When the ceiling fan was first invented in the late 19th century, it was mainly used in city meat markets to keep away airborne pests. Today, most ceiling fans are installed with a considerably different purpose—to help homeowners cool themselves down at a fraction of the cost of air conditioning, or simply to add an accent to their home decor.
Whatever your motivation for bringing a ceiling fan into your home, it’s important to choose a model that’s the right size for your space and install it correctly.
The installation process isn’t difficult if you’re replacing an old light fixture with the fan, but if wires have to be fished and circuits added, or the ceiling is higher than 10 feet, you may want to enlist the help of an electrician.
Photo by Getty Images / FuseCooling down doesn’t always require a blasting AC and skyrocketing energy bill. We have the tips to make an informed purchase and savings boost a breeze.
Select a fan with the appropriate span: 36 inches for rooms up to 100 square feet, 42 inches for up to 200 square feet, 52 inches for up to 400 square feet, and either one 60-inch fan or two 52- or 56-inch fans for rooms larger than 400 square feet. When installing two fans, place one at each quarter point along the room’s long axis. In all cases, there should be at least 18 inches of clearance from walls.
Hang fans about 8 feet above the floor for the maximum cooling effect. For rooms with high ceilings, purchase a just-the-right-size downrod by subtracting 8 feet from the ceiling height and adding back about 1 foot to accommodate the motor and casing. If your headroom is less than 9 feet, choose a hugger-style ceiling fan, which has a more compact shape. Sloped ceiling? Manufacturers sell adapters that let fans hang at an angle of up to 48 degrees.
Consult an electrician when replacing an existing light fixture, to verify that the ceiling can support the weight and that the electrical box is fan-rated. If installing from scratch, hire a pro to do the wiring, or see the guide How to Install a Ceiling Fan.
One often overlooked variable in the performance of a ceiling fan is its distance both from where the air needs to be delivered but also the distance of the fan from the ceiling. While it makes sense that you want the breeze velocity from the fan close to where it is needed to create optimal wind chill and breeze, this air needs to come from somewhere.
Ceiling fans draw in air from above and force it down to create the breeze we feel. If there is a restriction of the available air above the blades for the fan to draw upon, this can create a vacuum effect and begin to draw the same air that is being displaced down, back up to the top of the fan. This results in a “cavitation” effect and impedes the performance of the fan. In most cases the ceiling fan provided to you in a box is not set to its optimum drop away from the ceiling, it is generally provided to you to be 30cm from the ceiling as this is the minimum height requirement on a standard 2.4m ceiling in Australia.