How To Pick The Right Size Ceiling Fan

With so many variables and options, choosing the perfectceiling fan and picking the right size tin can be a bit daunting. We've compiled some skillful advice that will guide you through choosing a ceiling fan fit for your needs.

Determining what blazon of ceiling fan yous should add to your room of pick tin seem like a surprisingly complex determination when you are kickoff starting out. Yous demand to consider the dimensions of your room, the size of the fan, airflow and CFM, the length of its blades, how many blades, their materials, and more.

Beneath, yous can click through our tabular array of contents to jump to the topic of your selection or read through to acquire about how to choose the right ceiling fan for your home.

Table of contents:

How to Choose Between Ceiling Fan Sizes
1. Room Size vs. Fan Size
2. Ceiling Fan Size Guide / Chart
3. Hanging Height
4. Sloped / Special Ceiling Types
How Does a Ceiling Fan Work?
1. Ceiling Fan Controls
2. What is CFM and Airflow?
3. DC Motor Ceiling Fans
How to Choose the Correct Ceiling Fan Blade
1. How Many Ceiling Fan Blades? Does it matter?
2. Fan Blade Finishes and their Advantages

Q: How do I choose a ceiling fan size that fits my room?

A: The first thing to consider when deciding your ceiling fan size is the size of the room in which it will go. The foursquare footage of a room dictates how big the ceiling fan volition need to be because a fan that is besides pocket-sized or large for a space will not circulate the air properly.

If you don't know it already, you can measure out a ceiling fan'south size past recording the bore of its bract sweep, or from the tip of one blade to another straight across from it. If your fan has an odd number of blades, so measure out from the tip of one blade to the centre of the fan and double that number for your measurement.

In one case you know how big your ceiling fan's size is, yous will demand to measure the size of your room.

Ceiling Fan Size Guide:

Fan Size	Room Size	Room Type
29″ or less	less than l sq. ft.	Hallway, Laundry Room, Walk-In Cupboard
36″	upwardly to 75 sq. ft.	Breakfast Nook, Large Bathroom
42″	up to 100 sq. ft.	Chamber, Office, Kitchen
52″	up to 225 sq. ft.	Master Bedroom, Dining Room, Patio Area
56″	Up to 400 sq. ft.	Large Living Room, Great Room

In larger spaces, depending on the shape of the room, another option can be to go with two smaller fans.

When sizing a ceiling fan to your room size, you want a minimum of 18″ to 24″ of clearance on all sides of the fan.

Q: How practise I decide the hanging height of the fan?

A: To meet building codes, the bottom of the fan should exist at least seven anxiety off the floor; viii to nine feet will allow for optimal circulation. For college ceilings, you tin can utilize fans with downrods, such as the Brawl Ceiling Fan , to achieve the right acme. The more than space between the ceiling and the blades, the better for air period and apportionment. Ideally, aim for at least 12 inches.

Low Ceilings: For rooms with ceilings eight feet or shorter, flush mountain fans like the Cirrus Affluent Mount Ceiling Fan from Mod Fan Visitor are the ideal pick. As their name suggests, these fans "hug" the ceiling to create a depression profile. In club to achieve their curt meridian, these affluent mountain fans practice not incorporate downrods in their pattern.
Boilerplate & Loftier Ceilings: To hang a fan at the appropriate height in a room with a ceiling nine anxiety high or higher, a ceiling fan that uses a downrod is the right fit. A downrod ranges from iii to 72 inches in length and is what suspends the fan from the canopy. This is ideal because more space between the fan blades and the ceiling volition effect in better air circulation.

Fans will typically come up with ane or two downrods, in different standard lengths. However, if more length is needed to achieve the ideal hanging summit, additional downrods in other sizes can exist purchased. For a room with a ix-foot ceiling, select a fan with a half-dozen" downrod. For ceilings that are taller than nine feet, add 6" to the downrod for every foot of acme: 10-foot ceiling, 12″ downrod; 11-pes ceiling, 18″ downrod; and so on.

Q: Tin I install a ceiling fan if I take a sloped ceiling?

A: Aside from hugger fans, most fan canopies (the office that attaches to the ceiling and covers the junction box) can adjust some caste of slope-usually up to 30 degrees. An additional longer downrod may need to be purchased to ensure enough blade clearance. For steeper slopes–or in cases where sloped ceiling installation is explicitly not immune–manufacturers offering sloped-ceiling adaptors, often chosen angle mounts.

Q: Do I need a special ceiling or junction box to mount my fan?

A: Aye, ceiling fans demand to exist mounted to junction boxes marked "For Utilise With Ceiling Fans"; considering fans tin can weight up to l pounds and are in motion, these assistance provide proper back up. The boxes should be anchored to a ceiling joist, and installation by a licensed electrician is advisable.

Q: Can the fan besides light my room?

A: Most fans come with light kits or will offer a uniform option. A great consideration, they will provide overhead ambient illumination, but may need to be supplemented with other fixtures. Ceiling Fans can also be ordered without lights if preferred.

Q: Can I apply a ceiling fan outdoors?

A: Yep, as long as the Outdoor Ceiling Fan is damp or wet location approved. Damp location fans can be used under covered porches and patios where they will not come into straight contact with the elements. Moisture location listed fans such every bit the Concept I Wet 52 Inch Ceiling Fan can exist used in locations more susceptible to water contact. These feature water- and weather-resistant motor housings and blades, and some are equipped with waterproof low-cal kits to provide additional lighting outdoors.

Q: How does a ceiling fan work?

