners is true. Also, burning candles in a closed room is also very dangerous | ashok wrote: |
| a fan never causes death... but the thing about air conditioners is true. Also, burning candles in a closed room is also very dangerous |
A candle not only poses a fire risk but will burn oxygen in the air meaning there is less for you to breath with during your sleep. This is logical and can be explained whereas 'fan death' can't be explained (by my knowledge).
Not sure what you mean by the air conditioners. I would've thought though that the ones that brought air from the inside in would be safe.What he said is true. Air conditioners can interupt your breathing when asleep, causing almost instant death. But, this is a rare thing and when you are healty and young, and don't have special deceases, it's not dangerous.
Are there any scientific explanation why fan/airconds can cause breathing problem?
I can't agree on it if that's no prove, someone mind to enlighten?
Complete rubbish. I've slept with an electric fan and an air conditioner running in my room every day of my life (except when a hurricane takes down the power), and I've suffered no (discernible) ill effects.
Also never heard of this. Does seem like a weird idea that i would never believe!
Well i'll go and try it out, if you won't hear from me in the next 2 days this means that the Koreans are right to put timers on those evil fans...
I never heard of that... Sounds like and Urban myth for turning off fans. It'd have to be the dead of winter with no blanket on to even get near hypothermia. Sounds like a myth for the MythBusters though 
I never heard of that, "Fan Death" and I do not believe on that. But instead in Air-Con. The news said that car Air-Con can be dangerous if you fell asleep specially in a close car (windows, doors). It is better that you open a little slot of your car when using an aircon specially when you are sleeping and the car is not moving.... And also i heard that it is because of the C02 element that air-con emits.
Is this an off-shoot of the turn on your car in a closed garage CO2 thing? I'm not sure but I think that used to be possible, but newer cars aren't affected. (not sure if that myth ever held water). I think being in a room that doesn't have cirrculation could kill you though. Maybe these people should get some plants to absorb the CO2 and release O2 for them
| Keran wrote: |
| Well i'll go and try it out, if you won't hear from me in the next 2 days this means that the Koreans are right to put timers on those evil fans... |
Are you there hero?People you didn't really listened to what I said!
I said it's only harmful when you are old, weak or ill.
And why?
It's because of weird aircirculation and temperature difference.
And yes, this IS a good myth for MythBusters, but bearly hard to prove...
It's like being killed by a piece of paper, possible, but rare.
Sounds like a great way to scare a large population of people into conserving energy to me : )
I've never heard about this theory but if you think about it depending on the room and if there's a lot of mould and bacteria flying around, well you never know.
| Warriorza wrote: |
People you didn't really listened to what I said!
I said it's only harmful when you are old, weak or ill.
And why?
It's because of weird aircirculation and temperature difference.
And yes, this IS a good myth for MythBusters, but bearly hard to prove...
It's like being killed by a piece of paper, possible, but rare. |
No wonder why i'm still alive...I've never heard of this. How is it any worse than sleeping with the window open on a windy night?
| Vyriix wrote: |
Are there any scientific explanation why fan/airconds can cause breathing problem?
I can't agree on it if that's no prove, someone mind to enlighten? |
There are several beliefs given as to how a fan can kill. However, as explained below, these beliefs do not stand up to logical and scientific scrutiny.
1. It is believed that an electric fan creates a vortex, which sucks the oxygen from the enclosed and sealed room and creates a partial vacuum inside. In reality, the air pressure at any point in the room varies less than it does during a storm.
2. It is believed that the fan uses up the oxygen in the room and creates fatal levels of carbon dioxide. There is no actual conversion of oxygen to carbon dioxide happening; unlike a candle, the electric motor in a fan does not alter the chemical composition of the air (apart from creating some ozone if the motor uses brushes, and outgassing from the materials).
3. It is believed that if the fan is put directly in front of the face of the sleeping person, it will suck all the air away, preventing one from breathing. However, as can be easily verified, it is possible to breathe with one's face in front of a running fan.
4. It is believed that fanblades chop up air particles (i.e. oxygen molecules) so that the air is no longer breathable, thus resulting in suffocation. If this were true, regular fans could be used to create chemical reactions. However, air ionisers do turn a very small amount of oxygen into unstable ozone.I find this slightly funny, as we have a ceiling fan in every room, in addition to a whole house fan (saves on cooling in the summer) and I, to my knowledge, am not yet dead.
| Donutey wrote: |
| I find this slightly funny, as we have a ceiling fan in every room, in addition to a whole house fan (saves on cooling in the summer) and I, to my knowledge, am not yet dead. |
congrats dude 
Never hear about Fan Death. well, i guess there's a story behind this urban legend? well. to be scientific, fan is purely mechanical. if you do not have physical contact with it, it does not harm. It would be a joke if putting this urban legend in a scary movie. Anyone has any idea to make scary in a film?
