# Do you own a ceiling fan? Are they safe?



## RachelS (Jul 21, 2006)

Hi Mamas

We just moved in a two story house and it is hot hot hot upstairs. The old owners installed ceiling fans in all the bedrooms and they are very nice to help keep cool at night.... however... someone just mentioned to me that they are not safe.... is this true?? They did not give me a reason and I did not ask... but now its got me thinking.... ????

Any thoughts???

Thank you!


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## MeepyCat (Oct 11, 2006)

I have never heard that ceiling fans are unsafe. We have them in some places in our house (third floor, mostly) and don't use them much, but that's because the heat got so bad we decided a fan wasn't enough and put AC up there.

You shouldn't hang or swing from a ceiling fan, or allow your children to do so - but gosh, isn't that obvious? That's all I can think of, and it's not exactly a giant consumer risk.


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## pink gal (Feb 27, 2008)

My friend's husband was playing with their DS who was about 10 months at the time and held the baby up over his head. Yup, he held him right into the fan. Fortunately baby (and dad) were okay. They lived in a very old house with a dormer type ceiling so it was pretty low. Other than that I've never heard any problems with them.

Hope you get some relief from the heat!


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## Limabean1975 (Jan 4, 2008)

DH has put his hand up in a ceiling fan that was running full speed and come away with minor bruising.
My concern has always been that it will somehow detach and fly off the ceiling...but DH (who knows a bit about such things) says you only need worry about one that is not running smoothly / wobbling.


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## RachelS (Jul 21, 2006)

Thanks Mamas!!! I just did a little searching online on how to check/fix a wobbling ceiling fan and found some great tips... because out of all them we only have one that does have a small wobble to it.

Thank you again!


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## GruppieGirl (Feb 19, 2002)

I love







: my ceiling fan! It is way up in the vaulted ceiling...so no real chance of injury.

Your fan will help save you a ton on heating and cooling costs!







:

Counterclockwise in the summer to cool

Clockwise in the winter to pull the warm air down from the ceiling


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## RachelS (Jul 21, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *GruppieGirl* 

Counterclockwise in the summer to cool

Clockwise in the winter to pull the warm air down from the ceiling










Oh my gosh... I would have never known that! Thanks!!!


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## MCatLvrMom2A&X (Nov 18, 2004)

As long as they were hung properly with the right hardware they are perfectly safe. I have had 1 up for 10yrs now and it has never been turned off and it is still going just fine







and like pp mentioned have to be careful about holding baby up high.


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## lifeguard (May 12, 2008)

Oh - we always run out ceiling fans year round - it really does make a difference in your heating/cooling costs.

I would think ceiling fans would be safer than floor stand fans. They can't fall over, have problems with the cord/plug, little fingers can't reach them.


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## CompostMom (Jun 9, 2008)

I have always had a ceiling fan for as long as I can remember. If they are properly installed they are completley safe, in my opinion. They really help out to create a breeze in the rooms we have them, which in my house are living room areas and our bedroom. I think they help us be able to keep our air on 76 in summer but still be comfortable.


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## becoming (Apr 11, 2003)

We have ceiling fans and have never had a problem. I can't imagine why they would be considered unsafe, unless they weren't installed properly. Just make sure to keep them well dusted if any of you have allergy problems.


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## phathui5 (Jan 8, 2002)

How do I make it go the other direction for summer vs winter?


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## [email protected] (May 24, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *phathui5* 
How do I make it go the other direction for summer vs winter?

Mine have a little toggle switch on the hub just below where the blades are attached. Just flick it the other way when the fan is off


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## ParisApril (Apr 2, 2006)

The only saftey concern I can see would be putting a body part into the path of the blades. Our bed is up against the wall so DS doesn't fall out and we got a new ceiling fan this year. Which I







: too. I have had a few near misses getting on and off the bed though. I'm still getting used to it being there I guess.

I used to think that they could just fall down one day but when we installed ours it had a wire that you are to wrap around a joist in the attic so even if the screws all come loose and the fan falls the wire will save it from falling on you.


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## Ironica (Sep 11, 2005)

Just don't bring a helium balloon with a ribbon attached into the same room as the fan. ;-) Our rule is that balloons can only be in the living room or family room, since the office and dining room have ceiling fans.

