Can a Ceiling Fan Be Too Large for My Space?
PrintCan a Ceiling Fan Be Too Large for My Space?
(The fan in the above photo is a good example of proper clearance when using a large ceiling fan. This is a 96" TroposAir Liberator. It has nearly 7ft from the blade tips to the walls on its left and right side. It has 7ft from the blade tips to the fireplace in the rear of the photo. The tips of the blades are 24" below the beams. This works well because the entire ceiling is flat and not sloped.)
In Short, Yes
In todays ceiling fan market is seems ceiling fans keep getting larger and larger for residential spaces. At one time a 60” ceiling fan seemed large to most people. Then it was 65” and 72” fans, and before we new it 84” models showed on the scene. Now there are ceiling fans with blade spans at 120 inches for residential customers, but the most popular size for the majority seems to be the 96 inch models.
The trend started when some homeowners arrived at warehouse spaces, looked up and saw gigantic industrial fans, like those produced by Big Ass Fans company. Some of these industrial fans can reach 24 foot blade spans, or 288 inches. Clearly a fan of such size would be too large for almost any residential application, but none-the-less, the awe factor inspired many homeowners to seek such fans for their residence.
People whom noticed these massive ceiling fans were impressed by the volume of airflow produced at lower RPMs, compared to the standard household fans of 60” and smaller.
TroposAir & Fanimation
At first, only the most high-end ceiling fan companies listened to clients request and began making larger fans for the homeowner with the look of the true industrial fans. These fans had the look the consumer was after, but re-engineered to be able to more easily be installed in a residential setting. The did keep the aluminum blade structure, which separated them from the traditional wooden and plastic blades found on most all other common household ceiling fans.
After it was seen there was a proven market for such items, the copycat brands began trying to replicate the success of the high-end brands that brought these large scale ceiling fans to homeowners. Now there are many new “name labels” becoming “brands” such as Global Industrial, Home Decorators, and Maxx Air that are importing generic versions from China in an attempt to cash in on the big size fan craze. Even known brands in other products (but not so much in celling fans) like Westinghouse have followed the trend.
Yet, none have duplicated what the high-end brands like TroposAir and Fanimation were able to achieve in sheer performance and high quality; probably because most of the others have focused more on low price vs functionality in all phases. It’s the classic… “you get what you pay for” saying at work. To keep the price down these generic ceiling fans name labels tend to cut corners by making the blades of either plastic or a thinner aluminum structure lacking the substance to support the length of each blade properly. Both materials lead to the blades drooping over time. The lower priced generics that do keep the better blades for visual impact will cut back on the motor quality and other electronics. Therefore, suddenly you’ve got the look without the performance you may have expected.
When shopping for a large industrial styled ceiling fan always look for one with a high-quality and high-performance motor, good quality electronics with the latest WiFi enabled technology, and high quality blades that stay straight and keep the fan from wobbling and making noise as it runs.
Be Careful Not to Buy Too Big for Your Room Size
Many customers wanting a large fan are under the assumption that bigger is always better for airflow. Some people take every bit of our advice and purchase the highest quality fan possible, but skip one thing we always stress in the buying process… Make Sure the Huge Ceiling Fan Is Not Too Huge. These same customers later contact us all wondering why they aren’t getting the good airflow they had hoped for.
How can this be?
The Answer is Science
Why does one person receive the same product as another and yet get completely different results?
In the world we live in today it seems we here at lot about “follow the science”. Sometimes one may wonder, “What science?” It seems science is changing constantly. Something we hear today may have completely changed by next month. However, some science is factual and proven, and hasn’t changed. Science, actually physics, explains why a ceiling fan used in one room can move seemingly too much airflow, yet in another room the airflow from the same model fan can barely be felt.
The answer falls into how much clearance is available between the fan blades and the ceiling, or the fan blades and the walls, or even the fan blades to any other nearby object that may be restricting the the way a ceiling fan circulates airflow.
