# Forum Home Renovation Heating & Cooling  Ceiling Fans

## Sparky64

Team, 
I'm about to install ceiling fans. I have 11' ceilings and the rooms are 6 x 4m (18' x 12'). I need to find fans that are quiet (bedrooms and lounge) and can use an extended dropper of around 3' (900mm). Any recommendations? I have seen the Arlec ones in Bunnings for next to nothing in comparison to the rest. I assume this is because the motors have a limited number of poles and power; therefore, are noisy in comparison to the expensive ones. If this is the case is the level negligible or is it like most things in life - you get what you pay for. 
Cheers and Beers 
Sparky

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## China

Yep you hit the nail right on the head "you get what you pay for" in SA we have specilised fan shops so I assume you would have over there, it realy is a case of chalk and cheese the more expensive types are much better.

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## Ausyuppy

The typhoon range of fans made by Hunter Pacific have to be the best fans I have ever come across. Nearly every house I have lived in has had fans. They are a 4 blade fan and the air they move is awesome. 
They are supplied via Beacon Lighting and I warn you, they arent the cheapest fans you can ever come across however they are a well built fan. Dont pay full price at Beacon as they generally have fan sales which reduce the price significantly.  
I have also used the clipsal fans (airflow) and they are OK, but after having typhoons, you cant go back. 
Cheers
Steve

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## Sparky64

Guys, 
As I expected. Came across a 16 pole motor in a 52" fan today. It was really quiet at around $240. I haven't found Beacon Lighting but will look up the typhoon. What sort of $ are we looking at for them?

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## Ausyuppy

When I bought them they were retailing for $224.10 for a 56" blade and $179 for the 48". As I said, never pay full price as they generally have some sort of sale from time to time. 
The closest Beacon is in Kotara for you. (Beacon Lighting - Australia's Largest Lighting Retailer) 
Cheers
Steve

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## Sparky64

Steve, 
Thanks. Looked up the fans and Beacon Lighting. Looks like they are the goods. I'll check them out in the next day or so.

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## finger

I have a couple of hunter pacific concepts. For the most part they are very quiet. Occasionally the one in the lounge room will make a slight whine for a few seconds and then stop. It can only be heard just above ambient, if the TV is on they can't be heard. 
Great air movers for wooden blades. So much quieter than our old metal clunker.

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## Ausyuppy

> Occasionally the one in the lounge room will make a slight whine for a few seconds and then stop.

  Quite possibly the load control ripple tones that are sent by your power authority to control hot water systems etc. Take note when you hear the tones, I know the ones around here are generally on the hour or half hour. 
Cheers
Steve

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## finger

> Quite possibly the load control ripple tones that are sent by your power authority to control hot water systems etc. Take note when you hear the tones, I know the ones around here are generally on the hour or half hour. 
> Cheers
> Steve

  Will do, thanks for the tip.  :2thumbsup:

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## Ausyuppy

I just saw an ad on TV from Beacon lighting with the 30% off the second fan sale. 
The website www.beaconlighting.com.au has them on sale until the end of January.
Cheers
Steve

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## Make it work

Arlec, Martec and almost every other is made in China, probably in the same factory and it doesn't matter where you buy them or how much you pay, you still will get very much the same thing. 
I have had ceiling fans in the bedrooms for years now and we love them. I have recently installed them in a new family room and outdoors under the awning and they are great. 
I have 10 foot ceilings and I made the extra length poles from aluminium tube I bought from Smart Aluminium for quite cheap, I drilled the holes in the same places as the short ones supplied in the kit and painted them white. My sparky ran a new cable down the pole and away we went. 
Now for some thoughts, 
If I was doing it again I would go remote control, if you use the wall mounted controllers, especially in the bedrooms, place the controller by your bed head, it is really handy when you wake up a little cool and switch it off without getting up.. 
Metal blades push heaps more air than timber blades but look more industrial. 
Ceiling fans allow you to raise the set temperature for AC saving energy costs, today hit 42 deg here and the AC was set to 25 and we were extreemly confortable. We used to keep it on 22 before the fans were put in and they draw bugger all power, especially on low speed. This is important with the cost of energy about to sky rocket. 
Be careful about light sources and rotating fan blades, it can cause an annoying strobe effect that can give you a massive headache. 
Thats all I can think of for now but in short, every house should have them, even if they have ducted air. 
One more thing, I have not used mine in reverse in winter myself, but a friend of mine does and he has talked me into trying it this winter, we'll see if he is right.  :2thumbsup:

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## Ashore

The last ones I put in were hunter pacific, put them into the MIL's when she moved , great fans , can't recomend them enough  :2thumbsup:

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## Ausyuppy

Ive lived in many houses now with ceiling fans. Different varieties etc. 
The Typhoons are the best I have come across. I hate to disagree with you, but not fans are the same. Yep they go round and round and move the air around, however its the way the typhoons move the air around is what makes them awesome. 
They are a 4 blade fan and I guess the tilt on the blade must be different as the airflow from them is brilliant. 
At the end of the day it comes down to your budget. The typhoons are worth it in my opinion.