Thanks for the tip about switching the direction in the winter!


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## LilMama23 (Jul 8, 2005)

Other than a few popped balloons, our fans haven't hurt anybody yet.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *RachelS* 
Oh my gosh... I would have never known that! Thanks!!!









And if your fans only go in one direction, it's probably possible to change the angle on the blades for the same effect. \ verses / to scoop air up instead of pushing it down.


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## DKLcorrigan (Jul 14, 2008)

i love my fan .. i think as long as the are installed properly .. they are safe


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

I've had fans in every room in the houses I've lived in and never had a problem. Once you are old enough to stand on your bed and put your hand in the blades of the fan, you should know better.

I did once throw a hula hoop (it was the 80's) into a fan light, and the glass broke... but very little chance of anyone getting hurt


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## IntuitiveJamie (Jun 24, 2006)

In Mississippi everyone has ceiling fans practically. It's a must have!


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## ShareBear (Sep 14, 2007)

My parents actually had a couple of ceiling fan blades break off and fly across the room--but that was a 20 year old fan that had been wobbling/vibrating visibly for oh, five or six years. Well, I guess it wasn't the blade part that broke, but the curved metal piece that the blades were screwed to. So if you can see it wobbling or shaking, do take the time to adjust or rebalance it.

For what it's worth, nothing was damaged and no one was hurt. In fact, after the first blade went flying, my parents just removed one on the opposite side so that it wasn't completely out of balance, and continued using it.







That is until another blade broke off. But I wouldn't recommend this.


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## abomgardner417 (Jun 19, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *GruppieGirl* 
Counterclockwise in the summer to cool

Clockwise in the winter to pull the warm air down from the ceiling










I have mine going the opposite because when I tried it counterclockwise we got no breeze. Maybe the blades are on a different way? Is this messing up our energy savings?


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## 77589 (Mar 7, 2007)

I get hit by one of ours at least a handful of times each year, but we have low ceilings and I'm a clutz







There is a bit of shock at first but no damage to hand, head, foot







yes foot. anyway. We have one in every room.. ummm they all wobble


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

I've heard that being dusty can make them wobble a bit. Might be worth getting up on a ladder with a cloth.

My ceilings are high enough that dh has to stand on tiptoe to pull the cords to adjust the lights and fan. I have to use a step stool. So we leave the fan on and the lights off and just use a floor lamp for light as needed.


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## rosegirl (Aug 2, 2007)

very safe- we have one in almost every room and in teh upstairs hallway.


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## SleeplessMommy (Jul 16, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *RachelS* 
Hi Mamas

We just moved in a two story house and it is hot hot hot upstairs. The old owners installed ceiling fans in all the bedrooms and they are very nice to help keep cool at night.... however... someone just mentioned to me that they are not safe.... is this true?? They did not give me a reason and I did not ask... but now its got me thinking.... ????

Check your attic insulation. There may be a low cost, permanent fix to the hot upstairs.


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## RachelS (Jul 21, 2006)

very interesting!! will check it out! thank you!!!

Thank you for the great responses!!!


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## MelanieMC (Jul 7, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *takebirthback* 
In Mississippi everyone has ceiling fans practically. It's a must have!









: I'm in alabama & I don't think I've ever seen a house that didn't have ceiling fans. If I didn't have them I'd have to have the AC going from april to october with the heat & humidity the way it is here. I agree with pp's as long as it's safely installed and not wobbling, it's safe to use.


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## Aries1985 (Feb 29, 2008)

I'd be lost and hot without ceiling fans! I love them and we run them daily.


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## simplespirit (Aug 1, 2005)

"Mythbusters" did an entire episode on ceiling fans once. Those guys crack me up.

The myth they were trying to prove/disprove was the urban myth of someone being decapitated by a ceiling fan.

The only way they could actually wack the gelatin head off of it's base was a) trick out the fan with a lawn mower motor as oppossed to the typical fan rotor and b) replace the fan blades with machette' type blades!

That show kinda reminds me of MTV's 'Jackass' but with science...


