Planning on getting a ceiling fan? Well, before you get to enjoy the cooling nature of those spinning blades, you will need to think about ceiling fan placement. This means where you want the ceiling fan installed in the room. People often ask whether the ceiling fan has to be centered in the room.
If you have a smaller room, then it would probably make sense to put the ceiling fan in the center of the room. However, it is not necessary. You can put the ceiling fan wherever you want. Most people will place the ceiling fan in areas that they tend to relax in, e.g. above the sofa or the bed.
Let’s go into a bit of depth on this. You will learn more about ceiling fan placement and why choosing the right location for the fan is important. We will even help you to find the center of the room!
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Table Of Contents
Does a Ceiling Fan Have To Be Centered In a Room?
While the traditional place to put a ceiling fan is in the center of the room, there are no rules that explicitly state that it has to be there.
The main reason people put a ceiling fan in the center of the room is to ensure even fanning across the room’s width. However, you don’t always need to do that.
In many cases, you may want to put a ceiling over the areas where people are sitting. So, for example, if your seating area isn’t in the center of the room, there is no sense in having the fan in the center of the room. It would be highly inefficient.
Instead, you will want to move that ceiling fan closer to the seating area. You would need a much smaller fan for this, and ultimately, it will save you a lot of cash on your energy bills.
In some cases, your room may be so large that placing a single fan in the center of the room wouldn’t work. Instead, placing a couple of fans in key parts around the room would be much better. None of them need to be centered. They just need to be in a position where they will be working efficiently.
What Do Consider Before Placing a Ceiling Fan
The first thing you should think about is the size of the room. If the room is fairly small, then placing the ceiling fan in the center of the room will be fine. It will provide even distribution of airflow.
However, when you are working with a larger room, there are a few things that you will need to consider.
Firstly, you will want to think about the areas that need the most cooling. This means the places where you are likely to be spending your time. So:
- Sofa or seating area
- Dining table
- Bed
If you have a larger room, then you will want to ensure that the ceiling fan is as close to these places as possible. It will ensure the most efficient cooling. After all, it means that your fan won’t be working hard to cool down areas that are sitting empty.
At the same time, you are going to want to consider anything in the room that could impact where the ceiling fan is placed. For example, if you have recessed lights on your ceiling or beams. In some cases, you may have to have your ceiling fan slightly off-center to accommodate for this.
Remember, there is nothing wrong with having multiple small ceiling fans scattered about the room, particularly if you have a larger room. You don’t always need to think about the optimal placement for a single ceiling fan.
Can a Ceiling Fan Be Off-Center In a Room?
There are no issues with having a ceiling fan off-center in a room. Well, outside of the visual aspect of it.
If you plan to put a ceiling fan dead in the center of the room, try and get it as close to the center as possible. If you are just a couple of inches out, then it would likely slightly odd.
If you can’t get the ceiling fan dead in the center of the room, we recommend dotting smaller fans around the room instead. It is much more visually appealing, and you could probably save a little on your energy bill doing that. Don’t have the ceiling fan a couple of inches off of the center of your room, if possible.
Does a Ceiling Fan Need To Be Centered Over a Bed?
A ceiling fan does not need to be centered over the bed. However, most people opt to have the ceiling fan centered over the bed for two reasons:
- It is much more visually appealing
- You can opt for a smaller fan. After all, you only need the fan to cool down the bed area rather than the whole room.
The major downside of placing the fan over the bed is that it becomes more difficult to move the bed in the future. After all, you easily remove the ceiling fan from the ceiling. It would be costly.
How To Find The Center Of a Room For a Ceiling Fan
Finding the center of a room can be rather tricky. To make things a little bit easier, you can find the center of the floor and then work out the center of the ceiling from that. You can use the following method:
- Move furniture away from the center of the room. It will make measuring hard if you keep it there.
- Measure from one wall to the other. Divide this number in two. The center point between these two walls is that value. So, if your room is 20-feet across, the center would be at the 10-feet mark.
- Measure between the other two walls. Also, divide this number into two. Make a note of it.
- Using these numbers, you will be able to measure to the center of the room. Draw a mark in the center.
- Hold a plumb bob above the center mark of the room.
- Move the plumb bob around until the weight is positioned over the center mark.
- Wait for the weight to stop swinging.
- You can now mark the center point on the ceiling.
Final Words
You do not have to place a ceiling fan in the center of the room. While it makes sense in smaller rooms, it doesn’t for larger ones.
Ideally, your ceiling fan placement should be based on areas that you will often be in. In larger rooms, a centrally-placed ceiling fan will be very energy inefficient.
