A ceiling fan isn’t meant to just keep a room cool. It can be decorative & even help make your cooling systems more efficient. There are lots of choices available for today’s homeowners. There are even great options available for installations in large halls or businesses. It can be a little intimidating at first but once you know what to look for, you will know exactly what kind of ceiling fan you want for your room.

Most of us are familiar with a basic ceiling fan with metal blades. These have been in all our homes growing up and a familiar sight all over India. You can also have premium ceiling fans which are better in design and have more efficient motors. Finally one can get decorative ceiling fans with blades made from wood.

Ceiling fans do not actually cool the room but rather help the air circulate better. When air circulates well, the room temperature is brought down. When buying a ceiling fan you should understand the kind of airflow it will deliver. It is measured in CMM (Cubic Meters per Minute), with Good Air Delivery recognized at 205-230 CMM. Customers looking at fan speed should check the fans RPM (Rotations per minute of the blades). The standard 1200 mm (48) fan, runs at 300/350 RPM while the Hi-Speed fan runs at 380/390 RPM or so.

Ideally, a ceiling fan should be about 7-9 feet off the ground. You will usually have a down rod of about 6 inches in length for this. Down rods is what the ceiling fan hangs from the ceiling. Down rods range from 3 to 72 inches, and you can combine multiple down rods for much higher ceilings. You should try to add about 6 inches of length to a down rod for every foot in height of a room, starting from 7 feet.

When it comes to blade sizes, you can have anywhere between 600 (24”) to 1400 (56”) mm blade length. In India fan blades of 900 (36”) and 1050mm (42”) are popular. For a room of around 50 sq ft. 600-900mm blade will do, 900-1050mm for 75 sq ft, 1200mm blade size for 75 to 160 sq ft, 1400mm for rooms of 160 – 250 sq ft,. Depending on the size and shape of the room, you may also want to opt for 2 or more smaller ceiling fans instead of one big ceiling fan. The goal is to make sure the whole room gets ideal air circulation.

The number of blades on a fan can vary from 2 blades to 9 blades. However, 3 blade fans are the most common application. You can also check out the blade design shape to add a great finish to your room decor.

Blades today are made from different materials as well. Composite material blades make for cost-effective fans but aren’t ideal for outdoor applications. Plastic blades are quite common and make the fan light as well as resistant to moisture. You can get a variety of finishes on a plastic blade. Rosewood or beech wood is often used in wooden blades as they are light and give a classy finish to the fan. Metal blades can be used for larger rooms. However, one should try and avoid metal blades in a sea-facing environment as they get damaged quite easily as all applications do in such areas.

Sometimes a room, especially in a bungalow or a room just below the roof may have a sloped ceiling. In the situation, you may now be able to install a regular ceiling fan.

There are however some great alternatives to consider. First of all, you could use a fan with smaller blades that allow it to clear the ceiling slope. A long down rod will also help keep the ceiling fan blades away from the ceiling. Lastly, you could try to get a ceiling hugging fan installed. These are a lot less common and would require special installation. This is, however, the best way to utilize your room space while getting the most efficient ceiling fan to meet your needs.

Ceiling fans do weigh a bit, and even with the lightest of them this must be taken into consideration. Luckily ceiling fans have mounting boxes that are designed especially for this reason. The mounting boxes must be put onto the designated ceiling fan hooks.

You might want to consider installing a ceiling fan that also has lights on it at the centre. This allows you to best utilize your room spaces for air circulation as well as lighting. When looking for a ceiling fan with lights, do make sure you choose one with LEDs installed. You can find out more about how to judge which are the most energy-efficient LEDs on the Finolex blog.

Ceiling fans come with a variety of means to control the fan. You could opt for using a pull chain. These are put on the fan itself and may also control the lights if present. A remote-controlled ceiling fan is also an alternative. This allows you to have control of the fan & the lights if needed from anywhere in the room.

Wall switches are the most common means of controlling a ceiling fan. If these are placed near the room exit it also allows you to build up an energy-saving habit by making sure you switch off the fans while leaving the room.

Ceiling fans can be installed in outdoor locations as well. But you will have to take some precautions to ensure you have the right fan in an outdoor application. Ceiling fans can be installed in covered outdoor locations such as patios, porches or gazebos.

Wooden ceiling fan blades are generally not to be considered when using a fan outdoors. Damp places or seaside places must also avoid metal blades as these can easily be corroded from the moisture in the air. Do ensure you have a weather-resistant housing, and that the fans get minimal contact with side winds or splash from nearby objects. Make sure the control housing is also waterproof and sufficiently protected from the elements.

We have a great collection of decorative, premium designs, and cost-effective ceiling fans on the Finolex web store. There are even options with wooden blades available.

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