Do you ever just stop and look up at the light fixtures, ceiling fans, and bathroom exhaust fans in your house and think about whether they are serving you well?
When you live in a house for a while, it’s easy to just ignore the things that are not quite right. The burned-out light bulb in the antique light fixtures in the living room. The light fixture in the foyer that is from the 1990s that makes the entryway look completely out-of-date. That unbalanced ceiling fan that shakes the room if you set it on the highest speed. That obnoxiously loud bathroom exhaust fan that sounds like something is about to explode.
What should your fans and light fixtures do for you?
Your lighting and fans should be fully functional, energy-efficient, and match well with your home’s style.
Indoor light fixtures
Ceiling and wall light fixtures should look beautiful and provide plenty of light. Kitchen and Bathroom light fixtures need to be especially bright as you need to be able to see well in those spaces. Home office light fixtures should allow you to work without eye strain and should provide a well-lit atmosphere that doesn’t feel depressing.
Wall sconces and bathroom light fixtures should also provide the right kind of lighting to create the atmosphere you desire while looking attractive. You can supplement the lighting fixtures in your home with additional lamps, if needed, for a cozier, more intimate feel.
Pendant lighting fixtures provide much-needed lighting over a kitchen sink, an island, a table, or workspace. Track lighting pendants allow you the flexibility to move the individual pendant lights to customize the lighting for your needs. Multi-light pendants create a grouping and chandelier effect that is functional and very beautiful.
Light fixture covers and glass should be clean and not cracked, faded, or damaged. They may need to be removed now and then to clean out any dead bugs and dust. And you can potentially change the cover to create a different lighting effect, if desired.
Outdoor light fixtures
Your outdoor lights should provide enough lighting for people to come in and out safely at night but not blind people by shining directly in their eyes. Ideally, you can choose to boost your home security, as well, by installing floodlights with motion sensors. This will help deter potential break-ins.
Ceiling fans
Ceiling fans with lights should provide adequate lighting, look aesthetically pleasing, be the right size for your room, and provide proper air circulation. Fans should circulate the cool air in the summer and then you can change the ceiling fan direction for winter to help circulate the warmer air.
Bathroom extractor fans
Bathroom fans should be able to pull humid air from the room to vent it outdoors so that you don’t have an environment in your home where mildew and mold will grow. Some bathroom exhaust fans with heaters can also provide heat during the colder months when you are taking a shower to help keep you from feeling chilled.
A quick ceiling fixture evaluation
So maybe today is a great time to take a quick peek at the fixtures on your ceilings and walls and evaluate them.
- Are they working? If not…
- Do they need to be repaired?
- Do they need to be replaced?
- Are there any light bulbs that need to be replaced?
- Do they work with your sense of style now or make your home look dated?
Obviously, if you have numerous problems like issues with your bathroom fan, a ceiling fan repair or replacement job, and you want to replace something like your stairway light fixtures, you don’t have to do it all at once. It could make sense to just do it in one day if you have the budget. But if you need to, you can space out the projects to one per month or so.
The best ceiling fans
When you want to choose the best ceiling fan for a particular room, it’s important to consider ceiling fan sizes and the size of your room. You want the fan to match. A tiny fan in a large room won’t do the job and it will look funny, too. Large ceiling fans work best in very large spaces where they won’t hit the wall and where the room needs larger fan blades to circulate the air.
- If the room is under 75 square feet, use a 29-30” blade span.
- If the room is 76-149 square feet, choose a 42” fan blade span.
- If the room is 150-249 square feet, install a fan with a 52” blade span.
- If the room is 250-400 square feet, install a fan with a 52-60” fan blade span.
A ceiling fan with a bright light is ideal for most rooms. A flush ceiling fan without a light can work if you only want a fan and have other effective light sources. It’s important to look for a quiet ceiling fan that won’t make noise. Some people prefer hugger fans that are very close to the ceiling (without a down rod, also called, “flush mount fans”) or low profile ceiling fans that have a short downrod and are about a foot or foot and a half from the ceiling. These can also be called flush mount fans. And if you want to have a low ceiling fan with a long downrod, be sure that it is not going to hit anyone in the head.
While you are considering ceiling fans, be sure to choose a fan with a dual motor that you can use to push cool air down in the summer and warm air down in the winter.
Unique ceiling fans
Bladeless ceiling fan with light/enclosed ceiling fans/
This fan is more energy-efficient than standard ceiling fans and much less noisy. Some people say these fans cool even better than traditional fans.
Ceiling fan with heater
These fans have a small heater built-in near the ceiling. When the fan is adjusted to spin in the direction for summer, you don’t use the heater and just enjoy more air circulation of cooler air in the room. In the winter, you reverse the direction of the fab blades and use the heater. Some of these fans have remote sensors that detect when the room temperature is high enough and then turn off the heater. These are very energy-efficient fans and an inexpensive way to help heat a colder room.
Chandelier ceiling fan
Can’t decide between a chandelier and a ceiling fan? Why not have both? Get all the cooling and air circulation of a regular ceiling fan with the elegance of a chandelier. Most of these fans are flush-mounted or low profile fans.
Double ceiling fan/dual ceiling fan
If you have a small space, you may want to try something different and install a ceiling fan with two separate fans attached to one central light. You can get two micro ceiling fans on each side of the light or even two oscillating fans on one unit.
