What to Consider Before Buying a Ceiling Fan

Ceiling fans are a great addition to any home and provide the room with comfortable air movement. Some even come with lights that add a decorative touch. You can get ceiling fans in a variety of finishes and styles. Before purchasing a ceiling fan, you should know that not every ceiling fan will fit every home. There are some factors that you should take into consideration before you go shopping for a new ceiling fan.

• The most important thing that you need to consider is where you are going to install the fan. Usually ceiling fans are placed in the center of the room to allow a smooth flow of air throughout the entire room. If it is a large room, you may need two ceiling fans.
• Because ceiling fans and most ceiling light fixtures use the same amount of power you need to make sure that you are not going to overload the electrical circuit. If you purchase a ceiling fan with lights, you need to know if the circuit can hand both the lights and fan. If it cannot handle both you will need to run a new circuit to the fan from the main panel or choose a ceiling fan without lights.
• Measure the space where the ceiling fan is going so you can get the right size to fit into that space.
• You also need to consider the height of the room and measure how low you can install your ceiling fan. You want to make sure that it is not going to be hanging too low, especially if you have low ceilings. Some manufactures make ceiling fans specifically for homes with low ceilings.
• Look for ceiling fans that can work at a low operating cost and are energy efficient.
• In addition to the height of the ceiling, you need to look at the slope. If you have a sloped ceiling, you need to look for special mounting systems. These systems will let you install the fan in such a way so the blade rotation is parallel to the floor. Most ceiling fan blades should be seven to eight feet above the floor to give the best possible comfort. If you have sloping ceilings that are more than nine feet, you can use extension rods to mount the ceiling fan.
• Know what type of finish you want such as decorative metals like brass, chrome, bronze, pewter, etc. You can also get them in wood finishes like oak, teak, cherry, etc. Check to see if it has tarnish, scratch-resistant, and rush finishes.
• Make sure that you can manually control parts like fan directions and pull chains or that it comes with a remote to use.