ThelmaLou Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 We have a large eat-in area next to our kitchen, and we want to replace our chandelier. Hubby insists we should get a ceiling fan/light fixture combination. (We live in Texas, so the kitchen gets pretty hot in the summers.) Would you do this? I'm imagining napkins blowing, homework papers swirling around the room, food growing cool too quickly. Maybe we don't have to use it when actually sitting at the table to eat. Maybe it will just help with air circulation during the rest of the day. Any thoughts or strong leanings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaffodilDreams Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 We have one above ours, and we haven't had any trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evergreen State Sue Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I'm with you. I have a hard enough time putting a fan off to the side in hot weather without napkins blowing around while we're eating. Maybe it matters how high your ceiling is. We don't have high ceilings so it would be too close to the table. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 We have one. We usually don't turn it on while eating, or doing art projects at the table (depending on the craft). Other than that, we like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoVanGogh Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 We had a ceiling fan over our dining table in an apartment years ago. I hated it because it cooled the food down too much. We never used the table other than to eat at, so it seemed pointless to have a ceiling fan instead of a nice light fixture. Now - homeschooling at the kitchen table? Might be nice to have a ceiling fan. But I don't know that I would use it enough to justify it. Plus - I like a nice pretty light fixture over my table. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 We have one. It runs all summer, day and night. Never noticed a problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThelmaLou Posted January 20, 2012 Author Share Posted January 20, 2012 For those of you that have them, how high are your ceilings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnificent_baby Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I have one over my dining room table. My dining room was actually considered a "bonus" or activity room in the house plans, so that is why it is there. From a lighting perspective, I really hate it. Way too dim. I hope to replace it soon with a regular fixture. I rarely use the fan, but we do not eat in there very often. As you are deciding, you may want to keep lighting in mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 No. My kids do the dusting in the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I don't, but I've been in places that do. I have to constantly fight the urge to duck. :blushing: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I'm not sure of the height of our ceilings, but DH tells me that we have low ceilings. :) Oddly, we were just discussing this earlier today, and he mentioned that fact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 We have one. It's nice on hot evenings and it doesn't cause much trouble when it's on low. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scuff Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 There was one above our table when we moved in. All those things you mention, yes. I got very sick of it, so out it went. I suppose if you need the circulation you could keep it off during meals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotAVampireLvr Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 we removed both of ours, but we live in New England. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Variable speed fan with solid instillation and quiet motor. I've had such a fan and the worst parts were the incessant rattle and wobble due to poor instillation and an overly loud motor. I think new models have a better motor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myeightkiddies Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 My ceilings are very high. I would consider a fan in the kitchen; however, I don't want one in the dining room. We've had one in a previous house, but it seemed to cool the food off too quickly. It does blow napkins and things. Just didn't care for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 We have one above our kitchen table and our ceilings are 9 feet. We've had no problem with the one in the kitchen. We run it all the time in the summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglei Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 (edited) We have one - and so glad we do! We replaced a *chandelier* with a five-blade, five-bulb ceiling fan, that has a three-way adjustment for low, medium, or high running of the fan. (I'm guessing the ceiling is about eight feet; and, it's a small room). The fan uses up to 60-watt bulbs, so lighting is not an issue. (It also had the option of installing a dimmer switch, which we opted not to do. Former owners had one with the *chandelier* and we did not like it). It also has reversible fanning - in the winter you click the button so the fan blades turn the opposite direction, so that in the winter you are drawing down heat and in the summer you are drawing the heat up and away). The fan is dead-center above our dining room table. I've not noticed any problem with it. At all. Of course, I love to have candle light. If the candles are cheap, yardsale or dollar store candles, we might (but often don't) turn the fan down or off during the meal to keep the candle drippings from spraying (it's just a mild spray - can't think of another word to use). If they are better candles, we let the fan run. (We usually have the fan on low