Ceiling Fan Frequently Asked Questions
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Article by: Mark Berger I. What is the purpose of a ceiling fan? A ceiling fan serves two purposes 1. To provide a breeze thereby creating the "wind chill factor" 2. To circulate the air , Building Your Own Grandfather Clock throughout a room , A Look at Custom Shutters or area II. How do ceiling fans lower the temperature? They dont, at least not literally. Unlike an air , Duvet Covers Really Set the Mood for Your Bedroom conditioner, ceiling fans do not directly affect the air , Decorating for Renters - Part 2: Focus & Color temperature. That does not mean, however, that ceiling fans are not effective in cooling. As pertaining to the two purposes listed in question (I): 1. The moving air , Don’t Wait for a Mate, Feather Your Nest Now! Part 2 from a ceiling fan will help you feel cooler regardless of the temperature , Drapes - Drawing the facts together of a room. , A Guide to Mattress Stores It is much the same as being outside , Why On Earth Would You Want Bathroom Carpet in the summer-- it can be 80-90 degrees, and if there is a breeze, it is very pleasant. 2. The circulation from a ceiling fan can disperse the cool air , Drapery Buying Tips from lower areas (and air , Shape Up Your Fireplace: New Fireplace Screen Shapes conditioning) into the central, inhabited areas of a room. , Interior Decorating Themes – WhatÂ’s Your Decorating Style? IIa. How do ceiling fans help heat , Don’t Wait for a Mate, Feather Your Nest Now! Part 2 in the winter? Much the same as they help with cooling in circulation. Running your heat , Decorating for Renters - Part 2: Focus & Color in the winter, , Keeping Your Duvet New With A Duvet Cover Of Your Choice hot air , Tabriz Persian Rugs rises to the ceiling, and so much of the heat , Door Knob Hangers is wasted. Running a ceiling fan during the winter, , Modern Bedding Will Give Your Bedroom the Facelift it Needs Without Costing You a Fortune to push down warm air , Relive Your Favorite Vacation with Hotel Bedding! from the ceiling and eliminate cold , Building Your Own Grandfather Clock spots, can save , Hardwood Floors 101 a great deal of heating energy. , Why On Earth Would You Want Bathroom Carpet III. What rooms , Reasons to Consider a Professional Designer for Your Interior Decorating Project should have ceiling fans installed? EVERY room. , The Truth About Interior Design Depending on your personal preferences, any and every room , Home Storage: Solutions That Are Easier Than You Think can benefit from a ceiling fan installed. The more time people spend in a given room, , Luau! Decorating with a Hawaiian Theme the greater the benefit of a ceiling fan. For circulation, especially large rooms, , The Truth About Interior Design and/or those with high and/or vaulted ceilings. People will have their preferences on where they most prefer the benefits, but ultimately any room , Aluminum Blinds – Durable And Available In A Wide Array Of Colors is a good idea. IV. What size fan is needed for a particular room? Ceiling fans commonly come in two sizes: 52" for larger rooms , A Look at Custom Shutters and 42" for smaller rooms. , A Guide to Waterbed Mattresses Many companies offer 30-36" fans for exceptionally small rooms, , Beds - Should Be A Safe Haven and 56-60" fans for larger and/or commercial settings. The most common size by far is the 52" fan, which is typically appropriate for most rooms. , Hardwood Floors 101 V. My ceiling is lower, do I need a 'hugger' fan? Hugger fans are designed to provide the minimum distance between the ceiling and the fan blades. This is ideal for lower ceilings as it provides the maximum clearance between the blades (and other lower parts of the fan such as lights) and the floor. , Door Knob Hangers The downside is that the shorter distance between the blades and the ceiling impedes circulation to a degree. Hugger ceiling fans are less effective than regular ceiling fans regardless of ceiling height. VI. My ceiling is higher, how long of a downrod do I need? For maximum circulation, the blades should be positioned 8-10' from the floor. , Want a Fresh Look in Your Bedroom? Add Texture! However having the blades too far away from the ceiling can sometimes lessen the effectiveness of heat , Comparing Bunk Beds – Making Sure You Get Value For Money destratification. Not to having the blades 9' from the ceiling on a 15' ceiling may look a little imposing. VIa. I have a vaulted ceiling, do I need a special kit? Usually not. It is standard for fans to include hardware , Reasons to Consider a Professional Designer for Your Interior Decorating Project that will allow the fan to be mounted on a ceiling up to a ~30 degree incline. Hugger