Ceiling Fans

[desgnr]

Which gives more airflo ,a 4 or 5 blade ceiling fan ?

[Ed Pawlowski]

Number of blades does not mean anything. You'd have to look at the CFM rating. More important than number is the size, pitch, speed of the blade.

[aemeijers]

It depends. Which has biggest diameter, size of blades, and steepest pitch of blades? Assuming all those are the same, and the blade-to-ceiling distance is the same, a 5-blade would. I haven't noticed a 4-blade fan in use or in the stores, in years. (Not that I have looked real hard, mind you. The question never came up for me.)

[LSMFT]

Everything else being equal, 5 would give you more air flow than 4.

[Joe]

Hunter still has 4 blade models, mostly smaller and specialty uses, like kids' rooms.

Joe

[Existential Angst]

Hunter still has 4 blade models, mostly smaller and specialty uses, like kids' rooms. =============================================

Yeah, I don't know if they're hunters, but HD has $19.95 hugger ceiling fans, and indeed with 4 blades. With a lite kit! Not bad.

Problem is, if you happen to touch the blades while spinning, the cast "arm" that attaches the blade to the hub cracks *immediately*, and appears near-impossible to fix.

[Mark Lloyd]

One of my fans came with 5 blades, and with holes in the motor so you can install 4 or 5. Is there any reason for preferring 4 blades?

[chaniarts]

noise. fewer is slightly less noise but only really noticable at high speed