
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, June 4, 1995                   TAG: 9506060002
SECTION: HOMES                    PAGE: C-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: VICTOR PANICHKUL FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

PUTTING A GOOD SPIN ON YOUR CEILING FAN

With so many ceiling fans on the market these days, it's hard to figure out which is right foryour home.

Laurie Jacobs, a spokeswoman for Casablanca Fan Co. and Jeff Von Haden, product manager for Broan, recommends considering the following when buying a ceiling fan:

A ceiling fan with three speeds and a reversible motor helps you control the volume of air movement in a room. During normal operation, ceiling fans rotate in a counter-clockwise direction (as seen from below), pushing air down into the center of the room and cooling you.

In the winter, with the fan on low, you flip a switch. The motor runs in reverse, pushing heated air that has risen to the ceiling down along the walls and back into the center of the room. It doesn't matter if you have a floor furnace or a forced-air furnace with vents in the ceiling, although you'll notice more of a difference with a floor furnace. Either way, a reversible fan helps distribute heated air evenly.

Fans come with various numbers of blades, from three to five. A fan with fewer blades won't necessarily move less air than one with more blades, as long as the pitch of the blades is greater to compensate. What it does mean, however, is more noise. A fan with three blades is noisier than one with five blades.

Blades are most commonly made of wood. Check to make sure that the fan you're considering has used treated wood that will resist moisture and warping. Humidity can cause warping of untreated wooden blades over time.

Take into consideration where you're going to place the fan. Generally, hanging ceiling fans should be used with ceilings no lower than 8 feet high. If you've got a low ceiling, consider a ``ceiling hugger'' fan with a housing that mounts directly onto the ceiling instead of being suspended from the ceiling by a rod.

If the fan is for a patio or porch, make sure it's designed specifically for outdoor use. Outdoor fans have blades made of plastic or composite materials, stainless steel hardware and a motor housing coated to resist rust and pitting.

Many fans come with a one-year warranty on the motor. A few offer 10-year warranties, but some offer lifetime warranties. Read warranties carefully; most companies offer different durations of warranties for different parts. For instance, the motor may have a 25-year warranty, but the hardware and switches may be under only a one-year warranty. Motors are the least likely part to fail. Switches, blades and hardware are likelier to have trouble.

by CNB