Ceiling Fan Installation in Melbourne

Blade span is the number that matters. Too small and you get noise without air movement, because the fan has to spin fast to shift anything. Too large in a small room and the blades come too close to walls and furniture and the airflow feels turbulent.

Ceiling height matters just as much. AS/NZS 3000 requires at least 2.1 metres of clearance from the floor to the blades, and in practice you want the blades roughly 300mm below the ceiling for good airflow. On a standard 2.4 metre ceiling that means a low-profile or hugger fan. On a 2.7 metre or raked ceiling you need a drop rod, and on a raked ceiling you also need a canopy rated for the pitch.

Older fans use AC motors controlled by a wall speed controller. They are cheap, reliable and noisier, and they typically have three speeds. DC motor fans cost more up front and use around 65 per cent less power for the same airflow, run noticeably quieter, offer six or more speeds and almost always include a remote with a reverse function.

For a bedroom, where noise at low speed is the thing you notice at 2am, a DC fan is usually worth the difference. For a rarely used spare room or a garage, an AC fan is fine. We will give you a straight recommendation rather than pushing you to the expensive one by default.

Nearly every wobbling fan is a fixing problem, not a balance problem. A fan is a rotating mass hanging off a ceiling and it must be fixed to structure, not to plasterboard. Where there is no joist or noggin in the right position, we install a timber mounting block or a purpose-made brace between the joists.

In a lot of houses the existing light point is not over a joist, which is exactly why the previous fan wobbled. We check what is above the ceiling before committing to a position. Where roof access is not possible, such as a unit with a concrete slab above or a first floor with a bathroom over it, we will tell you what the options are rather than fixing into plaster and hoping.

Replacing an existing fan on a like for like basis is usually straightforward. Putting a fan where there is only a light is more involved, because you need either a remote receiver at the fan or an extra conductor run back to the switch plate to control the fan and light separately.

Where a wall control is wanted and the wall is finished, the cable has to be fished down the cavity. Brick veneer and stud walls are generally fine, and solid brick or double brick internal walls are where it becomes a bigger job. We work this out at the quote stage so there are no surprises once we are on site.

Fans under a pergola, veranda or alfresco area have to be rated for the location. An indoor fan put outside will corrode, the blades will warp with moisture and the motor will eventually seize. Look for a fan specified for damp or outdoor locations with sealed motor housing and ABS or treated blades.

Near the bay, corrosion is faster than most people expect. In Altona, Williamstown and Seaholme we recommend fans specified for coastal conditions, and we make sure the circuit supplying them is RCD protected as required for outdoor equipment.