Fan Facts : What You Should Know Before Buying Your Fan

While many ceiling fans may look “just like a Hunter,” remember—all ceiling fans are not created equal. Here are some important facts to consider before making your final purchasing decision:

Many Fans Move Very Little Air

A ceiling fan that looks nice but moves little air is a comfort to no one. One of the keys to proper air movement is blade pitch. The greater the pitch—the angle of the blade—the greater the air movement providing the blade pitch has been properly harmonized with the motor. But some manufacturers skimp on materials and don’t use large enough or powerful enough motors to support proper blade pitch. So they compromise on blade pitch, sacrificing proper air movement to reduce the stress on undersized or under-powered motors. Many fans also use extra thin blades to reduce cost. The reduced blade surface area means reduced air movement.

Why Many Fans Are Less Efficient

The amount of energy a fan consumes plus the volume of air the fan moves determines the fan’s overall efficiency. Small, low wattage motors may use little energy, but they also move very little air, resulting in very inefficient fans.

Why Many Fans Are Noisy

An electrical humming created when a ceiling fan is running is usually the result of poor engineering design and a lack of precision manufacturing. Some manufacturers use generic, inexpensive ball bearings to reduce cost, even though these are a common source of operating noise. A lack of proper dampening between metal parts can also create and intensify noise as can the use of extra thin sheet metal motor and mounting system parts.

Why Many Fans Wobble

Many factors can produce fan wobble. Substandard blade materials and improper blade sealing can produce blades that absorb moisture and warp—a prime source of wobble. Blades that are not matched in carefully weighed and balanced sets can also wobble. Inconsistent blade mounting brackets can create varying degrees of pitch (blade angle), throwing a fan into an unbalanced wobble. And poorly manufactured motors have rotors that can easily get out of balance, generating wobble from the very heart of the fan. Inexpensive mounting systems with pin fasteners can also contribute to wobble.

Common Reasons Substandard Fans Break Down Prematurely

• Motor size and blade pitch are not specified and matched correctly.
• Improperly installed on/off pull chains can become faulty and be pulled out of the housing.
• Inadequate quality, testing, manufacturing and inspection procedures send poor quality fans to market.
• Defective motor windings can lead to electrical shorts in the motor.
• Low quality fan bearings may be “shielded” on one side only, allowing dust to enter and cause premature failure.
• Inexpensive materials, poor engineering, and substandard manufacturing processes are used to create “bargain” fans.

Why Brass Finishes Are Not Alike

In the beginning all brass finishes look great. Then tarnish and dark spots begin to appear. You may even notice the brass on the fan is a different color than the light kit you just added!

Quality brass and other metallic finishes include a series of grinding and buffing steps between multiple plating processes. To help determine the quality of a plated finish, look at the surface closely for scratches or unevenness of finish. Does the surface spot easily? If so, avoid the fan. Can you feel a smooth protective coating? That’s a sign of the kind of quality you’ll find in the famous Hunter Bright Brass Finish®.

Why a Hunter Warranty Makes a Difference

Hunter backs its fans with a lifetime limited motor warranty, and backs that warranty with nearly 120 years in the ceiling fan business. No other manufacturer has that kind of record to stand on. So you get the peace of mind of knowing you’ve got the best-backed warranty in the business!