We reviewed dozens of products to find you the very best gazebo ceiling fan. What is a gazebo ceiling fan? In short, it’s damp our wet rated, meaning it can handle a little moisture and outdoor elements. Additionally, we chose ones with more of a rustic and wooden feel to match most outdoor gazebos. Lastly, a large blade span helps keep a wider area cool during those hot summer months. For more info on gazebo ceiling fans, read our buyer’s guide at the bottom of this article. We cover everything you need to know in great detail. We hope you enjoy it!
The versatile Kichler 65” Gentry LED is impressive with its airflow at 8061 CFM. whereas most ceiling fans come at an average of 5000 CFM. Even at its lowest 51 RPM speed, it delivers 3189 CFM airflow to blow your socks off. Indeed, this fan will provide you with way better cooling than normal fans. The distressed black finish will complement any rustic, classic, or modern environment. We think it looks great in any wooden outdoor gazebo!
The nine-blade design with a 65” blade span creates a fascinating visual impact while operating or standing still. It also has a high-efficiency rating of 237 CFM/Watt. It uses only 34 watts per hour at full speed along with an LED light source to enhance savings on your power bills.
Kichler creates simple yet impactful lighting and fan solutions for any interiors and outdoor settings. Their fans are in demand in North America and in neighboring countries for their immaculate output. Thus, if you want both style and functionality, choose the Gentry series.
The 52” Hunter Coral Bay is a 5-blade ceiling fan designed for indoor and outdoor applications. It comes with barnwood style blades which go great on any outdoor gazebo or wooden structure. It is UL rated for damp locations and thus is appropriate for bathrooms, sunrooms, patios, porches, and of course, gazebos. Irrespective of your ceiling height, you can maintain the minimum necessary distance with a downrod (3” and 2”) included in the package.
For easy adjustment of lighting and speed the 3- speed handheld remote is convenient along with other types of control. A WhisperWind DC motor, with super-powerful air movement and zero noise performance, gives you the feel of silent cooling. Also with dimmable LED bulbs, you get great cooling and lighting features with this outdoor fan.
Hunter Fans are delivering cutting edge technology and design since the last century and are still going strong. Hunter Coral Bay is an example of their impeccable legacy that will give you the best performance as a ceiling fan.
The Hunter’s Key Biscayne fan comes with a lantern-style light-kit and UL Damp rated motor blades to suit indoor and outdoor settings. Its stainless steel hardware is rust resistant so you have minimal maintenance to worry about. The reversible weathered zinc finish blades make it compatible with multiple interior color schemes.
This model comes with the manufacturer’s unique installer’s choice mounting system. The fan has the ability to hang straight down one of the included downrods. You can also hang it at an angle from a sloped ceiling. The 13-degree blade bitch ensures an optimum air movement in the room or outdoor area at all times. The damp rating plus wooden blade finish make this a great choice for any outdoor gazebo. Be sure that your ceiling is covered, as this fan should not receive direct rain on it.
You can install Hunter’s ceiling fans anywhere to withstand any condition. Indeed, its Hunter’s Key Biscayne proves its worth with a lifetime motor warranty. This makes the fan a long term and resilient addition to your home decor.
The Monte Carlo 72″ Prairie Windmill in Aged Pewter is a stunner. It boasts an efficient DC motor, which we strongly recommend over AC motors (read our buyer’s guide below for more details). Prairie comes in two distinct finishes – Aged Pewter with Light Grey Weathered Oak blades and Brushed Steel with Washed Grey/Silver reversible blades.
Prairie has a wind speed factor of 2.32 MPH producing a very light breeze and cooling effect. The airflow is 7128 CPM which is a lot of airflow to be spread over a large area. The 72” Prairie runs a smooth and quiet operation.
The eco-friendly integrated 15W LED downlight with 740 net lumens is covered with a frosted Lexan shade. It includes a 6-speed remote control that adds to the functionality of this fan.
All 72” Prairie fans come with a finishing bottom cap for use with or without a light kit fixture. The 14-bladed fan includes a reverse function to stay warm in the winter months as well. You can read more about reverse functions in our buyer’s guide below. The Prairie is rated for indoor use only.
