Fan Your Way to Lower Energy Bills

(Page 3 of 3)

Aug. 7, 2008
By Jessie Fetterling 
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Tips on Installation

RELATED CONTENT

OK, so you’ve bought a fan and know where you’re going to put it, but you don’t know how to put it there. And you don’t want it to sit on your floor for six weeks. Don’t fret; installing a ceiling fan is relatively simple and should only take about two to four hours, according to This Old House magazine’s How to Install a Ceiling Fan.

Start by turning off the power to the ceiling fan at the circuit breaker. To be totally safe, you can turn off the entire house’s electricity to make sure all switches for it don’t have any juice. Then, remove the existing light fixture, so you can put the fan in its place. Make sure your light was connected to the correct UL-listed metal box, marked “For Use With Ceiling Fans.” This contains all of the wiring for the fan, but keep in mind that the electrical box used for your previous light fixture won’t be strong enough to operate a fan. So, you’ll have to replace it with one that will.

Fixing a Wobbly Fan

If your new fan starts to wobble whenever you turn it on, there are a couple of steps you can take to make your fan experience more enjoyable and less noisy. Check to make sure that everything that you just installed is tightly fastened. If it is, use a yard stick to make sure that the blades are evenly aligned by holding it vertically along the edges of each blade. If they aren’t aligned, you can try to bend the blades back into place. If they are aligned, you’re going to have to use either balancing weights or a balancing kit to help improve your fan’s problem. Either of them can be found in your fan’s packaging or can easily be sent to you by the manufacturer, free of charge.

Now that your ceiling fan is ready to go, sit back, turn up the thermostat and enjoy that cool breeze, and the cool savings.

For other ways to cool your home, read Forget AC! Cool Your Home Naturally.

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Comments

  • Paul Barthle 8/13/2008 5:33:29 AM

    I've often wondered if properly installed solar panels could reduce the heat gain through the roof beneath the panels? Living in South Florida, heat is only ahead of humidity in discomfort level. My house is CBS construction and needs more insulation, but I am also looking at bang for the buck as I add green features.

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