I will offer up a true story about a large(ish) extractor fan that we installed in our factory many moons ago. It won't help Zee in his decision but may give the detractors of large fans some food for thought.
The factory was, effectively, a south-facing lean-to with a corrugated iron roof, about 75 x 15 feet. Main entrance was at the west end with a large garage door and a fire escape door at the east end. We had about eight lathes, two milling machines, a couple of banks of drills, a cylindrical grinder plus a few odds and sods jammed in like sardines. As you can imagine, it got bloody hot in there in the summer months with ten of us working. We also freezed our nuts off in the winter, but thats another story. This was back in the days when I jacked in electricals and went for precision engineering instead.
After a threatened mass walkout during one particularly hot August, the guvnor decided to fit a 2 foot diameter extractor fan above the fire escape door and muggins here had to wire it up. Simple, really, as it was single-phase and a 2-HP motor (about 6 amps) so went on a standard 13A plug. After install, the rule was "keep the door fire-closed and let the fan do the work". Well, it didn't.
Everyone, including me said it was cooler with the fan off and the door open. Mind you, the thermometer didn't agree.
Anyway, the lads asked me if I could turn it round or reverse the fan and make it blow instead of suck. Unfortunately, we couldn't just take it out and reverse it. So this meant some mods to the wiring. Wednesday afternoons, the Guvnor always went swimming at the local pool (and the secretary finished at lunchtime as well ( :x lucky sod))so while he was out, two of us took the fan down and I promptly reversed the wiring to the field coil and then we put it back in the wall.
I was the darling of the factory. We had this wonderful breeze blowing the full length of the place and everyone was happy. However, the Guvnor wasn't too sure because I had screwed his guarantee, and the thermometer told us that it was actually warmer than before.
The lesson here is not to underestimate the psychological advantage of FEELING the moving air.
And please forgive the ramblings of an old man. :Blushing