How to Buy an Outdoor Ceiling Fan

An outdoor ceiling fan brings a breeze and even helps keep away the mosquitoes! When we first moved into our home we were wondering how to buy an outdoor ceiling fan for our patio. We have long covered patio with recessed lighting but with the Florida heat we knew we needed a fan during the hottest months.

I wanted to get going on buying the fan but I knew there was some things I needed to consider.

Outdoor Fan Size

I needed to measure from floor to ceiling and consider how low I wanted to hang. I do have a tall cousin and there is no need for him to bop his head when he’s at my house. The width of the fan should be appropriate for the size ceiling. Bigger space means a bigger fan. My patio is long but narrow so the blades couldn’t be gigantically long, but they certainly shouldn’t be too small. General rule of thumb, as noted on Lumens.com –

Blade Span	Good for	Room Size
29″ to 36″	Bathrooms, Breakfast Nooks, Utility Rooms	Up to 75 sq.ft.
42″ to 48″	Bedrooms, Kitches, Dining Rooms	Up to 175 sq.ft.
52″ to 56″	Large Bedrooms, Family Rooms, Media Rooms	Up to 350 sq.ft.
60″ or larger	Great Rooms, Other Large Spaces	More than 350 sq.ft.

Outdoor Fan Color

Like everything these days, fans come in all sorts of colors. For an outdoor fan I would recommend brown or white, but other colors might work, depending on your decor. We opted for a brown – specifically distressed pine blades.

Outdoor Compatible

Not all fans are created equal. As I searched online for outdoor ceiling fans I noticed there were far less than indoor use only fans. An outdoor fan is properly designed to deal with the weather – like crazy humidity of Florida.

Shopping for an Outdoor Fan Online

I searched online for the different styles, sizes and colors. There are so many beautiful and unique fans. I purchased a Feiss Monte Carlo in an Old Chicago finish with Distressed Pine Blades. The installation was not difficult. There are many retailers that specialize in fans. I purchased mine at 1800Lighting.com. You will also encounter fantastic deals and selections at Home Depot and even Amazon.com

Check out these outdoor fans currently for sale on Amazon. Their reviews and pricing seem great.

Disclosure: A gift card was provided by 1800Lighting.com/Capitol Lighting to complete my purchase. The entire experience is mine, including all opinions.

3 thoughts on “How to Buy an Outdoor Ceiling Fan”

WOW… that is a beautiful backyard! I am totally jealous.

We don’t need outside fans much here in Michigan.. really if you just wait 5 minutes the weather changes! Right now… you have to wear jeans & a sweatshirt!

They have a great selection in their NJ offices, but huge on the web store 1800lighting.com

Look at interior-deluxe.com, they also have a very great selection of ceiling fans.