My business has a swamp cooler (evaporative), but none of the windows open so I have no way to vent air. There is a vent in the alcove (?) over my front door facing downward. The vent is about the size of a box fan. I have been thinking about putting one face down on top of the vent.
If this is not a good idea is there a better option? I have an outlet not too far from the area, but do not think that there is anywhere near to hard wire. I could run a wire out the vent for a solar panel, but the awning is north west facing.
Vent opening:
With fan laying on top:
Box fan bearings are not typically designed to run in that orientation. It will probably run for a while before failing prematurely. Might make it a couple months or just a few weeks.
This is a much more robust fan and they come in various sizes to better fit your opening. They move a lot more air, and many styles come with a thermostat and speed controller. Sorry for the Amazon link, this is just the general style: https://a.co/d/bLeBCeD
And that one will be okay laying to push air down?
Anecdotal, but I ran a box fan in that exact orientation (facing/blowing down) for years with no issues. I used it for an overhead fan in a garage.