The Monte Carlo Company has been in the business of providing top-notch fan and fan accessories. Their main focus is to produce durable yet eco-friendly fans.
The Hinkley Tempest ceiling fan bears a uniquely designed graphite finish body which makes it a focal point of any décor. Five 70” blades not only add style but also help the fan create massive airflow. The large blade span also allows better air distribution whether it’s an outdoor or indoor space. With a super-efficient DC motor, It saves you energy and runs for years. The blade color, along with it’s massive blade span make it perfect for large outdoor gazebos. The color of the blades go well with most outdoor wooden structures and the length of each blade is well suited to cool a large area below it.
Along with an optional LED light kit, other types of control, including wall control, are also available. The controls are Wi-Fi compatible but you have to purchase the receiver separately. Although you get a 6” downrod, you can purchase custom downrods separately. The fan is sloped ceiling compatible in case you are dealing with an unlevel ceiling angle.
Hinkley is not just a company, it’s been a family business for four generations. Their designs like the Tempest are thoughtful and crafted to give superior performance under any tough circumstances.
The Savoy House Bluffton is energy efficient in a number of ways. The efficient DC Motor makes it faster, smoother, and long lasting without much maintenance. The LED light kit inside a frosted white glass shade saves way more energy than an ordinary incandescent light bulb does. The light shade beautifully compliments the eight blade fan without overpowering the whole style.
The fan has reversible blades designed to stand the test of time for years. They are weather-proof as well as UL wet rated thus are a better choice for outdoor areas. Despite the ceiling height and slant, the slope kits and downrods available will make it easy to install. You can also purchase longer downrods to complement very high ceilings with ease. This fan is perfect for very large outdoor areas. It will keep a large gathering cool with its massive 72″ bladespan.
For half a century, the Savoy House pieces are marking a solid impression in the industry. They blend in with any décor and attract attention like this Bluffton series does with ease.
The Minka- Aire Java is a highly efficient contemporary fan with 3 angular blades to suit any room or gazebo decor. The coal finish blades compliment a variety of indoor and outdoor decors. As it is UL wet rated, it is a stylish addition to your outdoor entertaining spaces. The integrated LED light kit perfectly illuminates any gathering while saving energy on every application.
Although operated primarily with a wall control, it also comes with a handheld remote to provide you better convenience. The downrods make it easily compatible with any ceiling height. If you need more height clearance, custom downrods are also available. You get a complete air solution within a $500 budget.
The Minka-Aire is a customer’s choice company producing fans with modern designs and enduring functionalities. They blend well with any bedroom, entertainment room, home office, living room, or outdoor room with ease. Its Java series fans are committed to performing efficiently while complementing your environment for years to come.
The Cedar Key outdoor ceiling fan comes with barnwood reversible blades. They make an excellent compliment to any gazebo or outdoor area! The equal pressure from these angled fan blades help to improve the ventilation. With this fan, you will never feel stuffy, no mater how humid it may be outside. The 52” blades never give a bulky appearance from your outdoor ceiling, and the blade color goes well with most wooden outdoor ensembles.
A reversible 3- speed WhisperWind DC motor runs efficiently on energy while creating strong air for instant cooling. With one 9W LED bulb, you save even on lighting. The dimmable light fixtures give you better control over your room’s ambiance. This fan complements your home, office and any other space with style.
Hunter Fans have been around for a century, gathering popularity for their impeccable performance. In the same line the Hunter Cedar Key fans mark an impression of a simple design yet a performance to serve any room design.
The Hunter Key Biscayne flaunts a maritime touch with its lantern style light kit and beachwood finished blades. This damp rated stainless steel fan could be a nice fit to your outdoor sunroom or beach house indeed. Its integrated light kit with painted white glass lights your space in style. A simple pull chain gives you easy speed adjustments for your outdoor gazebo.