I've never heard of it, and to be honest it sounds like a load of [bleep]. I can't think of a single reason it would result in death (the ones mentioned in this topic sound highly unlikely and borderline stupid). I mean, unless you levitate in your sleep. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_death
| Quote: |
| There are several beliefs given as to how a fan can kill. However, as explained below, these beliefs do not stand up to logical and scientific scrutiny. |
Kind of sceptical about this one... 
Hey thats true! I've heard those incidents here in our country. In cars from where two people are having sex and the aircon is on, They just died and the cause of there death is that freakin aircon. yikes!
I can't say I've ever heard of that but I have heard of fan getting hit by lightning and exploding if you leave them in the window during a thunder/lightning storm...
| skygaia wrote: |
I'm from South Korea.
Most koreans believe "Fan death"
I found out very interesting fact about fan death in Wikipedia.
Fan death is an urban legend that originated in South Korea, but has since spread to other countries in the Far East. The belief is that an electric fan, if left running overnight in a closed room, can result in the death (by suffocation, poisoning, or hypothermia) of those inside. This belief also extends to air conditioners and the fans in cars. When the air conditioner or fan is on in a car, some people are apt to leave their car windows open a crack to avoid "fan death." Fans manufactured and sold in Korea are equipped with a timer switch that turns them off after a set number of minutes, which users are frequently urged to set when going to sleep with a fan on
Have you believed it? |
LOL. I leave my fan on for days on going when its hot, and here I am still writing. 
Same thing with air conditioners. The only thing is when the main air is just started there is a terrible smell that comes from the vents but after a while its gone, lol.BS.
I have slept with my AC / heat on all night / day in my dorm since I moved in.
I don't think I am dead...
One sec, lemme ask my roommate.
Yup, he says im not dead. So this must be false.
Unless he is lying to me.
Fan death! Oh shit! My korean friend Jin told me about that and then I told him, man, you are a ****** idiot. He didn't seem to care because he didn't know what I was saying seeing as he doesn't know certain words in english, and I'm guessing "****** idiot" are some of them.
I have never been (to my knowledge) at risk because of a fan or an air conditioner. I feel like if I didn't have them I would be at risk. I live in Arizona. That's a desert if you didn't know, which is hot.
It's a good thing that this is COMPLETE LUNACY, or I'd be in trouble:
Fans operating while I sleep:
1: Ceiling fan
2: Desk fan
3: Another desk fan blowing right on me
4,5: Laptop's built-in cooling fans
6,7: Laptop's cooling pad's fans
8: Windows computer's PSU fan
9: Windows computer's CPU fan
10: Windows computer's GPU fan
11,12: Linux computer's PSU fans
13: Linux computer's CPU fan
14: Linux computer's GPU fan
15,16: Linux computer's hard drive cooler's fans
17: Central A/C fan
---And that's just in my room
In the rest of the house:
18,19,20: Other computer's fans
21: Game Cube's cooling fan
22,23,24,25,26,27: More Ceiling fans
I slept every night in the summer with a fan on right next to the bed (in my face effectively). Small confined space (I can't stand in my room, just enough space for the bed).
I sincerely hope that fan in your study doesnt come back to haunt us Joss. I once got pissed off at his house and punched the grille in, and it moulded itself around the grille, i then spent an hour reparing it. Joss, we need to harry and josso it.
It's still slightly broken, occasionly it makes noises at me. It was stress though, you can't blame us directly i hope that this is not true. i am also pretty sure that this is not true. I have slept in a room many times with a fan in it and have had nothing bad happen. i have also slept in a room with a couple of candle lit ( saw someone say somthing about it ) and nothing bad happened. you might be right and all us saying we do it could die. you never know.....
It needs to be harry and josso'd im thinking explosives, or high drop, maybe both.
I never believe about " fan death"
Good it´s just rubbish... otherwise I´d die rather fast when I have my computer with like 10 fans running overnight Ahh, so I see the first wave of harmless drones has lulled the human population into a false sense of security. Excellent, excellent. The Fan Army shall attack at dawn! Our first target shall be Seoul, for I fear the Koreans may be onto us!
I have heard some good ones in my time but fan death is a cracker!
On most hot nights I sleep with an electric fan running all night in a closed room and have suffered no ill effects other than occasionally waking up cold and having to turn the fan off.
Therefore I can say first hand that this is not true but if you do believe it I have a nice bridge you can buy.
The Captain
Well, that is possible if the room is completely closed (witch a room is normally not). You can die of suffocation if you put tape over your windows, doors etc. (People have actully died because of that.)
A normal fan that hangs in the ceiling can't kill you.
A airconditioner that cools down the air or blows cold air in, can't kill you.
A airconditioner that blows the air out in a completly closed room, can't kill you.
