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The ceiling fan has become more popular in recent years as people discover that ceiling fans are a very energy efficient way of cooling, specially in thesummer. As celing fans cool people instead of a whole room, they are far more energy efficient, simpler and cheaper than most other forms of cooling. Ceiling fans blow air instead of spending a lot of energy in cooling the air, as air conditioners do. They are also controlled separately, unlike evaporative coolers, so you can use it in the rooms you are occupying. They are also quieter (and usually much quiter) than refrigerated and evaporative air conditioners Fans must be functional and efficient to work well ... and they should also look good. The range of styles, materials and colours available in ceiling fans today means it is very likely you will find a ceiling fan that can suit your personal taste and match the decor
of the room. Oour friendly and knowledgeable staff will help you choose, from our
large selection, a fan to suit your needs, style and decor.
Many people look for ceiling fans with lights. There are actually two types: ceiling fans with an integrated light and light adaptable ceiling fans meaning one of the many ceiling fan lights in our range will fit the fan which of course means a lot more more choice.
In this web site we have information on each ceiling fan in our range as well as accessories like ceiling fan lights and ceiling fan remotes. We encourage clients to consult with us and we can help ensure your ceiling fan choice will be the best for your needs. We find many people have heard contradictory stories about fans, for example some people come to us saying they have heard that 3 blades move more air, others have been told thata 4 blade ceiling fan is best. We hear similar contradictions with blades, such as that ceiling fans with metal blades are better than timber blades and vice versa !. Some people are even told that ceiling fans with 18 pole motors are better than others.
The reality is not so simple, as with most other things. The poles in a motor do affect its performance, but so do the rotors, the windings, stator, etc. Air movement is affected by the number of blades but also by the angle, shape and width of the blades. The material of the blades (usually metal , timber and plastic) also has an effect. For example, a good metal bladed fan running at top speed will make more wind noise than a similar timber bladed fan .... but it will also move more air !. At low speeds, metal bladed fans can be as quiet as timber bladed fans. Our clients find that as a specialist shop, our staff have the knowledge to explain to them in a logical way why some ceiling fans will suit them better than others and what are the characteristics that make a particular ceiling fan better for a given situation. We encourage our clients to explain what they will use the ceiling fan for and we can then advise them better on a fan to suit that purpose.
We have recently added to our range the spectacular Vento ceiling fans under the architectural ceiling fans range. These are very modern, architectural fans with some beautiful designs and very unusual features. For example, the Fiore ceiling fan looks like a modern light but when you run it, the blades open up, a little like flower petals, transforming it into a ceiling fan. The Fiore has a surprisingly good air flow, proving functionality does not need to compromise design. The Mela is a ceiling fan that looks like a modern, round light and has retractable, clear blades which are hidden when the fan is not running, and extend out when the fan runs. The Mela provides quite a good light and because of the clear, transparent blades, it is virtually colour neutral. The Sole ceiling fan is similar to the Mela and also has retractable solid blades but when closed, the Sole blades form a frame around the light, adding a bit of colour. The Uragano has fixed blades that "wrap" around the fan, very modern in design and with a chrome body and bright coloured blades, it certainly attracts attention. The Uragano is and available in a number of interesting colours. The Libellula has a unique, "two" blade modern design. The Libellula ceiling fan is also available in a number of colours. The Fino is a very small ceiling fan, ideal for restricted spaces and it can be pointed so it reaches a specific location. The Fino is a very "cute" fan in looks, it is unusual and comes in a number of colours.
In a recent article, updated in October, 2011, a well known consumer magazine, Choice, tested ceiling fans available in Australia and ranked Omega fans, Hunter Pacific fans and Hunter ceiling fans highest in its various categories. Universal Fans has been supplying these fans to the public for many years and usually have these models or similar ones on display. For example, the Omega New Yorker ceiling fan was rated highest and Universal fans has been selling these and other Omega fans since it first started, about 25 years ago. Universal Fans has most of the Hunter ceiling fans range on display including the Vista and Carera, rated highly last year. Being a less popular fan, many shops will not display or carry stock of Hunter fans and accesories. We have these Hunter ceiling fans on display, carry stock of most models and we also carry a complete range of accessories including extension rods, wall controls and remote controls. See our page on Hunter ceiling fan.
Hunter Pacific International is another company marketing ceiling fans in Australia . It is unfortunate that they use the "Hunter" name as they are a completely different company to the American Hunter company, and are in fact, competitors. Hunter Pacific is an Australian company and they design some of the ceiling fans in their range. Often the same factory that makes their own designs will also make the other fans they market in Australia.. Their most famous product is probably the Hunter Pacific Concept fan which has now been copied by just about every other manufacturer (including Hunter Pacific themselves). Most copies use lower quality materials in an effort to reduce prices. Choice magazine has rated the Hunter Pacific Typhoon ceiling fan very highly. They actually rated the 316 model and as only the material used differs from the Typhoon Brushed Chrome / 304 blades (and the other colours), the same performance and other figures apply.