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## IvyPlum (Jul 19, 2008)

I've heard they can contribute to Bell's Palsy. Not sure about the validity of that, but an initial google search did turn up sites about it. Not sure about the validity of those sites, either...


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## RachelS (Jul 21, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *IvyPlum* 
I've heard they can contribute to Bell's Palsy. Not sure about the validity of that, but an initial google search did turn up sites about it. Not sure about the validity of those sites, either...

That is really bizzare ..... I did the search just to see too.... very strange


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## straighthaircurly (Dec 17, 2005)

I live with ceiling fans (and no AC) and I am puzzled why someone would say they are unsafe. And this is coming from a momma who's 18 month old got clobbered in the temple by a high speed ceiling fan (he was on DH's shoulders under a ceiling fan that was off...the idiotic hotel worker







flipped on the wall switch when my DH wasn't watching and when DH shifted his weight DS got clobbered HARD...nice contusion and lots of screaming but nothing that would scare me off having one...and we learned never to put DC on shoulders while near one







).


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## frontierpsych (Jun 11, 2006)

Ceiling fans are incredibly dangerous and if you have one in your house you are a bad person.


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## proudmamanow (Aug 12, 2003)

we just moved to a new house with ceiling fans in every bedroom...haven't turned on the AC yet even with 30+ degrees (celsius...) and humidity..
love em. Dd is not allowed on the top bunk when it's on though!


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## hibana (Jun 9, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Ironica* 
Just don't bring a helium balloon with a ribbon attached into the same room as the fan. ;-) Our rule is that balloons can only be in the living room or family room, since the office and dining room have ceiling fans.

Yup, I'm watching a week-old balloon tethered to a toy as it bobs around next to my chair. If you have the fan on high, and a really well-inflated mylar balloon, the result sounds like a gun going off in the room. (it was very startling)

We could not survive in our house without ceiling fans. My landlord put little ones in our bathrooms, and they're really nice when stepping out of the shower in the summer. (also for moving damp air out of the bathroom in winter so you don't have to vent all that lovely warm air outside or risk a mildewy bathroom)


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## kate~mom (Jul 21, 2003)

Do not throw grapes at the ceiling fan.


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## delly (Oct 30, 2007)

My personal paranoia about ceiling fans is one falling down off the ceiling.







Which is so incredibly unlikely that I know it's stupid to worry about it... but I still never left the baby lying under it alone, just in case.







Of course, the PPD and lack of sleep did leave me less than rational at times...







Does anyone want to reassure me that those things are NOT gonna fall on my head, please?


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## TinyFrog (Jan 24, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kate~mom* 
Do not throw grapes at the ceiling fan.


Marshmallows are much better!


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## oneKnight (Aug 4, 2006)

We have them, they are all dirt cheap WalMart lowest-end-models (from the previous owners) and they all wobble, the masterbedroom one wobbles so much it makes lots of noise too.
No falling off or other problems yet. Insted of trying to fix it I intend to replace it with a better quality fan . . . one of these days.

My dad knocked the glass light globe off of one when he stretched his arms up one morning, no injuries (thankfully). My sister kicked the fan from the top bunk once. Other than that we've never had any problems. Watch out for low ceilings or top bunks, those are the only dangers I know of.


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## lilyka (Nov 20, 2001)

I guess I can see where a ceiling fan would be unsafe. My grandparents lived in a mobile home with ceiling fans which was a challenege to my very tall grandfather. my dd bunk bed is so high, th room so small, they cannot use their fan. my bad. and occaisioanlly they have thrown stuff into the fan to watch iot get spit back out. discipline has solved that.

otherwise they are awesome and i don't see why more people don't use them.


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## kmeyrick (Aug 30, 2006)

Depends on where you put the trampoline.


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## tinamom (Nov 13, 2013)

I know this is an old post....but for any moms still searching this I have a strong opinion. Our ceiling fan fell without warning out of the ceiling. There was no wobble or sound or sign of a problem. My two-year old and I were under it at the time. It was terrifying, and it cut her badly and broke her nose. After I shared this incident with friends, I had 3 other people share similar stories with me. My fan was inspected when we bought the home, but apparently over time they can just break. I would never put one in a child's room because of this.


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