or medium; rarely do we need it on high). No blowing of napkins, and no problem with the food staying warm. If memory serves, we got the fan in Penney's, so it was not expensive and it has worked well for years now. I'd replace the light fixture with a ceiling fan in a heartbeat! Edited January 20, 2012 by eaglei Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celticmom Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 We chose to put one in place above our dining room table. My main reason for wanting it was to help with air circulation when power is down after hurricanes(it is much easier to power ceiling fans off a generator than a/c). The fan has not caused any problems and has been very helpful on a few occaisions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofkhm Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 We have a large eat-in area next to our kitchen, and we want to replace our chandelier. Hubby insists we should get a ceiling fan/light fixture combination. (We live in Texas, so the kitchen gets pretty hot in the summers.) Would you do this? I'm imagining napkins blowing, homework papers swirling around the room, food growing cool too quickly. Maybe we don't have to use it when actually sitting at the table to eat. Maybe it will just help with air circulation during the rest of the day. Any thoughts or strong leanings? Our house came with one. We do use it, but usually on low. Nothing blows away. I tend to serve dinner on the stove anyway so it doesn't get cold quickly. The only time I can't stand it is when the sun is bright in the kitchen and the fan is on. It has a strobe effect and gives me a headache. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I have one in the kitchen. Low ceilings don't matter so much because the fan is over the table and you'd have to climb ON the table to hit your head. I don't think it's particularly pretty, and I wouldn't want it in the dining room, but I LIKE it. On the lowest setting, it just moves the air gently and doesn't really blow anything around on the table. I wouldn't put it on high when serving food, but like how it keeps the air from feeling stagnant. In the warmer months you can crank it up and get a nice breeze. in the winter you can reverse direction to keep the warmer air from settling on the ceiling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpidarkomama Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 We're in Savannah, and LOVE the fan we installed in the dining room. (Ceilings are 8 feet tall.) On the high setting, it does make candles zoom down to their bottom, but that's the only "side effect." A fan in every room has really lowered our electrical bills and made it pretty comfortable even if it's really hot out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WiseOwlKnits Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Yep, I would. And I actually do have a ceiling fan above the table. And we use it all. the. time. in the summer. But then, we have ceiling fans in every room of the house except the bathrooms and closets. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 When we replace our light we are going with ceiling fan. Our ceilings are normal height. In the summer it is brutal to sit there without any air moving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I've had one for 20 years. I've never had a problem with things on the table blowing away. I would think a fan blowing from the side would be more of a problem for that. It definitely keeps the kitchen comfortable in warm weather. You also reverse the blade direction to push hot air down when it's cold--I don't do that often because our kitchen is usually pretty warm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThelmaLou Posted January 20, 2012 Author Share Posted January 20, 2012 Yep, I would. And I actually do have a ceiling fan above the table. And we use it all. the. time. in the summer. But then, we have ceiling fans in every room of the house except the bathrooms and closets. :) Ditto that about ceiling fans in every room except the bathrooms and closets. Our house is 4200 sf, and when we moved in, we had only 2 ceiling fans: one in the master (in which my parents sleep, because my dad can't do the stairs) and one in the living room (which has a massively high ceiling, so you almost can't even feel the circulation from the fan way up there.) Hubby installed 8 ceiling fans as soon as we moved in, and he ended up replacing my parents' fan because it squeaked and wobbled so badly. But seriously...a house in Texas without a ceiling fan in every bedroom? What were the builders thinking? (I know, I know.... money) Well, I think I'm leaning toward going ahead and doing it. I'll definitely get one with plenty of lighting on it. The current "chandelier", if it can even be called that, is hideous. Hubby will be glad to know that the hive didn't give his idea an overwhelming thumbs down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 We have one. It runs all summer, day and night. Never noticed a problem Us too. I think the problems with things scattering are more related to bursts of air (vs the constant wind from a fan) and wind at an angle (the ceiling fan points straight down, no angles. Our ceilings are eight or ten feet :p iow, I have no idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Home_s_Cool Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Our ceilings are 8ft. We live in New England - no no extreme heat to deal with like TX, but no AC, so we run it during the "hot" times in the summer Since there are 2 switches on the wall - one for the light, one for the fan, we don't always have the fan running. I would have one - it hasn't caused any real issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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