Do I Need An Extension Rod?

Adrian, our store manager, is often the first friendly face you’ll see when walking into our beautiful showroom. When I enquired as to what a common question he gets asked was, “do I need an extension rod” was quick to come out. So let’s delve deeper into what an extension rod does and when you may need one.

Also known as a Downrod (or Shank), an extension rod allows you to drop a fan further from the ceiling than the standard rod it comes with allows.

A couple of measurements that are useful to be aware of include:

• Your ceiling height (floor to ceiling)
• Minimum floor to blade measurement (as per most building regulations) is 2.1m
• Drop Allowance Calculation (this is the space you have to install the fan) = ceiling height – minimum floor to blade measurement (e.g if your ceiling height is 2.8m your calculation would be 2.8 – 2.1 = 0.7m)
• Drop of ceiling fan you are interested in (drop from ceiling to blade – this measurement should be on the product listing otherwise you can contact us)

If the drop allowance is larger than the ceiling fan drop you may want to consider an extension rod to lower the fan; the lower it is the more you will feel the fan’s airflow.

Example:
Say you have high ceilings of 3m and the fan you are interested in drops 30cm. This means you have a further drop of 60cm before you reach the minimum 2.1m mark. So you may wish to buy an extension rod to make sure you are getting optimal performance from the fan. Similarly if you have cathedral ceilings, again an extension rod can make installation possible. Note: You may not want to drop the fan quite to the 2.1m mark, this measurement is provided as a minimum (this is up to personal preference).

Important Extension Rod Information

• Most extension rods come in a 90cm or 180cm length and can be cut down to size by the installer to meet your specific requirements.
• Extension rods are made specifically for each fan (or group of fans) so it is important that you buy the correct one for your fan. We make that easy on our website as we list the compatible rod on each product listing.
• You will want to buy the rod in a colour that matches your fan so remember to select the correct colour.
• If you only have a drop allowance of 20cm, look at Low Profile fans, select fans will be possible for this tight space, see individual ceiling fan drop measurements.