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Message |
    
blue angel
Citizen
Username: Blue_angel
Post Number: 14
Registered: 5-2006
| | Posted on Monday, June 26, 2006 - 11:21 am: | 
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Our new house has ceiling fans in every room, including the foyer, and the kitchen. Does it make sense to keep all of them or can we get rid of some without regretting it later? I'm worried that they will be a little psychedelic if they are all on at the same time. I'm inclined to get rid of the ones in the foyer, the den (a playspace) and the playroom upstairs. I'm not sure about the kitchen. We will only have window air conditioners in the bedrooms upstairs. So far we've only lived in brownstone apartments and don't have a sense of how the air moves in these old houses. Any advice is welcome! Thanks. |
LilLB
Citizen
Username: Lillb
Post Number: 1871
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Monday, June 26, 2006 - 11:27 am: |
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Unless you hate the way they look, I would leave them there. We have central air, so we don't use ours that much, but sometimes we stick them on just to get the air moving a bit (particularly after cooking). They can be especially nice when you have a house full of people -- even when the AC is on, this actually makes a difference in cooling the place down and keeping the air moving. We didn't install ours either (they were there when we moved in), but we have one in the kitchen, one in the living room and one in the guestroom. |
greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 8202
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, June 26, 2006 - 11:34 am: |
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The foyer one could go if you really hate it. Keep the ones in the kitchen and higher floors. They make a difference, as Lil says. They are also good for those spring/fall days when it is not hot enough for AC, but warm enough to need a little circulation with the windows open.
I find that on a pretty, spring night with a cool sleeping breeze, we have to have the ceilig fan on with the windows open. Our nice shady trees block the breeze from coming in the windows. |
Smarty Jones
Citizen
Username: Birdstone
Post Number: 834
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Monday, June 26, 2006 - 11:52 am: |
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Ignore all advice until after you get through this summer. See which ones you use, and which ones you don't. Definitely get rid of any ceiling fan that doesn't get used this summer, but most definitely wait until AFTERWARDS......
....and you might wait through winter two, as they are great for evening heat from Steam radiator systems in our homes. |
Camnol
Citizen
Username: Camnol
Post Number: 392
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Monday, June 26, 2006 - 12:37 pm: |
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I agree with Smarty--live with them and then decide. We have a few ceiling fans. The only one that I'm not crazy about is in the kitchen. The previous owner put in recessed lights AND a ceiling fan. If the lights and fan are on at the same time, we get a slight "disco effect." I find it a bit disconcerting. The rest of them are great. |
blue angel
Citizen
Username: Blue_angel
Post Number: 16
Registered: 5-2006
| | Posted on Monday, June 26, 2006 - 1:10 pm: |
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Thanks, everyone. Camnol, I just talked to a contractor yesterday who told me the ceiling fan would need to be at least 3 feet away from the lights to avoid the "party feeling" as he called it. |
growler
Citizen
Username: Growler
Post Number: 969
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Monday, June 26, 2006 - 1:22 pm: |
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Also make sure the blades are turning in the correct direction for summer use and for winter use. That can make a difference too. |
C Bataille
Citizen
Username: Nakaille
Post Number: 2687
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, June 26, 2006 - 3:07 pm: |
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We find that ceiling fans dramatically increase the efficiency of window ACs. Another cool thing is that they keep mosquitos off you. Really! Mosquito wings are very weak and can't fly against the wind. I've known this for years but the NYT recently confirmed this in an article about protecting oneself against skeeters. (Science Times, I believe.) During skeeter season my bedroom ceiling fan is on every night. No bites at nites! |
Camnol
Citizen
Username: Camnol
Post Number: 395
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Monday, June 26, 2006 - 5:24 pm: |
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blue angel, I measured mine for you. The lowest part of the blade is 15 inches from the ceiling. 3 feet would mean someone is hitting their head on the fan, so it's disco for us! Party!  |
blue angel
Citizen
Username: Blue_angel
Post Number: 17
Registered: 5-2006
| | Posted on Monday, June 26, 2006 - 9:36 pm: |
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Camnol, I didn't express myself clearly. I meant the fan should be 3 feet away horizontally from the lights, not 3 feet below. |
Camnol
Citizen
Username: Camnol
Post Number: 396
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Monday, June 26, 2006 - 10:03 pm: |
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Ahhh, I probably should have figured that out.  I don't think ours is 3 feet that way, either. Oh well. |
Jersey_Boy
Citizen
Username: Jersey_boy
Post Number: 1229
Registered: 1-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 27, 2006 - 1:01 am: |
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When you DO remove the fans, make sure you post about it. There are people here who might want them.
Me.
J.B. |
wnb
Citizen
Username: Wnb
Post Number: 433
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 27, 2006 - 11:39 am: |
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A ceiling fan is just a fixture just like any lamp fixture, it just has a fan motor on it as well. You can remove and reinstall them at will and it is not generally a difficult job.
You are lucky to have an electrical box in the ceiling of every room of the house, many of these old houses don't have that (like mine) and with the plaster walls/ceilings it's virtually impossible to add them without really tearing things out.
So, remove the fixtures at will, just never never never remove the boxes from the ceiling!
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Travis
Citizen
Username: Travis
Post Number: 456
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 27, 2006 - 5:17 pm: |
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Quote:
You are lucky to have an electrical box in the ceiling....
Yeah but is that ceiling box rated to carry a 70lb fan? Oftentimes the box is just attached to a metal strap between ceiling joists, just strong enough to carry a simple light fixture. |
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