How to choose the best ceiling fan
Ceiling fans are a great way to stay comfortable when the temperature rises. They can work in tandem with your air conditioning to circulate cool air, or as a cost-effective alternative. When choosing the best ceiling fan for your space, there are a few things you might want to consider.
What size ceiling fan
It might sound obvious but the basic rule is the larger the room, the bigger the fan required. For a small room (up to 20 square metres) fans with blades up to 122cm are ideal. For a bigger room, you’ll probably want to look for a fan with blades that are 130cm or more
Take control
Generally, there are two options when it comes to controlling your fan. Either a wall switch with a dial to vary the speed, or a remote control if access to the roof and wiring is an issue.
Three or four blade ceiling fans
Most fans have either three or four blades and are made of either plywood, metal or plastic. The number of blades has no effect on their ability to cool a room but timber and plastic blades do tend to be a little quieter than metal.
Finish and colour
Another factor worth considering is how your fan is going to look within a room, as they can become a dominant feature. This is not too much of an issue if it’s going to be installed in an outdoor area, but for indoor fans it’s worth thinking about how it will complement your colour scheme and décor
How to Choose the Right Size Ceiling Fan for Your Room
There’s more to choosing a ceiling fan than grabbing one you like off the shelf. It first begins with understanding the height, size and type. Follow the steps to properly measure to get the right fit.
Did you know that a ceiling fan can make a room 8 degrees cooler and help save you on energy bills? Your ceiling fan is there so you can kick back and chill out. But there’s more to choosing a ceiling fan than grabbing one you like off the shelf. Of course there are many styles and you want it to look great, but it also has to be the correct size and type. For maximum performance and comfort, you have to consider the distance from the ceiling to the floor as well as the dimensions of the blades
Determine the correct blade span for the room
It seems obvious that you want a smaller ceiling fan for a smaller room and a larger ceiling fan for a larger room. But for best performance, you need a ceiling fan with the correct blade span for the room. If the fan has an odd number of blades, measure from the center of the fan to the end of one of the blades and multiply the number by two. If the fan has an even number of blades, measure from one end of a blade to the end of the blade on the opposite side.
Determine how high to hang your fan
How high you hang your ceiling fan and the type of mount you need depends on the height of your room and whether or not the ceiling is sloped. Hanging your ceiling fan at the right height will give you the best airflow.
Determine the right downrod
Choosing the right downrod is important so that you can mount your ceiling fan at a safe distance from your head
HOW TO CHOOSE CEILING FAN SIZE – DOWNROD LENGTH AND VAULTED CEILINGS
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT SIZE CEILING FAN
If you are having a hard time deciding what size ceiling fan you need, you are not alone. There is a lot of conflicting information about this all over the Internet and the so called rules have changed dramatically over the last few years with the insurgence of a wider selection of ceiling fan sizes for use in residential applications. In the past, there were pretty much just 3 sizes: 42″, 48″ and 52″ the most popular of which was the 52″ fan. Now, manufacturers are making residential ceiling fans that are 60″, 72″, 84″ and even 99″ and the most popular size is now 60″. The trend is toward using larger fans in smaller spaces. So in our opinion, most of the ceiling fan size charts you find online are very much outdated, including the chart published by the EPA on the EnergyStar.gov Website. Below is our very own ceiling fan size recommendation chart that comes from our over 30 years of experience selling and installing ceiling fans.
What Size Fan Do I Need? BIGGER IS BETTER: The main cooling effect is felt from directly beneath a ceiling fan and drops off dramatically within about 2 feet from the blades. If the fan is in the middle of the room with seating off to the side, use as large a fan as you can handle. If the seating is directly beneath the fan, use a fan large enough to cover the seating area
WHY IS BIGGER BETTER?
