mrsteve

iTrader: (1)

Family room in the new house is 2 stores. Ceiling is damn near 20 feet tall.

How far should the fan hang from the ceiling? If it's too high will I not really enjoy the fan? How low can I go without causing the fan to wobble around all over the place?

Also, the room is just under 20' x 20'. How big of a fan? Close to 70" I would think right?

Scrib

We have nearly the same setup. Ended up going with a 68" without a light.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Hampton-B...csku=100627456

Three foot down rod. When you get a fan this big, they don't spin all that fast, but it moves a TON of air. Nice is it's all controlled with a remote, so we run it during the winter in reverse to move the warmer air that moves up and bring it back down.

Great fan, super quiet. Looks like an airplane propeller.

mrsteve

iTrader: (1)

Very nice! Thanks.

The room currently (and inexplicably) doesn't have any lighting fixtures. No recessed lighting. No chandeliers. Nothing. Odd considering every other room on the first floor does including the office.

I think it would be fairly easy to add recessed lighting in the ceiling and skip the light on the fan. The wiring for the fan (or chandelier) is already complete with two switches (one for fan and one for light) so I could add a junction and run 4-6 recessed lights off the one switch and the fan off the other.

Or I could go easier and cheaper and just hook up a fan with lights.

Opinions?

XLR8R

I would recommend separating the lights and fan. Your lighting needs and air circulation needs are not related. New installs are the time to do it right.

Our family room has a cathedral ceiling with a 9:12 pitch, which places the fan blades at about 13 feet. Separate, dimmable track lights are mounted higher up, at 20 feet -- their only purpose is to wash the tall stone chimney. The remainder of the room lighting is from floor and table lamps which can be moved to accommodate configuration changes in the room.

I would be concerned that room lighting up in a 20 foot ceiling is going to give an industrial feel. The intimacy of a family room will be enhanced with lighting at the human level. There is a good chance that each of your electric outlets have one receptacle on the wall switch for lamps -- which offer the advantage of flexibility.

Also consider a fan with an up-light. With these, you can wash your high ceiling with dimmable, indirect lighting.

Our room calls for a 72" fan and I installed an undersized 60" fan at 13 feet blade height. We operate the fan on low speed which provides a lazy breeze throughout the room. In my experience, fan speeds above low (any fan, in any room) generate unacceptable wind and noise.

Your room calls for a 60" downrod, but that's going to require a VERY well-balanced fan. Get a high quality fan and you can try the 60" downrod, then shorten it if needed to stop wobble.

Consider the King with the slave-chicks waving the palm fronds. Large blades at low speed provide the most pleasing air.

mrsteve

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for all the great the info!

There is on major flaw with your idea of lamps: unfortunately in this room only 1 outlet is connected to a wall switch. Not the end of the world to directly turn lamps on and off but annoying nonetheless.

doopstr

Ok, I have to know. How do you clean that fan and change those light bulbs?

Scrib

Easy.

Have a 18' painters pole. From the catwalk on the second floor, a swiffer duster is all you need. Lights, painters pole and the necessary long reach recessed attachments. Cake.

XLR8R

The Bitplay BANG! Shoot your lights out (and on)