Many people are confused by the similar names for these two companies: Hunter and Hunter Pacific which is a unfortunate as they both have a great range of ceiling fans and generally in very different design and price ranges.
Universal Fans has recently added models from the Fanimation range of ceiling fans. These ceiling fan are designed in the USA and feature unusual designs, for example the Punkah ceiling fan is a like a series of large "hand held" fans, the Treventi model can be "dressed up" to give it an oriental look, an african look and many other options. There is also an extra large ceiling fan with 2m long blades ideal for larger areas. See our page on USA ceiling fans
There are many other companies that sell ceiling fans in Australia. They are usually lighting companies such as Mercator and Brilliant, or other companies who import ceiling fans as well as many other products, like Omega, Heller and others. Martec is a well known name and is now a very different company, specialising in ceiling fans and having few or no lighting products. They have some popular designs, competitively priced, as well as unusual designs such as their square fan. The market changes continuously, with new companies entering and leaving the ceiling fans market. Universal Fans is always monitoring the market to ensure we supply our clients with the widest range available at any time
Rating Ceiling Fans
The latest ratings of ceiling fans by a well known consumer magazine (Choice) have come out (see their web site ) and once again have tested and rated ceiling fans, like they have done now for a few years. In their latest tests, September 2012, they tested a few more fans and the results are largely similar to last year. In general we believe they get it "right" in that they do identify the better fans, as a group. We think it is difficult to establish a ranking order among the better fans and the fact they have changed the rankings among the same fans over the years, with no change on the fans, makes a strong case for this. We also find they are unable to test some important factors like the quality of the after sales service and also the availability of the product they recommend.
As an example of the variation of the ranking, one particular model of ceiling fan that was ranked in the "middle" over the first few years has now been ranked very highly over the last couple of years. Interestingly, it was not tested this year and it is not directly mentioned in the rankings but presumably it still ranks high as the fan has not chnaged, nor have many of last years top ranked fans. We have been recommending this model to many people over the years and our clients have been very happy with it all along, regardless of its ranking. Another model of ceiling fan has ranked highly over the years however, after selling those fans for many years, we (and other retailers) stopped stocking them as we started to see many quality and service issues. In a few cases, the recommendations can be a little misleading.. For example, the top rated ceiling fan is recommended for small bedrooms because of its quietness and low speed. Few people realise it is a medium sized fan in diameter and has a rather large body, it just would not look right aesthetically in a small bedroom. Another fan is made for rooms with low ceiling heights and performs quite well under those conditions and of course, not so well in a standard height ceiling but it was rated as a low performer because it was tested under normal ceiling height conditions.
It is a good thing to have an independant group test a family of products like ceiling fans and it does give the consumer some good information. It is equally important to seek the advice of an experienced ceiling fan specialist store like Universal Fans and benefit from our knowledge and experience to help you get the best ceiling fan for your home.
Ceiling fan installation must be done, under local australian regulations, by a qualified electrician and the client should receive a signed certificate issued by the electrician. The primary aim of this regulation is to protect clients from injury or death by electrocution. Clients may also have difficulties making warranty claims without this certificate and proof of purchase of the ceiling fan. We work with a number of electricians who are experienced in installing fans and recommend them to our clients. Most of the problems with ceiling fans are due to faulty installations. Although the majority of electricians are skilled tradesmen, there are also others not so skilled and unwilling to spend the necessary time to do a proper installation. It is an unfortunate fact that some clients will end up paying to correct faulty installations by unskilled or irresponsible tradesmen.
Clients will find a large range of prices in ceiling fans. Many people question why a ceiling fan will cost say $50 and another $200. The answer is in the quality of the fan and in practical terms, how noisy, effective and reliable it will be. Many people are happy with $50 ceiling fans: these will wobble, specially at high speeds and will make more noise and some people do not mind this, others get the impression all ceiling fans must wobble and make noise as this is their experience in the past and are very pleasantly surprised when they find a quiet and wobble free ceiling fan. Clients will find that most cheap fans will come with an exchange warranty, instead on an in-home warranty. An exchange warranty simply means those people unlucky enough to have a faulty ceiling fan (and cheaper fans have a greater fault rate), will need to call an electrician to take the fan down, and then take the fan back to the place of purchase for it to be repaired or exchanged. Then they need to call the electrician again to put the fan up, a time consuming and expensive exercise.
