5 Tips to Help You Buy a New Ceiling Fan
Now that more and more homeowners are looking for ways to cut heating and cooling costs without sacrificing comfort, ceiling fans are back in style. But it can be a bit overwhelming to sort through all the options when you’re shopping for a new ceiling fan (or fans) for your home.
There’s a lot you need to know to be able to choose the right ceiling fan for your needs. You need to know how to size the fan for your room, and whether to choose a downrod fan or a flush-mount fan. You need to know how to compare fan motors and what features to look for in a new fan. You might need a fan that can handle damp or wet conditions, depending on where you plan to hang it. And, of course, you need the fan to look good in your home. Follow these tips to buy the perfect ceiling fan (or fans) for your home.
1) Consider the Size of Your Room
It’s important that your new ceiling fan be the right size for the room it’s going to be in. A fan that isn’t big enough for the space won’t have the impact you’re hoping for, while a fan that’s too big for the space will have too much of an impact.
To make sure you’re getting the right size ceiling fan, measure the square footage of the room in which you plan to hang the fan. A 75-square-foot room needs a fan 29 to 36 inches wide (the width of the fan is measured across its sweep, or the circle made by its spinning blades). A 75- to 150-square-foot room needs a fan 36 to 42 inches wide. A 150- to 250-square-foot room needs a fan 44 to 50 inches wide. A 250- to 400-square-foot room needs a fan 50 to 54 inches wide. Rooms bigger than 400 square feet need the largest fans, or might even require two or more fans to cool the space.
You also need to measure the height of your ceilings, so you can buy a fan that will hang at the recommended height of seven to nine feet above the floor. Downrod fans are fine for rooms with nine-foot or higher ceilings, but you’ll need a flush-mount fan for rooms with ceilings lower than nine feet. If you’re hanging your ceiling fan from a vaulted ceiling, make sure you can leave at least eighteen inches between your fan blades and the wall or ceiling on either side.
2) Choose the Quietest Motor
You can buy ceiling fans with AC or DC motors, and DC is usually the better option. AC motors use more power, are louder, and don’t last as long. If you can afford it, buy a ceiling fan with a DC motor. It will be more powerful, probably offer more speed settings, and operate more quietly and for longer.
3) Shop for the Best Fan Features
Today’s modern ceiling fans have so many features – many smart fans can connect to your smartphone or your smart home device, so you can control them from an app or using voice commands. Consider the fan features you need to get the most use out of your fan. Are you going to want the fan to start automatically on a schedule, so your home feels breezy and cool when you walk in from work? Are you going to want to control your fans remotely when you’re away from home? Do you want your fan to turn on automatically when the room gets above a certain temperature? Do you want a light fixture in your fan, and should it be dimmable? These are just some of the features you can find on today’s ceiling fans.
4) Match the Design of the Fan to Your Decor
Perhaps the most difficult part of choosing a new ceiling fan is choosing the right design. There are so many new ceiling fan designs to choose from, both at your favorite home store and online. Consider your decorating aesthetic – is it more contemporary or traditional? Post-modern or coastal? Cottagecore or industrial? It shouldn’t be hard to find a fan that will either blend in or, if you want it to, stick out and become a focal point and topic of conversation for guests.
5) Get a Damp- or Wet-Rated Fan as Needed
You can only hang indoor- or dry-rated fans in areas where they won’t encounter any moisture or humidity – think dining rooms, living rooms, bedrooms, and offices. If you want to hang a ceiling fan in your kitchen or bathroom, it needs to be damp-rated or indoor/outdoor so it can withstand the moisture it will encounter. If you’re hanging the fan outside, it needs to be wet- or outdoor-rated so it can stand up to the elements. Otherwise you’re going to have a rusty fan with sagging fan blades in no time.
Buying a new ceiling fan can be a kind of a process, but it’s one that’s well worth it once you feel that cooling breeze for the first time. Put new ceiling fans in your home, and enjoy a higher standard of living.