The DC motor performs quietly without compromising on its powerful airflow. As the motor has lifetime warranty, customers find it more promising. The reversible 54” blades are small in size but very effective in ventilation. With a high wind speed, it ensures an even breeze towards every corner.
Hunter fans are truly incredible in terms of their features and appearances. No wonder they have sustained for ten decades in the industry. The Key Biscayne series is another living testimony to Hunter’s knack for details that customers find fascinating.
The Hunter Sea Wind suits every decor with its white finished blades and body. Its universal flush mount design can measure up to 9.32” from ceiling to the lowest point. This huggable design provides efficient airflow and ventilation in small spaces. It’s perfect for a low ceiling gazebo!
It’s damp rated for outside humid and moist environments. The stainless steel body can withstand harsh weather conditions. With a powerful DC motor, it gives a quiet performance high on energy savings. Moreover, a simple 3-speed pull chain control aids easy speed rotations. This fan
The Hunter Company is in the business for their credibility and innovation. With Sea Wind collections, they have proved it again. A lifetime warranty on the motor makes Sea Wind even more sought after in the market.
The Kichler Ahrendale 60” gazebo ceiling fan is a five-blade energy-efficient fan with an integrated LED light fixture for better illumination. It costs a fairly low amount on your energy bill for using an AC instead of a DC motor. It’s not that smooth running but it’s overall performance is strong and good quality. Without lights, the motor consumes only 72 watts per hour, less than an average of 86.
The fan is appropriate for large areas for having a 60” blade span. Its airflow and wind speed factor are average at 5763 CFM and 2.6 MPH respectively. But still it can air out any room fast with a strong breeze. Moreover, the motor comes with a limited lifetime warranty to assure its long term performance.
Kichler is best known for its ethical and eco-friendly designs since 1938. You will find the Ahrendale fans as one of its most affordable models promised to deliver the best quality air for your personal and commercial requirements.
As an affiliate partner, we may earn from qualifying purchases made on these products.
A Gazebo Fan Buyer’s Guide: Everything To Know When Buying a Gazebo Fan.
We have a deep love for fans and live to help others understand these products as well as we do. That is why we took the time to write a gazebo fan buyers’ guide.
Buying a gazebo fan for the first time can be overwhelming. There are many options for fans and each fan has different styles, sizes, functionality, blades, and installation steps.
Fortunately for you, we have distilled all of the key variables down into an accessible and digestible guide. You can read this guide if you want an in-depth understanding of gazebo fans or you can skim it if you only want to better understand certain aspects of the fan itself.
This includes how to select a fan to buy, the types and angles of a fan’s blades, the pros and cons of the AC and DC motors that power fans, and how to install the fan in your gazebo. If you follow this guide you can be confident that you are making a well informed buying decision.
We know all things fans and want to pass on our learnings and insights to help you.
Most importantly, we know that once you evaluate, select, and install a gazebo fan it will likely remain in place for many years to come. That is because gazebo fans can be heavy, expensive, and labor intensive to install.
What is a gazebo fan? Why should I buy a gazebo fan?
A gazebo fan is placed centrally within a gazebo to provide a cooling feeling to those sitting, eating, or enjoying the shade afforded by a gazebo. A gazebo, as we define it, is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal or turret-shaped, often built in a home garden.
The primary benefits of a gazebo fan are they act to keep you and your guests cool during hot, humid, or muggy outdoor weather.
How much does it cost to operate a gazebo fan?
A central air conditioning system consumes 3 kiloWatts, which is about 36 cents per hour. Running a gazebo fan only runs at 30 Watts, equivalent to only a cent per hour.
This makes gazebo fans affordable and energy efficient alternatives that many people love as they are good for you, your wallet, and the environment.
Running a gazebo fan that turns off when a certain temperature range is reached is even more affordable.
Take the time to do research now before buying because the switching costs of changing your mind can be high.
Go through this evaluation check-list so that you better understand the types of motors, blades, installation units, and fans that exist. We encourage you to optimize for:
- Overall quality: in particular the speed of the motor to optimize for cooling efficacy and quietness.