fans are not designed to be mounted on a vaulted ceiling. There are other rare exceptions, these are usually noted by the manufacturer , Kitchen Renovation Ideas and can be adapted. VII. What sort of control options are available? Most ceiling fans made in recent years have a built in three-speed pullchain control. Regardless of whether or not the fan is wired to a separate switch, you have full control of the fan from the chain. Off-high-medium-low. Most fans are also reversible and have a reverse switch built into the fan body. If the fan has a light, , Reasons to Consider a Professional Designer for Your Interior Decorating Project the light , Modern Bedding Will Give Your Bedroom the Facelift it Needs Without Costing You a Fortune will have it's own on-off pullchain. The entire fan assembly can be controlled without the benefit of a remote switch. Many companies now offer fans with remote speed control options that allow for independent fan and light , A Look at Custom Shutters control without additional wall , Door Knob Hangers switches and wiring. These can include wireless remote controls, replacement wall , Hardwood Floors 101 switches, and computerized options that involve one, the other, or both. This allows a fan to be installed in a conventional two-wire hookup and benefit from the control options of a 3 wire (two switch) hookup without installing a third wire. The mobility of a wireless remote and the features , The Truth About Interior Design of the computerized controls are additional benefits. Ceiling fans with conventional pullchain controls can be retrofitted with remote speed control options such as those mentioned above. The retrofit kits include the wall , Luau! Decorating with a Hawaiian Theme or wireless remote control, and a receiver that is attached inside , Kitchen Counter Top Materials the ceiling fan canopy and wires between the fan and the power , Kitchen Renovation Ideas source. The receiver requires only a two-wire power , Keeping Your Duvet New With A Duvet Cover Of Your Choice source, switched or unswitched. VIII. How many blades is best? These days ceiling fans are available with any number of blades from one to eight, although any number below 3 and above 6 is for novelty or decorative purposes only. Most fans have 4 or 5 blades, some are adaptable to take either. Most people assume that more blades move more air, , Rustic Decor Is Not Just For Cabins! i.e. a fan with five blades moves more air , All About Closet Organizers than a fan with four blades. This, in fact, is incorrect. More blades results in a greater load on the motor, and a greater load on the motor causes it to operate at a slower speed. A fan with less blades operating at a faster speed will more more air , 7 Kitchen Design Ideas than a fan with more blades operating at a slower speed. This is why most commercial fans have three blades and a high speed motor, to provide the greatest amount of airflow efficiently. IX. What are the quality differences between fans on the market? Many different fans are available these days, with a great degree of different options, styles, designs, , The Truth About Interior and prices. Often times people buy a fan for appearance-based reasons. But most consumers, about to spend a significant amount of money on a ceiling fan (or fans) are concerned about getting the best quality product, , How To Give Your Home A Rustic Lodge Look or at the very least the best quality product , Home Storage: Solutions That Are Easier Than You Think within their price range. It is a commonly held theory that you get what you pay for: the more something costs, the better quality it is. As with many products, , Keeping Your Duvet New With A Duvet Cover Of Your Choice that is generally true with ceiling fans, but there are other factors. When you buy a ceiling fan you are paying for three things: 1. Quality and features , Building Your Own Grandfather Clock 2. Design/style 3. Name recognition The most expensive fan may be the best quality, or it may be the most expensive design, , Hardwood Floors 101 or it may be the best known brand name. IXa. What makes a ceiling fan Energy , A Guide to Waterbed Mattresses Efficient? How do I consider this when choosing a fan? There are three factors: 1. How much air , Drapes - Drawing the facts together is moved 2. How much current is drawn 3. The quality and construction of the fan Obviously the most efficient ceiling fan would be that which has the best #1/#2 ratio. However #3 is also a very important factor in buying a ceiling fan, and just because a fan has the best ratio does not mean it moves the most air. , 7 Kitchen Design Ideas A fan that draws very little power , Aluminum Blinds – Durable And Available In A Wide Array Of