A: In its nigh basic sense, a ceiling fan works past rotating pitched blades. The pitched blades create air flows that produce better air apportionment, thus helping "cool" the body. The cooling sensation is, of grade, only due to the movement of the fan. While it may enhance the effectiveness of your A/C or heating system by circulating that cooled or heated air, a ceiling fan on its own cannot actually change the temperature of a space.

There are several unlike factors that play in a well-functioning fan. You at present know how to size your ceiling fan to your room. The next few questions will teach y'all the dissimilar ways to command a fan, what airflow and CFM are, and why DC Motor Fans are becoming more common.

Q: How do I control the fan?

A: There are iii ways to operate a fan: a pull chain, a handheld remote or a wall command.

Pull Concatenation: The pull concatenation is located correct on the fan and provides an easy manner to adjust the speed and plow a fan on and off (and its light, if information technology has one).
Remote: The most user-friendly of all fan controls, handheld remotes allow for the fan to exist operated from anywhere in the room.
Wall Switch: Wall controls are as convenient a style to operate ceiling fans as a lite switch is for a lamp. If installed adjacent to a doorway, the chance of forgetting to turn off the fan when leaving a room is greatly reduced.

In some instances, you can accept the best of both worlds with a remote control and wall switch philharmonic, or a remote control that can be wall-mounted.

Q: What is CFM and ceiling fan airflow?

A: Airflow quantifies the amount of air a ceiling fan delivers and is measured in CFM which stands for cubic feet per infinitesimal. CFM measurements are taken when a fan is on high speed, then that number is divided by the watts used. This means that the higher the CFM, the more than efficient the fan, and the more air information technology moves. 75 cfm/westward is the minimum to be considered efficient, according to Energy Star requirements.

The Environmental Protection Agency requires that all ceiling fan manufacturers put the following graphic on all their boxes, brochures, catalogs and such, so that you volition take an verbal understanding of the power behind your fan:

How to find the airflow and CFM for your ceiling fan | YLighting

At a glance, this information helps yous to gauge a ceiling fan's airflow and efficiency. This makes it piece of cake to compare 2 or more fans of like size. Only what CFM is all-time?

On loftier speed:

Skilful CFM ranges from 4,000 to 5,000
Ameliorate ranges from 5,000 to 6,000
Best is over six,000

Q: What is a DC Motor ceiling fan, and what are its benefits?

A: DC motors are a new addition to household ceiling fans that generate boosted torque while consuming less than seventy% of the ability of a typical ceiling fan. They practice this by transforming electric energy into mechanical energy every bit they rotate.

DC motor fans have a slightly higher upfront cost than regular ceiling fans since they need a more expensive electronic speed controller. However, their benefits more than brand up for it. These benefits include:

Virtually silent performance
Much smaller motors that upshot in smaller, lighter fans
Efficient energy use that prolongs the fan'due south life bridge
Higher torque resulting in faster startup speeds
The possibility for up to vi unlike speeds

In cases where lighting is included, DC fans typically employ LEDs, which only add to the fan's free energy efficiency.

Q: What should I consider when picking ceiling fan blades?

A: The number of ceiling blades is often an important indicate in deciding what type of ceiling fan to purchase, but this is becoming less of a question of function and more of personal pick with advancements in engineering.

It used to be the case that a five- or half dozen-blade ceiling fan would translate into more than efficiency every bit opposed to a three blade or four blade, but that'south no longer the case. Since the CFM is the mensurate for a fan'due south airflow efficiency, the number of blades is more related to embellishing the fashion for your space. For example, a four or five blade ceiling fan provides a more conventional, counterbalanced look, whereas a fan with two or three blades possesses a modern and sleek style.

Q: How do different blade finishes impact their role?

A: Choosing the finish for your ceiling blades will largely exist dependent on what room it's going in and what your upkeep is. The four main bract materials and their unique advantages are:

one) MDF

With medium density fiberboard (MDF) blades, sawdust and other wood remnants are compressed together with a hardening cloth. So, a laminate (a sticker) is put over it to protect it and give its finished await. This type of blade is the to the lowest degree expensive and so is generally used for inexpensive fans, but not always. Information technology does not hold upward well outside; if there's whatever moisture, the bract will kickoff to droop fairly rapidly after beingness installed. But in dry indoor locations, these kind of blades work great.

2) Plastic

ABS plastic is used in a lot of fans, mainly considering it is like shooting fish in a barrel and inexpensive to manufacture. Plastic tin can be molded into almost whatever shape and can exist finished to look like real wood. And ABS blades hold upwards well outside.

(Annotation on reversible finishes: Blades that offering two different wood finishes are unremarkably able to do and then because of two different laminates being applied on either side. That being said, ABS blades can also be made with two different finishes. So, while reversible blades are nigh likely fabricated out of MDF, it's not a hard and fast rule.)

iii) Woods

Wood is all-time for indoor applications, merely information technology volition also work for outdoor damp. Sourcing and processing natural wood into fan blades takes more than effort and cost than other materials. So generally, when a fan has "existent forest" blades, it is a premium fan. Most wood blades are balsa wood–which is solid, only lightweight and aerodynamic–although other types can exist used every bit well. Visually, real wood blades tend to have a carved look, with a thicker profile than standard flat blades.

4) Metal

Metal is best for large spaces where the fan is loftier to a higher place the floor. By code, they are supposed to be hung at x′ or higher. Metal fan blades are also good for outdoor damp and outdoor moisture applications. That said, anywhere most the ocean and they volition rust. Even a "marine grade" version will eventually rust. (However, customers who live in this environment usually know this!) Metal is as well a popular blade choice with smaller oscillating ceiling, wall and portable fans. For safe purposes, assuming they could be within reach, these are usually equipped with a protective cage

Now, with all this information in paw, you should be more than ready to find the correct fan for your space.