- Aesthetics: in particular ensure that you are happy with how the fan looks, its color, shape, design, and blade count.
- Size: select the right size fan for the gazebo you will be placing it in. Larger gazebos require larger fans to create strong air flow.
The location of a gazebo and installation steps unique to these fans
Most gazebo fans are used within fully covered gazebos. Just because these structures have roofs doesn’t mean that they fully prevent water, moisture, or sunlight from entering the space.
As a result, all gazebo fans are qualified as either:
- Damp rated
- Wet rated
As the name implies, damp rated means that the fan can get damp without getting damaged. The pain finish and insulation of the motor work together to help the fan remain durable in spite of moisture.
Wet rated is a more robust rating and implies that the fan can get wet (from rain or snow) and still operate. This type of rating is well suited for gazebos that have vertical openings or extreme temperature fluctuations and rainfall.
What is a wet rated gazebo fan?
A wet-rated ceiling gazebo fan is designed to withstand exposure to moderate, heavy and driving rains. But wetness is not the only variable to consider because gazebo fans also are exposed to wind.
As we will discuss later, a gazebo fan needs to be attached to the interior of the gazebo’s structure and usually this is done at the roof. If your gazebo is open, cross air currents might force your fan to sway. This can be dangerous and annoying.
To counter this, most gazebo fans are installed without a downrod directly on the flush mount.
First measure the size of the gazebo.
Knowing the approximate size of the gazebo in which the fan will be placed is important.
Larger fans are best suited to larger gazebos as their blades and motors move greater volumes of air.
Gazebo Fan Size Chart
Room (in feet) | Cubic Feet/Minute | Fan Size |
6′ x 6′ | 3,000 – 4,500 | Shop: 24″ to 36″ |
10′ x 10′ | 4,000 – 5,500 | Shop: 37″ to 48″ |
12′ x 12′ | 6,200 – 7,500 | Shop: 49″ to 56″ |
15′ x 15′ | 7,000 – 9,000 | Shop: 60″ to 72″ |
Larger | 9,000 – 11,000 | Shop: 80″ to 99″ |
The length of the blade of the fan and the size of the room go hand in hand.
In short, if you have a large gazebo, buy a larger fan. The bigger the fan the better.
The common sizes for gazebo fans are 36, 44 and 52 inches, with the large fans having a blade wingspan of 60 inches.
Of course you can technically go even larger, with the largest recreational home fans having up to 99 inches of wingspan.
99 inches is 8.25 feet. That is a large fan indeed.
Measure the height of the gazebo and allow at least 8 feet and 6 inches of space.
It is wise and safe to place your fan at least 8 feet above your flooring.
Placing a gazebo fan high up protects tall individuals from hitting their head or having their hair caught while the fan is in motion. As noted earlier, it also protects against swaying if there is wind. Fans need to be installed on gazebos and these installation bases take space as well.
An installation base is adjoined to a downrod, which is a simple piece of metal that the fan is connected to and hangs from.
The average American gazebo height today is over 10 feet (3.048 meters). This means that the average gazebo can support a fan but with a shorter downrod.
If you have average sized gazebos you can afford to install no more than 1 foot and 6 inch downrods.
How to measure downrods and base mounts
A gazebo fan is composed of fan blades, a downrod, and an installation base.
The installation base attaches to the gazebo. The downrod connects to the base. And the fan itself hangs from the downrod.
Per the measurements mentioned above, the fan must be at least 8 feet and 6 inches above the ground if you have a standard 10 foot gazebo.
Many people enjoy selecting the fit and finish of the downrod as these pieces of metal or plastic come in different colors, shapes, and sizes and compliment the overall fan’s aesthetic.
As a general rule, more expensive gazebo fans enable you to have longer and more customizable downrods. The downdrods tend to be longer – between 6 and 18 inches.
This is for functionality and aesthetics. Cheaper gazebo fans sometimes have very short – or almost nonexistent downrods – because the base and the fan are fused together.
Design and Look: What to Think About the fan’s general aesthetics
A hugely important aspect of a gazebo fan is what it looks like. If you see the fan while hosting friends or eating a meal outside you will want it to look great.