From a performance standpoint, the majority of the breeze you are going to feel from a ceiling fan is directly beneath and within the space about 2 feet past the blades. The direct airflow and wind-chill cooling effect diminishes greatly right outside that area. For this reason, the size of the fan you choose is very important in order to actually feel the breeze where you need it. If the fan is going to be positioned directly over the area that needs to be cooled, a smaller size fan that is proportional to the room is quite appropriate. If the fan is not directly over the area where you will be spending time in the room, use a larger size fan that gets the blade tips as close as possible to that area. Whether or not a fan “looks” too large is a matter of personal preference. Technically, as long as the blades are at least 30″ from the nearest wall, there is no reason you cannot install a fan that is quite large in the space. The trend from ceiling fan manufacturers today is BIG and there are a lot of fans now that are over 60″ because fans simply cover more space when they are larger.
IS HIGHER CFM BETTER?
Although higher CFM (cubic feet per minute of airflow) is normally a good thing to consider, you must also make sure you consider how it correlates to blade span. Many people assume that a very large fan, say 72″ to 96″ that produces 10,000 CFM is going to cool them off better than a smaller fan, which is not likely the case. CFM is only the amount of air that is displaced, it is not a measure of how fast the air is moving, which is called wind speed. Wind speed is what actually creates the breeze or wind-chill effect that makes you feel cooler. Just because larger fans spread a larger amount of air over a larger area does not mean the move the air faster, it only means the move more air and the actual wind speed may be lower than you think. For example, you will feel a much stronger breeze from a 52″ fan that produces 7,000 CFM than you will from a 96″ fan that has the same CFM. that’s because the smaller fan is moving the same amount of air in a more concentrated area at a much higher speed. The larger fan is moving that air over a larger area at a slower overall speed. To to make sure you are not disappointed, we are the only be sure to compare our “Wind Speed Factor” between larger and smaller fans so you have a better idea how much breeze you will actually feel. Wind speed factor is our own exclusive calculation that is a relation between CFM and blade span. In most cases, two smaller fans with a higher “Wind Speed Factor” will outperform one very large fan. If you cannot install two fans, choose the largest fan you can tolerate visually with the highest “Wind Speed Factor”. A good amount of wind speed would be 3.5 to 4 MPH or more.
How to choose the right ceiling fan
Ceiling fans are a great way to cool your room without running up an astronomical electrical bill. A ceiling fan consumes about 50 to 60 watts while an air-conditioner sucks up 500 to 1000 watts – you can imagine the difference it makes to your electricity bill! Follow our tips before you head to the shops.
Determine the right size of the ceiling fan
Firstly, measure the longest wall in the room
Position your ceiling fan properly
This should ideally be the centre of your room so as to circulate air evenly. If the room is huge, you should have two ceiling fans.
Consider the ceiling height
The higher the ceiling, the more powerful the fan you need.
Decide on the number of blades you want
The more blades the better? Not always.
How to choose a ceiling fan
In addition to cooling your space, a Hunter ceiling fan adds that decorative touch that ties the room together. Hunter designs a variety of ceiling fan styles with whisper-quiet motors and high-performance features to ensure maximum airflow. With so many ceiling fan sizes and styles to choose from, you may be wondering how to choose a ceiling fan for your space.
Residential Ceiling Fans
Hunter creates residential ceiling fan styles to go with every lifestyle. Innovative features and a variety of styles ranging from traditional to modern are ready to instantly upgrade the look of your home.
Industrial Ceiling Fans
Our industrial ceiling fans are designed to increase airflow while reducing energy consumption. These high-volume, low-speed (HVLS) fans are incredibly lightweight and circulate air more than any other type of traditional ceiling fan on the market. Hunter industrial fans provide super-quiet performance and our impressive fan warranties are among the best in the industry.
Indoors
When temperatures rise in the summer, a ceiling fan can keep your home feeling cool. During chilly weather, a ceiling fan can distribute heat throughout your home, too. While some outdoor fans can be used indoors, indoor fans cannot be used outdoors.
Outdoors
When choosing a ceiling fan for an outdoor space, pick a model with the appropriate Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and Electrical Testing Laboratories (ETL) rating. Otherwise, technical difficulties with the fan can arise. For example, if the fan isn’t rated for the proper type of outdoor use and it’s exposed to humidity or rain, pieces of the fan could rust and impact operation.