Ceiling fans are easy to use, look charming, and are a time-honoured, graceful way of keeping your house cool and dispelling moisture. Here are a few clever tips on getting the most out of yours.
- If the blades of your ceiling fan wobble after they've been cleaned, attach small weights such as washers or coins to the top of each blade with masking tape. Test one blade after another, repositioning the weights until the blades cease to wobble, then glue the weights into place.
- Want to change the settings on your ceiling fan from your favourite easy chair? Not a problem. Conversion kits that enable most fans to operate by remote control are available from hardware stores.
- There is nothing worse than a noisy fan. If your ceiling fan includes a light fixture that vibrates and rattles, first of all check that the screws are tight. If they are, try fitting a large rubber band around the neck of the glass fixture. This will act as a noise buffer between the bulb and the screws that hold the fixture in place.
- Remember that fans cool people, not rooms. Running a ceiling or any other kind of fan in an unoccupied room wastes energy.
- Most modern ceiling fans have a reverse mode, which allows the blades to turn counter-clockwise during the summer and clockwise during winter. The winter direction helps distribute heat more evenly around the room by forcing warm ceiling air downwards. Put the fan on its lowest speed to avoid a draft.
- Install a variable-speed control device designed for ceiling fans to control the speed on your fan. A standard dimmer switch could damage the motor.
- Clean the blades on your ceiling fans regularly with a dry lint-free cloth. Dirt can upset blade balance and cause the fan to wobble.
- Before fitting a ceiling fan, check that a solid fixing for the fan is available. You may need to install a fixing block between two joists in the ceiling.
- The air moved by a ceiling fan makes your body feel cooler, even when the temperature is relatively high. To save energy, raise your air conditioner's thermostat 3° C (37° F) above your normal setting and run your ceiling fan along with it.
Keep these clever tips in mind to get the most out of your ceiling fans and make sure they're always working at top efficiency.
