On 2 Jul, 09:12, "
wrote:
We have two ceiling fans in two bedrooms that were installed in our
house before we moved in and they just do not do a very good job of
circulating air. I've read a little about the strengths of various
types of fans and how fin angle, number of fins (4 is better than 5,
but more difficult to balance) and a strong motor all play a role in
getting good circulation.

However, when shopping at the local home store, fin angle and motor
strength is nowhere to be found on the boxes and the "Hunter's" were
mixed in with the "Harbor Breeze" models.

So I'd like some advice in choosing a fan. We're not too concerned
with design...the fans will be mounted over beds with 8 ft ceilings,
white or wood is fine, but we do value strong circulation. I'm not
concerned whether or not it has a remote control or not.

We do not have air conditioning, except for a window unit.

Are three fin fans better than four if the motor is adequate?

If I go to the manufacturer's site to get motor specs, what is
considered an adequate or "strong" motor for a house fan?

What brands should we consider, or not consider (i.e., I've read good
things about Hunter's, but someone mentioned to me that Hampton Bay's
are re-branded Hunter's, any luck with Harbor Breeze's)?

Are there significant price points that cross the boundaries of "do
not buy because it's probably junk," through "very functional at this
level, the next step up begins the line of the bells and whistles and
gadgets"?

Thank you,
Dave

Disclaimer: I don't work for a fan company so none of this is a
testmonial or sales pitch. It's just info...

Here's some quick info on ceilings fans, both of which include some
verbage on blades angles.

http://www.garbes.com/inform/fanfaq.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_110234_choose-ceiling-fan.html

Stolen without permission from http://www.hansenwholesale.com/ceili...anca/about.asp

*** Begin Included Text ***

"Don't let your ceiling fan leave you hot under the collar... Just
because a ceiling fan moves air doesn't mean it moves enough air to
keep you comfortable. The blade pitch (or angle) determines how much
air is moved when the fan is on. Some fans have blades with a very
shallow pitch because their motors are not powerful enough to handle
the extra demand made by steeper blade pitches. Casablanca fans use a
motor which is engineered to be more than powerful enough to operate
fan blades with a full 14 degree pitch. So you always get the right
amount of air to keep cool and comfortable."

*** End Included text ***

Interesting fact: The first 3 fans listed under the model section at
that site are 3, 4 and 5 blade fan. The 3 blade has an air flow rating
of 4 out 5, while the 4 & 5 bladers are rated 5 out of 5. Casablanca
claims 5 is the best, but I don't know if that's their standard or an
industry standard.

Bottom line: If a fan isn't bragging about it's blade angle and motor
quality as selling points, that may mean it's not as steep or strong
as one would like. My guess is that no one is putting a motor that can
handle a 15 degree pitch on a fan with an 8 degree pitch, if you know
what I mean.