The base and downrod are not nearly as important as the blades for how a fan looks in a gazebo.
Blades come in different cuts, lengths, seizes, finishes, colors and of course quantities.
How many blades should a gazebo fan have?
At a minimum, a gazebo fan will have two blades though four or five are certainly more common.
A two blade fan can be made of one long piece of metal connected at the mid-point or two distinct blades.
One type of fan used in gazebos, called a windmill fan, can have upwards of 20 blades packed tightly together.
Blades add functionality and impact the air flow.
When you look at a fan that is turned on, the blades are hard to see. When the fan is stationary, however, the design and color of the blades will need to align with your preferences for style and decor.
Fans with four to six blades produce a lower pitch, softer volume noise output. Three blade fans use the air surrounding the fan most efficiently and require the least effort to clean as you have fewer blades and surface area to collect dust.
The color, material, and quantity of the blades impact how the fan looks and performs.
Another subtle variable is at play too: the angles of those blades. If the blades are too flat, they won’t whisk through the air and create air flows. We highly advise blades with angles between 12 and 14 degrees.
Nearly all of the fans we provide you here have angles in that range for optimal air circulation and air flow efficacy.
More than a fan: how a gazebo fan provides lighting, symmetry, and aesthetic benefits.
Some people buy gazebo fans simply to cool or heat a gazebo. Others buy gazebo fans because they can be elegant and add character to the outdoor structure. Some fans have lights and others do not.
If you are going to place your fan in the center of a gazebo you might do so at the expense of a central lighting system.
For this reason, adding lights to fans is popular. If you add lights you will want to also consider how easy it is to change the bulbs, especially if the fan is very high above your floor.
LED, Halogen, and Fluorescent lighting options are available on all fans that have integrated lighting.
Control Your Environment: Noise and Air Flow
Fans without lights produce two types of energy outputs when they are on: noise and air-flow. Both will impact your experience with the fan. Fans with lights also produce illumination as an energy output.
Firstly, noise is a byproduct of any fan. The rotation of the blades and the motor can cause distinct sounds. Larger motors produce more power and, as a result, can generate more noise.
The good news is that noise can be mitigated.
Motors that are built from higher quality and durable screws, armature, bearings, windings, and rotors are more expensive.
Cheaper gazebo fans have motors that usually produce more noise as a byproduct.
If you want a quieter fan, buy a more expensive one. You won’t regret it. If you are considering a bedroom gazebo fan, it is prudent to optimize for minimal sound.
The second type of energy output is air-flow.
Fans can not only cool gazebos, they can also heat them and reduce air moisture.
They substitute central cooling or work in conjunction with air conditioning.
Fans do not lower air temperatures. They produce air flows and circulation which can in turn create the effect of a windchill.
The wind chill temperature is how cold people feel. The air flow, which leads to evaporative cooling (deratification), is generated by the gazebo fan.
If you are using a fan for general gazebo cooling, you will want a fan that accelerates the heat loss from exposed skin.
Put simply, you will want a fan that generates significant air-flows point downwards and towards the center of the room.
Air Flow Deep Dive: Cubic Feet per Minute
Air flow is the volume of air that is produced by the fan.
The most common way to measure air flow is Cubic Feet per Minute (or CFM).
All of the fans we review have a CFM rating so that you can easily compare how much air that each fan produces.
The average CFM is around 5,000.
For nearly all non-industrial use-cases, like your home bedroom, kitchen, living room, or garage, a CFM of 6,000-7,000 is optimal.
At this rate you will be left feeling cooler without greatly enhancing your energy bill or having papers strewn all over the place from the powerful wind currents that larger fans produce.
You might also see a measurement similar to CFM which is air (or wind) Miles Per Hour.
Much like measuring the speed at which one drives, a fan can have its air speed measured too.
Nearly all fans produce between 3 and 5 Mile Per Hour air flows. Naturally, the higher the MPH, the stronger the air flows.
