Ceiling fans are excellent investments for any home. Experts recommend installing them in all rooms where they’re practical. A ceiling fan can make you more comfortable while helping you reduce overall energy consumption. They’re a great way to illuminate your living spaces. Ceiling fans also provide you with many design options and can even be focal points of a room. Let’s explore 11 tips that will help you get the most out of the ceiling fans that enhance your home.
1. Have Your Ceiling Fans Installed by a Professional
Choosing the ideal ceiling fan for each room will maximize your investment. A professional can help you do that. Another reason to hire an electrician is proper installation. Be mindful that ceiling fans can weigh as much as 50 pounds. If possible, your installer will attach each fan to a joist; many do-it-yourself homeowners do not do this. If a joist isn’t available, your installer will use a spiked bracket between the two nearest joists. These approaches will help ensure a balanced and efficient operation for many years to come.
2. Read the Owner’s Manual
Read through the manual for the ceiling fan. Note any safety precautions, and pay attention to maintenance recommendations from the manufacturer. Many modern ceiling fans don’t require oil. Some do, and if you don’t know about using it, your fan can burn out.
3. Dust Your Fans Weekly
Dust is among the biggest problems for ceiling fans. With excessive dust in the room, a ceiling fan can undermine your air quality. That dust can also get into the crevices and potentially mix with lubrication. Over time, that dust will cause wear and tear and a shortened ceiling fan life. Ideally, you should dust your home at least once a week. With the ceiling fan off and using a ladder, you should also dust the fan blades. Use a microfiber duster. Then, use a damp rag to wipe each blade clean. Don’t leave moisture behind. Avoid applying pressure to the blade, and only use an all-purpose cleaner if there is stubborn grime.
4. Check Your Fans Every Few Months
Turn the fan off, get up on a ladder, and perform an inspection of each fan. You should tighten all screws. Not all ceiling fans need lubrication. If yours does, you should fill it via the lubrication port. Use a ruler or yardstick to ensure every blade is a similar distance from the ceiling. Run the fan in one direction at top speed to ensure everything looks and sounds right. Cycle through the available settings, and ensure it runs well at those speeds too. Then, set the fan in the other direction, and repeat the process. This is also a great time to dust the ceiling fan.
5. Schedule Professional Maintenance as Needed
It’s a good idea to schedule professional ceiling fan maintenance every several years. If you prefer not to perform your own inspections, schedule it every year. During this appointment, your electrician can perform a deep cleaning and lubrication and replace any failing components.
6. Don’t Use Airborne Chemicals
Avoid chemicals you spray into the air, including aerosol air deodorizers. They’re bad for air quality because they can introduce volatile organic compounds and other substances that are also bad for your ceiling fans. They can build up on the fan blades and gunk up the works.
7. Avoid Fan Blade Interference
Experts recommend that the typical ceiling fan should hang 7 to 9 feet from the floor. Optimal air movement is one reason for this recommendation. Another is to avoid inadvertently interfering with the moving blades. Jamming the blades can unbalance them, damage the motor, and harm the mounting hardware. In areas where 7 feet isn’t possible, experts recommend fans that are flush to the ceiling. You should also take care with activities in rooms with ceiling fans. Avoid folding blankets in these rooms, for instance, and be careful when carrying ladders, tall brooms, and so forth.
8. Balance Wobbly Fans
Wobbly fans are a nuisance because they create excessive noise and don’t move air as efficiently. The imbalance can also create an undue strain on the fan motor and shorten its lifespan. After turning the fan off, try tightening all aspects of the blades, and then use a ruler to check them. If the imbalance is still severe, it’s time to call in the professionals. They can break the ceiling fan down and rebuild it. If the imbalance is minor, you can use a balancing kit. These kits involve a trial-and-error process of adding enough weight to each fan blade to achieve the right balance.
9. Turn Off When Not in the Room
It’s important to note that there are some exceptions to this advice. The purpose of some fans is to distribute heating and cooling evenly throughout a room. A common example is a ceiling fan for a vaulted ceiling. You want to leave these on year-round. You’ll also want to ignore the advice in the next step. Top speed setting and a counterclockwise direction are best. These fans don’t provide wind chill.
Most ceiling fans, on the other hand, work through the wind chill effect. There’s an industry saying that ceiling fans cool people, not rooms. Leaving them on all the time is counterproductive and uses energy unnecessarily. It leads to additional wear and tear on the fan motor. There are ways you can automate this action, including motion sensors and smart switches with timers.
10. Set the Appropriate Direction and Speed
In the summer, you want to maximize the wind chill effect. Set the ceiling fan in the counterclockwise direction. Some manufacturers will label this direction “summer” or “reverse.” You also want to set the ceiling fan at the highest speed you find comfortable. This will give you optimal wind chill.
In the winter, a ceiling fan pushes warm air down to where you are. You want to minimize the wind chill effect. To do that, set the ceiling fan in the clockwise direction. Some manufacturers will label it winter or forward. You also want to run the fan at its lowest speed. This helps prevent wind chill, distributes the air more evenly, and avoids unnecessary wear and tear on the motor.
11. Choose High-Quality LED Lights and Consider a Dimmer
High-quality LED bulbs are just as bright and beautiful as incandescent bulbs. These bulbs will also save you money and often pay for themselves during the first year of use. This will lower your energy consumption. You may also want to install dimmer switches so that you can save even more and fine-tune your lighting.
Your Local Ceiling Fan Experts in Magic Valley and Treasure Valley
Magic Electric, Plumbing, Heating + Air has served homeowners throughout Magic Valley, Treasure Valley, and the surrounding areas for over a decade. Our team installs and services ceiling fans. Our electricians perform safety inspections, upgrade electrical panels, and wire and rewire homes. We also specialize in indoor and outdoor lighting, EV chargers, generators, outlets, and surge protection.
Our HVAC technicians install and service all manner of ducted and ductless heating and cooling technologies. We also clean ducts and install and service air purifiers and humidifiers. Our company remodels bathrooms and kitchens. Our plumbers install, replace, and upgrade gas and water lines. We also specialize in tank and tankless water heaters, water filtration systems and water softeners. Contact us today by phone or online with any questions or to book a consultation or service appointment.