Remember, having enough clearance from the fan blades, especially the tips of them, to any wall, ceiling slope, beam, or any other object that may obstruct proper airflow is key.
Without proper clearance you will be much better served by a less in size ceiling fan.
How Much Space Should I have?
Before such large fans came onto the market, and we were only dealing with 52 inch or so sized fans, the general rule of thumb was at least 18” from the blade tip to any wall, slope of a ceiling, or a beam that may protrude down below the ceiling. Any closer than this could mean reduced airflow and sometimes even a sporadic shaking or wobble with the ceiling fan.
Keep in mind, the rule of thumb of 18” is meant to be applied for the clearance from ceiling slopes, nearby walls, etc… It doesn’t mean you would need the fan blades to be 18” way from the ceiling if you have a perfectly flat ceiling. For a flat ceiling the blades only need to clear by about 10” for good performance with a standard sized ceiling fan, providing it isn’t too close to the walls in the room and it doesn’t sit in-between beams attached to the ceiling.
Spacing for a larger ceiling fan should be more than previously mentioned. The larger the blade span of a fan, the more space from the tips of the blades to objects such as angled ceilings and walls is needed.
Ideally, a 72 inch fan should have at least 24 inches from the tips of the blades to the nearest slope of an angled ceiling, and preferably 36’ to the nearest wall. For an 84” fan we suggest adding at least 6 inches to the measurement pertaining to the ceiling and an extra foot as it pertains to the nearest wall. For a 96” ceiling fan go up at least 6 inches and 12” respectively. Therefore, if you’re considering a ceiling fan with a 96 inch blade span the ideal clearance would be to have nearly 3 feet from the blade tips to the nearest slope of a cathedral ceiling, trying to make sure the tips of the blades come no closer than 5 feet to the walls of the room.
That said, when dealing with a vaulted ceiling, rather than a cathedral, you can get away with tips of the blades being somewhat closer because the opposite side of the fan will remain further from the ceiling slope. This allows enough space on the 3 other sizes of the fan (if imagining the fan in a square) to get enough air above the blades to continue to circulate airflow properly.
The same is true is you have a large room but the the ceiling fan comes within the suggested distance to the nearest wall. As long as you are only dealing with one wall it’s close to, you could get away with going within the suggest measurements as long as you have plenty of clearance from the ends of the blades to the other 3 walls inside of the room.
Even so, don’t push it and get too close, otherwise you would be better served with a ceiling fan not quite so big. Consider going down a size if you have to and you may actually get more airflow than with going with too large of a size for your space.
(This photo was sent to us from a customer saying they weren't getting much airflow from their new ceiling fan. The reason is it is installed from a cathedral ceiling and the blade tips were way too close to the slope on each side. It is only 65" model so the issue was easily resolved by lowering the fan another 18" away from the ceiling slope.)
To Sum It All Up
When comparing the same brand and model fan in various sizes, the larger the blade span the more cubic feet per minute of airflow you’ll get. This is always the case and it is the entire reason for longer ceiling fan blades in the first place.
However, be careful to know what you are getting when shopping for a specific size when comparing the size you are wanting between the different brands and models they may offer in the size. There can be massive differences in performance, quietness, smooth running verses a wobbling fan, and so on. Even on our on website you’ll find an 84” fan for well below $500 and others closer to the $1,000 price point.
The Liberator ceiling fan by TroposAir beats out all others for performance in all three sizes it is available in; 72 inch, 82 inch, and 96”.
If looking for the popular 84” ceiling fan, consider the TroposAir Titan II as the top choice, and the Fanimation Stellar as a close 2nd place finisher.
There are many, many more choices of these sized fans on our website and others. When considering your decision the most important factor is room size and how much clearance you will have to properly install the size ceiling fan you desire to have. If you have any further questions that this blog post didn’t answer, feel free to give us a call at 1-888-841-1993. We specialize in ceiling fans, and any of us here at ModernFanOutlet.com will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.
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