Colors but moves very little air , Building Your Own Grandfather Clock may be considered very efficient. Additionally, if the fan has a light , Want a Fresh Look in Your Bedroom? Add Texture! kit, the light , Aluminum Blinds – Durable And Available In A Wide Array Of Colors kit is much more crucial to energy , Kitchen Decorating Ideas consumption than the fan motor. Ceiling fans typically draw ~100 watts or less on the highest speed setting, however the typical four socket light , Drapery Buying Tips kit draws 240 watts consistently. Much more important than finding the most efficient motor, in this case, is maximizing the efficiency of the light , Kitchen Renovation Ideas kit. Compact Fluorescent light , Reasons to Consider a Professional Designer for Your Interior Decorating Project bulbs are ideal for this purpose-- the same light , Interior Decorating: Proper Way to the Home kit will then draw 60 watts or less. X. Fan Operation: What speed and direction settings should be used? This is a very subjective topic, and for most it was probably answered by parts I & II above. There are a number of factors that vary by setting and situation-- fan location, , Keeping Your Duvet New With A Duvet Cover Of Your Choice ceiling height, fan model, and most importantly, what purpose is intended. A few suggestions that may or may not apply: 1. It is unlikely that a fan would be used on high except to create a significant breeze. When you wish to do so the fan would be used in the downdraft setting. Depending on how much of a breeze is wanted medium speed may also be acceptable. 2. For a gentle breeze and circulation, in most cases the fan would be used on low in the downdraft setting. 3. To destratify heat , Kitchen Decorating Ideas (and for circulation) the fan would be generally set to updraft mode in low or medium speed. Heat , Hardwood Floors 101 can also be recirculated with low speed in the downdraft mode, depending on which produces more of a notable breeze. XI. How effective are ceiling fans with heaters built in? The most important thing to remember about any electric , Decorate Your Dining Room on a Budget heater is that they use a great amount of electricity. , Using Less to Create the Feel of More This includes ceiling fan heaters as well as space heaters, etc. They are available with a variety of different sizes and settings, but the average uses ~1000 watts. It is not wise to use an electric , Interior Decorating: Proper Way to Light the Home heater unless it is absolutely necessary, using a heater ceiling fan (for example) in conjunction with an effective furnace etc will NOT save energy. , Great Tips for Choosing Furniture So it would be a fair assumption that you should only consider a heater ceiling fan in a situation where you would also consider an electric , All About Closet Organizers space heater or the like. XII. What is the use for a fan mounted outside, , A Look at Custom Shutters such as on a porch? What sort of fan is recommended? If a fan is going to be exposed to rain and snow , Relive Your Favorite Vacation with Hotel Bedding! and such, you'll want to make sure it is sealed so water , Want a Fresh Look in Your Bedroom? Add Texture! cannot get into electrical parts. If it's not actually going to be getting wet, just somewhere exposed to changes , Discount Carpet: Find Out How To Get The Carpet You Want in climate , Posters as a Decorating Style (a covered porch, , Tabriz Persian Rugs etc) you generally look for a fan with a finish that wont rust and blades that wont warp. Many companies offer fans that are specifically rated for these situations. These fans will have Underwriters Laboratories certification for damp or wet locations. , Hardwood Floors 101 If a fan is going to be subjected to these conditions it is important that it is able to do so safely. XIII. Ceiling fan lights-- what options are available? Ceiling fans being used with light , Rustic Decor Is Not Just For Cabins! attachments have become more and more common as years progress. It is significantly easier to install a ceiling fan where there is an existing light , Decorating for Renters - Part 2: Focus & Color fixture than where there is nothing, but if you are removing a light , Aluminum Mini Blinds source you will need to replace it. As a result, the majority of ceiling fans sold include light , What You Should Know Aboout Ventless Fireplaces kits already attached.This article is written by my editor, Dan "Spiffy" Neuman. For more expert articles on ceiling fans, please visit our website at http://www.ceiling-fans-n-more.com We also have an online , Rustic Decor Is Not Just For Cabins! forum for answering ceiling fan related questions. |
  
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