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## SilentButDeadly

We just ordered two more (we have them in every bedroom) of the HP Typhoons with the 52" metal blades (for outside) in black. Just $175 ea. 
Still have an old 'wuhn-wuhn' Arlec in the shed though!!

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## murray44

I actually just installed an Arlec fan on the weekend. 4 blade (timber) with wireless remote, $100 from Bunnings.  
Very happy with it, very slight hum from it and adequate air movement even on the lowest setting.

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## fanman

> Quite possibly the load control ripple tones that are sent by your power authority to control hot water systems etc. Take note when you hear the tones, I know the ones around here are generally on the hour or half hour. 
> Cheers
> Steve

  Hi Steve
Sounds like you have assessed that noise problem correctly. If you didn't already know Hunter Pacific International can supply noise filters in 750Hz and 1050Hz. They are bit exxy (especially after installation costs) but if someone finds the interference noise impossible to live (eg. in a bedroom) they may think anything is worthwhile to get a good night's sleep.

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## julie anno

> I actually just installed an Arlec fan on the weekend. 4 blade (timber) with wireless remote, $100 from Bunnings.  
> Very happy with it, very slight hum from it and adequate air movement even on the lowest setting.

  I have just bought an arlec fan for our bedroom. did you install it yourself? If you did, how did your wiring go. I dont want to pay $100 for someone else to install it for me. our house wiring has black, red, green and white. our fan has white(light, but we are not installing a light fan), blue-neutral, brown-motor and green-earth. 
I have worked out earth ( this is essential), but the red and black? which would be for the motor? would the white be for the neutral? Just want to check before we do this.

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## Ashore

> I have just bought an arlec fan for our bedroom. did you install it yourself? If you did, how did your wiring go. I dont want to pay $100 for someone else to install it for me. our house wiring has black, red, green and white. our fan has white(light, but we are not installing a light fan), blue-neutral, brown-motor and green-earth. 
> I have worked out earth ( this is essential), but the red and black? which would be for the motor? would the white be for the neutral? Just want to check before we do this.

   After reading your post , espically the bits I highlited, I would strongly suggest that $100 for an electrician to fit the fan for you may be the best money you ever spend  :Cool:  
I say this because your final question indicates you dont know which is the active, neutral, switch wire etc, I could tell you what they generally are but without a meter and checking the cables who knows. The question you have to ask yourself is 'why isn't there a leco in australia that would wire up a fan just going on the wire colour and not test the cables first to determine the active neutral etc ' If you don't know , or don't know how to test them, then get a leco in to finish the job

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## Bloss

:What he said:  Red = active (ISO Brown) Black = neutral (ISO Blue) Green(or bare copper) = Earth (ISO Green/ yellow stripe). But this is not stuff you should be DIYing - illegal and dangerous too - as well as negating insurance if anything did go wrong even if unrelated to the work you do.

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## frog_hopper

I have just put in 5 hunter pacific typhoon fans but be very careful if you are going with a light and fan option. I got mine from Cetnaj here in Brisbane and they were less than the sale price at Beacon. Also try buster lighting online. 
Hunter pacific has recently changed its light design and it is not as good as it was. We have a stobing effect from the fan / light combo that is most annoying. It is manageable in the bedroom but awful in the living rooms. We have the eclipse light fitting - would not recommend it. The ones which take the 2 edison compatible screw bulbs are the lights we have and they are awful. The bulbs sit down against the glass which means the light shines up and hits the fan blades. The circular fluro or the horizontal halogen options might be better as the light can't hit the fan blades as it is blocked by a metal rim around the top of the light. On top of this, Hunter pacific has changed the fitting so that the top of the light fitting has some spare screw holes which let light up to hit the fan blades.  
I've got Hunter pacific coming out to look at the light problem - very unhappy. Actual fans are great though - agree with what everyone is saying on that front.

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