There are a variety of ways that you can keep cooler in the heat of the summer and ceiling fans are one of the options available. These can be installed in a variety of locations and can be useful for both indoor rooms and outdoor areas such as patios. They are generally simple to control and there are a variety of ceiling fan switches which are designed for this purpose.
Ceiling fan switches come in a few different styles and are used to control the functions of the fan. Switches can typically control the speed of rotation of the blades, with most having a few different settings to speed up or slow down the blades to suit the conditions. Some switches can be used to change the direction in which the blades rotate and also if the ceiling fan is fitted with a light the switch will generally control this.
Typically ceiling fan switches can be wall mounted or mounted on the fan itself. A common style that has been used over the years is the pull chain switch and this hangs down from the fan itself and when pulled will cycle the fan from off, through a few different speeds and back to off. This type generally has a low, medium and high setting and is easy to use. However the pull chain needs to be long enough that it is possible to reach up and operate the fan. These are typically inexpensive to purchase if you need one and can be found on the market for less than $5.
Wall mounted ceiling fan switches can be a more convenient style and are commonly used these days. These require a little more work to install as wiring is required from the fan to the wall switch, although they make it easy for anyone to operate the fan. Wall mounted switches for ceiling fans come in a couple of styles. The first is a circular dial or knob which either clicks through a set of speeds or works more like a dimmer switch with the dial rotating to speed up or slow down the blades of the fan. Costs for a dial type wall mounted ceiling fan switch can typically vary in the $10 to $25 price range.
The other style of wall mounted ceiling fan switches are slide control switches. These typically feature a knob which slides up and down to control the speed of the fan and the cost for this style tends to range from around $20 to $35.
Switches for ceiling fans are produced by a few manufacturers with some of the brands including Lutron Electronics, Angelo Westinghouse and the Hunter Fan Company. They can be found for sale on the internet with online retailers such as Aubuchon Hardware being an example of this. However home improvement stores can also be places to look with Home Depot having a few models available.
Ceiling fans can be a good accessory to have in your home and can help to make it a more comfortable place to live. There are various ceiling fan switches available for controlling these. Most are easy to use and they will ensure that the fan can be operated at a speed that suits the conditions.