Ceiling Fans For Sloped Ceilings - Important Considerations
By Steve,
Ceiling Fan Expert
at Hansen Wholesale
For sizing ceiling fans and downrods, there are few in the world better qualified than our man Steve. He's worked with vaulted ceilings for a long time. He will help you get on the right track to finding the right ceiling fan in the right size for your angled ceiling.
Ceiling Fans For Sloped Ceilings - Important Considerations
March 17th, 2017
The first thing you need to know about ceiling fans for sloped ceilings is that you'll have to put the fan up.
We had a problem. One of our sales folks a few years ago... We insisted that to sell ceiling fans, he needed to know how to install one.
But he hated heights. He wouldn't go up the ladder. He helped with the assembly over in the corner while we hung the fans.
You can't sell a ceiling fan until you've been in the customer's shoes. So we made him go up the ladder. Eventually.
You can put any of our fans on an angled or sloped ceiling except for a hugger fan, which only work on flat ceilings. Besides having to go up the ladder, there are a couple of other things you need to consider.
How many fans will you need?
How do you choose the correct size fan or fans?
What is the right size downrod?
If you have a sloped ceiling, do you need a special angled ceiling adapter?
The first thing you should know is that there are lots of great ceiling fans for sloped ceilings. I'll talk you through these considerations.
Let's start with the number of fans. How many ceiling fans do you need? One or two? Or three? That depends on your room dimensions. As there are so many larger fans available today, if your room is about square you may need just one fan. If your room is twice as long as it is wide, you might need two fans. If it's really long or L-shaped, you may need three!
The other consideration the location of your junction boxes. If you have one box, stick with one fan unless you are willing to pay an electrician to wire more boxes.
As for size, with vaulted ceilings I like to say bigger is better. But in general, a small room with a vaulted ceiling should take a 42-44 inch fan. You may get away with a ceiling fan as large as 60" depending on ceiling height and room layout. For a large room with a sloped ceiling, there are choices all the way up to 96 inches. I want to help you decide what ceiling fan will look and perform best in your room.
Do you need any special mounting hardware? For vaulted ceilings, most fans come with mounting hardware that will hang flat, or at an angle up to 30 degrees. It differs a little between brands. Some brands (like Fanimation and Minka Aire) have angled ceiling adapters that allow their ceiling fan to hang at over 45 degrees. So it is best that you call me so I can make sure the fan you like will work with your angled ceiling.
So when choosing ceiling fans for sloped ceilings, there are a lot of things to consider. But as you can see, it is a very doable project.
Next is downrod length. The length of downrod you need depends on the height and angle of the ceiling where you plan to hang the fan. To get the best airflow for cooling, the ideal height to hang any fan puts the blades 7 to 8 feet from the floor. You must also keep at least 8 inches between your fan blades and the ceiling. More is better. If the blades are too close to the low side of the ceiling, uneven airflow may cause the fan to wobble or move less air.
If the ceiling is really high, you may not like the way your fan looks at 8 feet from the floor. In this case, you may compromise airflow for aesthetics and put it at 10 feet from the floor. If airflow is important to you, this is almost as important as the style. There are plenty of styles of ceiling fans for sloped ceilings available.
Remember wondering why you had to learn geometry? Have you ever wanted to give your kids a reason for having to learn it other than, "because"?
Well, now you have a concrete answer:
To get a downrod length for your ceiling fan on a sloped ceiling!
So, have your kids calculate the slope of the ceiling! It's a great school project. Don't forget to include any fan accessories in your ceiling fan calculations.
Or...
Call me! With a few measurements, I won't even require your first-born. Still, you may have to go up the ladder.
Thanks for coming by. I hope this helps!
- Steve
800-201-1193 x114
Ceiling Fan Expert, Hansen Wholesale
How low are the fans supposed to be. In my mind I thought they would be high ( LIKE 5 FT FROM THE CEILING). for a Lay person this is very confusing so any information would be helpful. I don't even know what fan I SHOULD LOOK FOR? should AN ELECTRICAN KNOW ALL OF THESE THINGS?
Thanks for contacting me. We're always happy to help here at Hansen Wholesale.
This is the kind of thing that is best talked out over the phone, so give me a call. 800 201 1193, ask for Steve. I'm at extension 114.