Garage ceiling fans
If you work in your garage a lot, a garage ceiling fan could make your life a lot more enjoyable. Choose from a workstation fan that mounts over your workbench on a wall, a high-velocity fan that sits on the floor, or an industrial ceiling fan with a remote.
Kids ceiling fans
Children’s ceiling fans have come a long way. You can get fans that look like bees, flowers, soccer balls, pinwheels, or a globe. You can even find some that look like planes. Some kids’ fans have bright lights that will illuminate the whole room, others have more of a nightlight effect.
Mini ceiling fan
Mini ceiling fans are perfect for small rooms that don’t have a lot of ceiling space. You can find them as small as 15-20”.
Oscillating ceiling fan
An oscillating ceiling fan is wonderful for creating a moving breeze that fills the room on a hot day. They can also be perfect outdoors if you get a wet-rated fan.
Retractable blade ceiling fan
With these special fans, the blades are curved and fold out of sight when the fan is not in use. So you get the glamor of a normal light fixture but the convenience of a mini ceiling fan when you need one.
Smart ceiling fans
If none of these fans excite you, how about a Bluetooth ceiling fan or wifi ceiling fan? You can get fans with LED technology and silent motors you can control with your smartphone. They can even connect with Amazon Alexa, Nest, or ecobee3 smart home tech.
Wet-rated outdoor ceiling fans
The best outdoor ceiling fans are weatherproof and able to handle a significant amount of wind, rain, and sunlight. Wet rated ceiling fans allow you to enjoy a cooling breeze even when the air is at a dead standstill outside. Having a ceiling fan on your front or back porch makes it possible to enjoy your outdoor living space even on hotter days.
The best bathroom fans
Bathroom fans need to pull air out of the room, taking moisture outside. But you can get fancier than that!
Bathroom fan with a timer
One way to make your bathroom fan more energy efficient, if you don’t have a humidity sensor or motion detector is to install a bathroom fan timer to control how long your fan is on. This way, you can set it for 20-30 minutes as you step in the shower and not have to worry about turning it off later.
Bathroom heater fan
These have been around a long time, but for good reason. Today’s bathroom fans with heaters are more sophisticated than the ones you may be familiar with from the 1960s. They often use heat lamps instead of heating coils, so you don’t get the burning dust smell. And they heat up quickly. It makes stepping out of the bath or shower on a cold morning a lot more pleasant!
Bluetooth bathroom fan
Are you tired of not being able to listen to your music or a podcast when you are in the shower? Now you can connect your phone to a speaker in the bathroom fan and enjoy your music, podcasts, or anything else you love to listen to.
Ductless bathroom fan
If you can’t vent your bathroom outdoors, you can still have a fan that helps to cut down on humidity, tobacco smoke, and cooking odors. These vents use activated charcoal filters to filter and recycle the air and are surprisingly quiet.
Humidity sensing bathroom fan
If you live with people who forget to turn on the bathroom fan when they shower or bathe, leaving water condensing all over the walls, ceiling, and cabinets, this is the fan for you. It automatically detects humidity and turns on when you reach a certain humidity level. You can also buy these fans with motion sensors to help save you money and improve energy efficiency. Many of these fans are so quiet, you will barely even hear them running.
Quiet bathroom fan
Old bathroom fans were notoriously loud. Today, you can get exhaust fans with motors far from the vent opening in your room so you don’t even hear them running.
The best light fixtures
Light fixtures come in an eye-popping assortment today with more choices than ever. Not only do you have all the old favorites, but LED lighting has brought about imaginative new concepts like nothing you have seen before.
Not only can you find ceiling lights, but you can also use LED lighting around tray ceilings and for mood lighting behind TVs or above bookcases. You can create an entire lightscape in any room you’d like.
Bathroom light fixtures
Bathrooms can have overhead lights, of course, like recessed lighting or a ceiling light fixture. But they are also great places for wall light fixtures and sconces near the mirrors. Or you can get a lighted mirror with LED lighting. They are a big step up from the old lighted mirrors of the 1980s and 1990s with the round bulbs in them.
Chandeliers
Chandeliers are more popular and unique than ever. If you haven’t seen them lately, you’ll be surprised how much they have changed.
Some popular options include
- Antique chandeliers
- Bubble chandeliers
- Contemporary chandeliers
- Farmhouse chandeliers
- LED chandeliers
- Rustic chandeliers (that look like flickering candles)
Kitchen light fixtures
Kitchen lights are some of the most important ones in the house. You need bright lighting for your work area and general bright lighting for the entire space. Some people accomplish this by having recessed lights throughout the kitchen and pendant lights over the sink, island, or kitchen table.
Some popular options include
- Barn light fixtures
- Dome light fixture
- Edison bulb pendant lights
- Hand blown glass pendant lights
- LED ceiling light panels
- Under-counter lights
- LED backsplash panels
- Vintage light fixtures
If you can’t do it yourself, call a handyman!
If you’re not sure how to fix a wobbly ceiling fan, how to remove a ceiling fan, or how to install a light, a switch, or a fan, it’s okay. Call a handyman near you to do it for you. That’s what we are here for, to help repair, replace, and install things to make your home more beautiful, functional, and comfortable.
Need help replacing or repairing Fixtures in the Columbia, SC area?
We can help with minor electrical repairs like repairing or replacing bathroom fans, ceiling fans, light fixtures, kitchen ceiling exhaust fans, and light switches. If you’d like to see what else we can help you with regarding electrical projects, click here.
Please contact us today for an estimate or any questions.
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