Ceiling fans are the simple, humble home gadgets that we often overlook and only remember when the room gets hotter than it should. We are always sitting beneath them flipping switches or pressing buttons on a remote to turn them on during the hot summer months—and forget about them as soon as winter approaches. However, have you ever sat down and thought about improving your fan’s functionality? Did it ever cross your mind that you can actually use fans in reverse motion to circulate heat? Well, there are many intriguing facts about ceiling fans you may want to learn about to increase your fan’s efficiency and functionality. Here are some of the interesting things you probably didn’t know about ceiling fans.
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The Bigger the Blades, the Better
When buying fans, avoid short blades. The increased surface area allows the fan to move the air around the room faster, cooling it faster. While it’s more tempting to go for fans with shorter blades, they might not do the job efficiently. Similarly, you don’t want to choose long blades that blow everything around every time the fan rotates. Most fan blades are made of stainless steel or aluminum. However, you can still find fans with plastic or wooden blades. All these types have similar efficacy levels, but if you want a quieter fan, plastic or wooden blades may be the right choice for you.
Fans Can Heat Your Room During Winter
You already know that your fan rotates counterclockwise to create downward airflow and cool the room. What you probably don’t know is that your fan is designed to rotate both clockwise and counterclockwise for a very good reason. By changing the direction of your fan to rotate clockwise, you can make your ceiling fan an essential heating item in the colder months. The clockwise direction allows the drawing of cool air up and warm air down. Check if your fan is clockwise enabled and ensure it is off before flipping the switch to the reverse direction. The function should also be present on your fan’s remote control.
Lower Speeds Are More Efficient
When using a fan with large blades, the slower speed is preferable to higher speeds. Faster rotation not only wastes energy but also doesn’t cool rooms effectively. The slower movement has proper clearance, allowing the blade to move the air smoothly without damaging the fan or making your home feel like it’s being attacked by a whirlwind.
You Can Choose Between Stem Mount and Flush Mount
Ceiling fans come in two general types; stem mount and flush mount. What you choose depends on your house style and needs. For instance, if your home has a low ceiling with a seven or eight-foot range, a flush mount ceiling fan can be a perfect choice. It offers more clearance, especially if the room has a lot of traffic. Flush-mount fans keep the blades to the ceiling, reducing the possibility of an accident when the fan is running. Rooms with a higher ceiling can do better with stem mount fans as they allow you to adjust the fan’s distance from the ceiling depending on ceiling height. Don’t just choose a fan; always check the label to know if it is adjustable or not.
Some Fans Have Light
Modern ceiling fans can function as light bulbs as well as fans. The fan can either have one big bulb attached to it or several bulbs attached beneath each blade. You can adjust the bulb’s brightness and color temperature according to your needs. You can also turn off these lights when using the fan during the day to save power. Some ceiling fans with lights have integrated LEDs designed to add style and brightness.
The Installation Location Determines Whether You Will Save on Energy Bills or Not
Ceiling fans can be installed indoors and outdoors. However, it’s prudent to understand that outdoor fans can cool indoors efficiently, but not the other way round—indoor fans cannot cool outdoors efficiently. When installing indoor fans, it’s best to position them in a central location with the proper ceiling height, such as the living room. You also want to take advantage of the fan to cool other rooms such as the kitchen and bedrooms by directing the cool air to the nearby rooms. Bigger rooms require more than one fan to cool the air around them efficiently. If you’re looking to cool bigger spaces, go for more giant fans and lower the fan below the ceiling appropriately to cool the air efficiently.
You Can Choose Blade Color
Many people are more focused on the general color of the fan and fail to notice that ceiling fans offer two potential blade colors to choose from. You can easily select the color you want by turning one side and the other downwards to be visible in the room. This can be quite essential if you’re looking to achieve a specific theme or match the décor in your living room or bedroom. Ask your technician to allow you to see both sides of the blades and select the side you want to see from the room below before installing.