Controlling Your Gazebo Fan and Your Energy Output for Efficiency
Mobile apps and the internet have changed how we communicate, manage, and control various technologies.
Gazebo fans are no exception.
These fans are well suited for management by a digital switch, remote, or mobile app because you can power the fans on or off (or even alter the speed) from afar.
A connected fan is controlled via a remote control or smartphone. In contrast, less expensive and simpler fans are controlled via a manual switch.
Lastly, some gazebo fans are controlled by pull chains.
While chains are usually made long enough for all users to reach them, please keep in mind that this can cause discomfort or annoyance on high gazebos or fans that need to be frequently turned on or off.
If you plan on installing your fan over 9 feet above the ground, you should buy a fan that can be controlled digitally.
All gazebo fans can create air-flows bi-direactionally.
Usually a simple switch exists on the fan’s motor or external base that enables you to change the direction in which the blades rotate.
Changing the directional air propulsion is critical during the winter months.
Rather than have air convected from the center of the room for cooling, you will want air to move from the blades horizontally down through the walls.
Lateral air-flow is used for heating rooms and maintaining central warmth while reducing your energy bill.
Choosing the right gazebo fan direction
How you control your fan is correlated with how much energy your fan uses. Will you leave it running all the time? Or will you use smart logic to power it down after a certain amount of time?
We have gone above and beyond to think about fans not just as cooling mechanisms but as a tool that can help you save money while lowering your ecological footprint. These efforts will, most importantly, save you money.
Let me explain further.
When you use central cooling or air conditioners, you are physically reducing the temperature in a room.
An air conditioner sucks air into its ducts through a vent. This air cools the gas in the evaporator and as the heat is removed from the air, it is cooled. Cool air then flows into your room.
This process is energy intensive and expensive.
In contrast, a gazebo fan does not cool the room or remove heat. Rather, it moves air around which creates the feeling of cooling. Actual cooling is not occurring. Less energy out means less energy in. And in total this means a lower energy bill.
What A Fan Looks Like To You and Others
This guide provides ample information pertaining to how a gazebo fan works and things you should be aware of before buying one or many fans for your home.
What we have not discussed in great depth is how a fan looks and the importance of design aesthetics.
A fan will need to fit aesthetically into your gazebo and, as a result, you should think about material (wood, metal, plastic), color, and design patterns. Some questions to reflect on:
- Is the gazebo light or dark? Is it naturally well lit or does it require lots of electrical light?
If your gazebo fan is going in the center of your structure, for example, you will likely want a fan with built-in lighting. This is because many gazebos have existing fixture hardware and wiring.
- Do you want a smart fan that connects with your digital applications and services (Google Home, Nest Apple Siri, Amazon Alexa)?
If you control other aspects of your home – like the temperature and humidity – via smart apps, you might want to add a gazebo fan as another connected Internet of Things device. Likewise if you have high gazebos and plan to install a fan that you can’t easily reach by hand.
Smart fans can be controlled via your phone, tablet, or voice, and these controls will make turning them on or off easier.
- Do you want a windmill fan?
Windmill fans are harder to clean (more blades means more surface area for dust to land and accumulate). On the other hand, windmill fans are quiet and elegant.
The windmill fans pay homage to an older design aesthetic.
While this fan is not modern chic it goes very well with wooden floors or darker walls because it is made of simple plastic or wood finishes, glass fiber reinforced polyester, and thin pulp-plastic infused blades.
- What color do you want the fan? What style finish do you want?
Sleek and minimalist fans have fewer blades. These fans, made of lightweight metal, have universal white, grey, or black finishes.
Where to buy a gazebo fan?
Gazebo fans are heavy and can be difficult to fit in a car or to transport yourself unless you have a large vehicle or flat-bed truck. Given this, it makes a lot of sense to have your fan shipped to you so that it arrives ready for home assembly.
You can self-install a gazebo fan. This work requires moderate technical skills and physical strength. This is because you will need to install not only the fan (the blades) but you will need to connect the fan’s base to the gazebo and its electrical fixture hardware and wiring.
