Top Quality Outdoor Ceiling Fans for Harsh Environments
What's the difference between outdoor fans? Wet Rated Ceiling Fans can be directly exposed to rain, washed off with a hose and installed anywhere indoors or outdoors. Damp Rated Fans can only be installed in damp or dry locations that are covered and not exposed to rain (or your hose). If you are unsure about the amount of moisture or salt air the fan will be exposed to or if you want to be able to wash it with a hose, consider Wet Rated Stainless Steel Ceiling Fans.
The Best Outdoor Ceiling Fan
The The Donaire from Matthews Fan Company is made of 316 Marine Grade Stainless Steel and is built to withstand the most harsh weather conditions including: wind, rain, sleet, snow, even salt air near the ocean. The blades are heavy duty UV protected ABS plastic (best material for outdoors) with no blade holders to break off in high winds. This fan is so rugged it even survived hurricane Irma. The stainless steel motor housing is available in White, Bronze and Brushed Steel finishes. Read More.
The Best Outdoor Ceiling Fans For Salt Air Locations
Pictured above: Hunter Seawind - shows how a typical outdoor fan might look after a year or two near the beach.
Updated: 6/12/2020
If you are located near the ocean, you have likely owned or seen ceiling fans that fall victim to salt air corrosion. Most outdoor fans end up looking like the fan in this picture after just a year or two. To avoid a rusty fan, be sure to buy one specifically designed to survive ocean air.
Outdoor wet rated fans made from 316 Marine grade stainless steel are by far the best choice if you live near the ocean. There are also fans made from plastic or powder coated materials that are better suited to resist rust than typical outdoor fans. If none of these fans suit your style or budget, you can install pretty much any Wet Rated Ceiling Fan, but just know they will likely start to show signs of corrosion early on and eventually need to be replaced.
Best Ceiling Fan for Salt Air
Matthews Donaire: The Donaire was designed from ground up to be installed in salt air locations near the beach. The fan housing is made from 316 marine grade stainless steel and is sealed water tight. The canopy and downrod are also stainless steel. There are no exposed blade holders that can eventually corrode and break off. The blades are UV resistant ABS plastic, specially made to handle harsh environments without cracking or sagging.
This fan does not lack in performance, with a wind speed of nearly 4 MPH, it produces a stronger breeze than most other outdoor fans. It is wet rated, so it can be installed anywhere indoors or outdoors directly exposed to the harshest environments including rain, sleet and snow. It can even be washed off with a hose.
The Donaire can installed with or without the light and comes with a 3 speed hand held remote control, which is rare for wet rated fans.The only downside is that the remote transmitter is not water proof, so you don't want to leave it out in the rain.
Available in Bronze, Brushed Nickel and White with Various Blade Choices
Hands down, this is our top recommended fan for salty air.
Best Ceiling Fan for Salt Air
Minka Aire Concept I Stainless Steel: The Concept I is Minka Aire's answer to the Donaire. Also made from 316 stainless steel with a water tight motor and ABS blades. This fan has similar durability at a little lower price. Although it is slightly more energy efficient, it does not move as much air as the Donaire.
Minka Aire introduced their first concept fans over 10 years ago, and recently added this stainless steel version to compete with the Donaire since there are so few fans in this genre.
The Concept I Stainless Steel fan comes with a wall control that needs to be installed inside the house. You can purchase a hand held remote transmitter separately for convenience, but need to keep the transmitter out of the rain.
Downside: The mounting canopy and downrod are not made from stainless steel. With that said, they do have a special corrosion resistant coating that we have found to be quite durable. If these components do begin to show signs of corrosion, they can be easily replaced.
Available in Bronze, Brushed Nickel and White with No Blade Choices