Choosing The Right Fan for the Right Space

Jump To: Indoor/Outdoor | Blade Size | Air Movement | Controls | Downrods | Angled Ceilings

LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION

Your fan’s ETL listing will tell you the location for which it was designed for—the three choices being indoor, damp, and wet. If you want to put your fan in a place where it comes into direct contact with water, make sure the fan has a “wet” ETL listing. Fans made for wet or damp locations are built with all-weather blades, moisture-resistant motors, and other special features. And remember—only use indoor fans indoors. Even if an outdoor area seems safely covered, humidity can negatively impact the motor and the blades. (It’s perfectly OK to use an outdoor fan indoors, though.)

WITH CEILING FANS, SIZE MATTERS

For comfort and efficiency, choose a fan that fits your room size: too small and the air won’t disperse throughout the room, too large and it could overwhelm the space. Here’s a general guide to fan size, measured by blade span:

Room Size		Fan Size
Small Rooms - Up to 10' x 10' (100 sq. ft.)		30" to 48"
Large Rooms - Up to 20' x 20' (400 sq. ft.)		50" to 54"
Great Rooms - Over 20' x 20' (400 + sq. ft.)		56" or Larger

Have a really long room? You might want to go with two fans instead of one to keep air flowing and the room feeling just right.

LET’S TALK CFM

That’s cubic feet per minute—and it’s how air movement is measured. What’s so great about air movement? The more air you move, the greater the wind chill effect, and that’s what makes you feel cooler. (Fans cool people, not rooms! Hard to believe, but true.) And here’s where we have to brag a little: Hunter fans generally move more air than other models because we custom-engineer our motors and pitch our blades at the maximum possible angle.

CONTROLS ARE AN IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION

Think about how remote controls might fit—or not fit—with your lifestyle. A remote control can enhance the performance and operating flexibility of your fan, since many remotes include one-touch multiple speed settings, instant fan “off” operation, and full-range light dimming. Pretty fun to do from the comfort of your favorite chair (or wherever you are from up to 40 feet away from the fan). Remote control kits include a handheld transmitter for sending commands to the fan and a receiver you’ll either conceal inside the fan canopy or mount just beneath the ceiling.

EXTENSION DOWNRODS—HERE’S THE DEAL

Downrod or no downrod? The answer is, whatever gets the bottom of your ceiling fan 8 to 9 feet above the floor. That’s what you’re going for to maximize comfort and efficiency. (And no, downrods don’t increase wobble—in fact, they can increase stability.) Here’s a general formula for calculating downrod length:

Ceiling height (in feet) minus 9' = Downrod length

So, if your ceiling height is 12 feet, for example, you’ll need a 3-foot downrod to position the fan at 8 feet from the floor (the formula allows for additional space that the fan takes up).

DOWNROD GUIDE:

Ceiling Height		Downrod Length
9'		STANDARD (COMES WITH FAN)
10'		12" TO 18”
11'		18" TO 24”
12'		36"
13'		48"
14'		60"
15'		72"

SLOPED CEILING? NO PROBLEM

Many of our fans can be mounted on angled or vaulted ceilings—just look for a fan with our two or three- position mounting systems. Low Profile fans (also called "ceiling huggers") cannot be mounted to sloped ceilings. As long as your ceiling slope angle is less than 34 degrees, all you will need t purchase separately is the proper length down rod. If your ceiling slope angles exceeds 34 degrees, you will need to purchase a sloped ceiling adapter kit. The adapter replaces the ceiling canopy (the “cap” closest to the ceiling and covering the fan’s electrical box).