How much does a gazebo fan cost? What impacts the price of a gazebo fan?
Gazebo fans range in price from $125 on the cheap-end to over $1,800 on the high-end. There are several reasons why the range in price is so large.
A gazebo fan, made of plastic instead of more durable wood or metal, is cheaper.
Additionally, less expensive fans have weaker motors. This means that they are capable of producing less air flow or have smaller Cubic Feet per Minute scores.
More expensive fans are akin to those you would experience at a resort or high end hotel. A gazebo fan over $1,200 will likely come packed with high tech solutions built-in.
These fans will enable you to:
- Program the fan based on motion, temperature, or humidity.
- Turn the fan on or off based on preset logic or rules for maximum physical comfort.
- Enjoy very efficient and quiet DC motors that have multi-decade support and lifetime expectations.
Moreover, these pricer fans come with app based (smart phone, iPad) mobile management and remote controls.
It is common for expensive gazebo fans to come with mount options so that you can install a panel adjacent to your light switch. These wall mounts enable you to control not only the fan (on/off) but also the fan speed and direction.
Cheaper fans do not come with these in depth level of controls or sophisticated management features.
And that is ok. Simplicity might be what you crave.
Cheaper fans cool rooms as well and can be easily turned on/off with pull chains.
Less expensive fans (in the $100-$300 price point) still come with energy-efficient dimmable lightbulbs.
AC vs DC fans: Understanding a fan’s power source
Most inexpensive fans leverage AC motors.
Although AC motors are more powerful than DC motors, they typically are less efficient and are not as good at using their energy output.
This can cause additional noise (thereby making it harder to sleep if that fan is in your bedroom).
When buying a fan, please take a moment to see the Power Source listed in the fan’s essential product information that all suppliers provide. If you buy a fan with an AC motor, it will be louder.
AC motors are durable and longer lasting. While this might seem positive, DC motors are better (and therefore more costly).
DC motors are simpler to install into the fan’s base, have high startup power, and have a faster response time.
This means that time will be shortened from when you switch the “on” button to when the fan is accelerating to cool your room.
Although more expensive, gazebo fans with DC motors consume 70% less power which will enable you to save money over time as you pay less to power them.
Where to place the gazebo fan: voltage and flush mounting
Many people place their gazebo fans in the center of their gazebos. This is to maximize comfort and the impact of the fan’s air flows when seated inside the structure.
A centrally placed gazebo fan also creates room symmetry and is elegant.
Voltage is the pressure from an electrical circuit’s power, and the most common electrical outlet in any home is a 110 volt. If you live in the United States, you will need to select a fan that complies with this voltage limit.
Luckily for you, nearly all off-the-shelf gazebo fans support this standard.
When installing a gazebo fan you will need to get a few things absolutely right. We have done this many times for ourselves, our family, friends, and of course our clients.
Firstly, some gazebo fans support flush mount integrations. Flush mount fans sit directly against the gazebo and point downwards.
Not all gazebo fans are flush mountable and if you have stronger winds you will want to reduce the length of the downrods. The shorter the downrods, the less sway of the fan.
This means that they will hang lower from the gazebo. If you buy a fan that cannot be flush mounted, please ensure that the lower point of the fan is at least 8 feet and six inches from the ground.
Additionally, ensure that the weight bearing load of the gazebo can support the fan.
Similar to voltage, this should be routine in many homes.
But it is worth investigating because you don’t want to buy a fan just to see it unable to stay upright.
For most fans that we review and see our clients deploy, a gazebo must be able to support approximately 35 pounds of downward pressure.
Buyer’s Guide Summary: Bringing It All Together
Buying a gazebo fan for the first time does not need to be overwhelming.
Simply follow this guide to evaluate and buy the fan that fits best in your room and adds the most value in your life.
Don’t get too bogged down in the details. If nothing else, pick a fan that looks great, fits well within your gazebo, and that is priced according to your budget.
Remember to install the blades last, so that they don’t break. This will be written in every installation manual.
If the fan is going to in a windy or wet environment plan ahead and ensure that the fan is wet rated.