Residential Electrician: Ceiling Fan or Box Fan, What Is the Better Choice?

Fans are an economic and environmentally friendly way to cool a home and circulate air than using air conditioning. There are two main kinds of fans for home use, ceiling fans and box fans. Each type of fan has its own advantages and disadvantages, applications, costs, and installation issues. To decide which kind of fan is right for a given situation it is important to understand these factors.

Ceiling Fans

Ceiling fans are permanent fixtures that can be installed to circulate air and cool a whole room with rotation from above. Since they are hard-wired into the electrical system they should be installed by a certified residential electrician. Some ceiling fans have light fixtures, and many have designs that compliment a room's decor. In hot weather, ceiling fans can be set to turn counter-clockwise to give a cooling draft and disperse hot air. In cool weather, the blades' rotation can be reversed to bring warmer air down from the ceiling.

Box Fans

Box fans are portable and can be moved from one area of the home to another to provide focused cooling and airflow as needed. They can be installed in a window to bring in cooler air from outside on lower stories, especially on windward sides of the home. Since heat rises, another tactic to cool a home with box fans is to install them facing-out in windows on top floors. This blows the room's accumulated hot air outside. Box fans don't need installation by a residential electrician. They are also cheaper than ceiling fans, and are portable and easily directed at a desired area.

Cost Comparison

Ceiling fans are generally more expensive, but they are also much longer-lived. There are cheaper models that can be bought from home-improvement stores that don't have light fixtures or are simpler in design. Though many people install their own ceiling fans, it is recommended that a residential electrician perform any kind of electrical alterations. This is because of safety concerns as well as issues of potentially voiding home insurance. Box fans are less expensive and are more focused, but it often takes several of these to equal one ceiling fan in whole-room cooling power.

Safety and Convenience

Ceiling fans can provide safe, long-term cooling and air circulation for years, since they are permanent fixtures. They are highly convenient when the on/off function is wired to a wall switch and need little maintenance other than a wipe-down of the blades and oiling of the bearings every few months. Box fans can tip over easily, accumulate dust and dirt quickly, need frequent cleaning, and have safety issues with trailing cords. It is also inconvenient to have to carry a fan from one room to the other.

Installation

It is highly recommended that residential electricians install ceiling fans, especially those with light fixtures and dimmer/fan-speed switches. It is a relatively simple process for the installer. They shut off power to the room; drill a hole in the ceiling to accommodate the anchor post and expose the wiring; then carefully integrate the fan into the room's circuits. Box fans should only be installed in windows with screens to keep insects and other airborne debris blown into the room to a minimum. Box fans only need to be plugged into a wall outlet.

Fans are a major convenience and cost-cutter for home cooling and air movement. Each kind of fan has its own place and application. For long-term cooling and convenience ceiling fans are the clear winners, but for portable, directed airflow at a lesser price box fans come out on top. Both kinds of fans can be used to keep a home cooler and well-ventilated.

With over 30 years of experience, Bob Lord is an expert at installing and repairing electrical wiring. Bob has a unique and outstanding knowledge of residential and commercial electrical installation and repair.

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Main Reasons Why A Standing Fan Is A Leading Choice For Most Consumers

Ceiling fans have long begun to go out of date and now most of the people have begun to use standing fans as an easy and an affordable alternative. These fans have a very simple mechanism, and you can easily use such fans without much hassle. Purchasing one of these standing fan models is an extremely simple process, and you can easily buy these fans from the hardware market.

There are many companies that are out there which sell these fans, so if you are looking for a simple solution to your fanning problems, it is an extremely ideal solution to buy one of these fans. There are several brands that are renowned for making the best pedestal fans, which makes it easy for the users to have a large variety of choices to take their pick from.

The good thing about using standing fans is that they also add to the overall decor of the room, and because of the variety of different models and designs that are available with these fans, it becomes extremely easy for the buyer to choose whichever design they would feel would go with their homes. Furthermore, most people think that operating a pedestal standing fan is an extremely difficult task, but that is certainly not the case.

These fans have a very simple button press mechanism, and once you connect the switch of the pedestal fan to the socket and turn it on, the fan would automatically begin to function. However, there is an ON/OFF switch within the fan as well, so if you feel, you can just leave the switch in the socket plugged on and close the standing fan via the switch that is located on the fan. There are several buttons that are located on pedestal fans, as you may have noticed.

The functionality of these buttons is not at all confusing, and a simple practice session or a go through of the manual would show you how to operate your pedestal fan properly. Usually, there are four buttons located on the fan, for varying degrees of rotor speeds. There's a high, medium, low and an On/Off switch. However, keep in mind that this is not a universally concrete design, and there are several manufacturers of pedestal fans that might not have the same layout on their fans. Hence, you should know the schematics beforehand.

For people who wish to add a bit of variety to their homes, buying standing fans could be a great idea, because these fans don't even make loud whirring noises and have a very soft humming sound. This sound can be reduced to an almost inaudible tone if you put the fan to a LOW, as this would slow down the rotor of the standing fan, which is what makes the noise. Moreover, the variety of designs that are available ensure users that they can easily choose whichever design they feel depending on the layout of their rooms and surroundings respectively.

Fans are good Equipment for cooling a resting place such as a living room, bedroom, lounge room, garage and so on. Many people prefer buying a standing fan style. It is portable, user-friendly and very reliable. Visit us for more information.

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