I wouldn't expect an electrician to have as specialized knowledge as we have. Many electricians think all ceiling fans are the same, but they're not. Many of our high-end fans have different requirements and installation procedures than the cheap fans you get at the box stores, so they go and do the wrong thing on accident. But it sounds like you might be working with an experienced electrician, which is good!
We can go over the basics here.
You can put two ceiling fans up to circulate the A/C, that's a great idea. Without knowing the exact placement of the fans in relation to the lights, and without knowing the dimensions of the room, it's a bit tough to size. That's the biggest question. I'll need to understand the dimensions of the room and the area how you're able to look over the room a little better to give you an answer on downrod length. There are some fans that are nice to look at from above, so it may not be a concern. Really, I feel you should be focused on the performance of the fan a little more than its aesthetics. But we have plenty of high performance fans that look beautiful, too.
Give me a call, let's go over your situation a little more in-depth. We can talk it out and I'll help you get exactly the fans you need to do what you want.
Thank you again for contacting us! It's my pleasure to help you, Jeanne.
All the best,
Steve
800 201 1193 x114
wE HAVE ROOMS WITH VAULTED CEILINGS WITH PEAKS AT 24-26 FOOT AND 45 DEGREE PITCH. tHE BOX FOR THE CURRENT LIGHTING ELECTRICAL IS MOUNTED TO THE BEAM AT THE PEAK, SO IT'S RELATIVELY PARALLEL TO THE FLOOR AND SHOULDN'T BE A PROBLEM.
BUT AT 26 FEET, WE'RE TALKING A 18 FOOT DOWNROD. aRE THERE DOWNRODS HEAVY DUTY ENOUGH TO HANDLE THAT SPAN, OR DO WE HAVE TO CONSIDER ADDING stringers or guy wires further down the rod to help stabilize the fan?
Thank you for the kind words. We work hard on these articles to make sure we give you useful information. If you ever have any suggestions, I'd like to hear them.
I'm going to repeat your question here:
"Thanks for the great, fun and informative article Steve.
We have rooms with vaulted ceilings with peaks at 24 - 26 foot and 45-degree pitch. The box for the current electrical lighting is mounted to the beam at the peak, so it's relatively parallel to the floor and shouldn't be a problem.
But at 26 feet, we're talking an 18-foot downrod. Are there downrods that can handle that span, or do we have to consider adding stringers or guy wires further down the rod to help stabilize the fan?"
Great question!
First of all, you have to check local code to make sure any of the following suggestions are legal.
You should not need guy wires, but I understand where you're coming from. If you'd like them for their design aesthetic, they certainly won't hurt! But if you or your contractor does this properly, you should not need guy wires.
You will need custom downrods and wiriing. They're not made in sufficient length out of the box.
If you buy higher quality ceiling fans that do not wobble, guy wires should not be necessary unless you want them for their design aesthetic. With that said, it is best to check with your local building department to see if they have any specific requirements for your city.
As far as the downrods are concerned, some fan manufacturers have downrod couplers that allow you to connect multiple downrods together to make the length you need. How long of a downrod you will actually need depends on the size and layout the room, not just the ceiling height. Based on the height of your rooms alone, I would recommend you hang the fans somewhere between 10 to 12 feet from the floor. You can connect three 60" downrods to make a 15' downrod, which should be sufficient. Keep in mind, the overall height will include the depth of the fan body as well as the mounting hardware at the ceiling.
The most important considerations, aside from the length of the downrods, are going to be:
1) The quality and precision to which the fans you choose are made so they do not wobble.
2) The power of the motor and the amount of airflow they provide so they will actually be functional in the room.
I highly recommend Emerson Premium Fans or Emerson Eco fans for this application because they move lots of air and come from the factory extremely well-balanced. Most high-end fans should be fine, but given the extreme circumstances, I feel safest recommending these.
I also recommend that you check with your local building department to see if there are any limitations or requirements for installing ceiling fans in your city.
If you give me a call, I can recommend some other great fans and make sure you get the downrods and couplers you need to get them installed at the proper height. Also, if you email me some pictures of the rooms, it would help me make the best recommendation.
Another option is to circulate air, rather than create a "cooling pit" around your seating area. You could use a 3 to 6 foot downrod to move air and enhance any air conditioning system you have. It depends again on the design aesthetic you’re going for.
Good luck with the project! Let me know how it goes. I'd love to see pictures when you're finished.
Thanks for coming by, I hope this helps.
-Steve
Ceiling Fan Expert
Hansen Wholesale
1-800-201-1193 x114