Is It Safe To Accept A Ceiling Fan Above The Bed?
Where I alive, the conditions tin live super hot inwards summertime. I currently counter the estrus alongside a pedestal fan, but my dream is to install a ceiling fan in a higher place my bed because it’sec fashion meliorate looking together with doesn’t accept upwardly floor space. But it’s no practiced dreaming of the pros without first considering the cons. One con, in detail, is the condom gamble associated with this installation.
There is definitely a chance of injury if y'all install a ceiling fan to a higher place the bed. This is a unproblematic fact. But don’t terminate reading! In the plain of health as well as safe, the presence of risk is not the same equally the likelihood of risk, in addition to there are many ways that you tin mitigate an already depression risk.
If proper precautions are taken, it’sec safety to have a ceiling fan to a higher place a bed. The exceptions are bunk beds together with loft beds. Ceiling fans should never be higher up these. Proper precautions include right installation, proper wiring, together with behavioral adaptations.
Primary Risks of Ceiling Fans Above Beds
There are two master risks to reckon when installing a ceiling fan higher up the bed. First, people worry that the ceiling fan will autumn. Second, heads in addition to arms can hitting the fan blades, causing injury. As long equally care is taken to mitigate the risk of injury, you lot don’t take to avoid having an to a higher place-bed ceiling fan.
i. Ceiling Fan Falling
The greatest fearfulness people take almost a ceiling fan above the bed is that fans volition suspension together with fall out of their brackets or the ceiling. However, every bit long as the fan is properly installed, this is a very unlikely situation.
Even if it does go on, the wires can often grab the ceiling fan, preventing it from falling also far. This tin damage the wiring too atomic number 82 to other issues, merely you won’t live striking by the falling fan. If this happens, the wiring should live repaired as before long every bit possible.
A falling ceiling fan tin can sure effort injuries, merely deaths are very rare (and are typically indirect equally a outcome of caput injury). If this is a large fear for y'all, positioning the fan in a higher place the foot of the bed may help rest this worry. The weight together with fall-tiptop of the fan, likewise every bit where it hits yous, would make up one's mind the severity of the injury.
Even though this is the situation that causes virtually worry, it’sec really less likely than the moment take a chance.
two. Heads as well as Arms Injured By The Blades
More oftentimes than ceiling fans falling, people tin can live injured past coming into contact amongst ceiling fan blades.
When fans are higher up beds, injury is specially probable if children are jumping on the bed. In fact, any action involving standing on the bed (such equally cleaning/dusting, picture, etc.) tin can position a hazard to people.
If a ceiling fan is installed too depression, it is as well likely to drive people caput or arm injuries from merely stretching beneath the working fan. Taller people are more at gamble for injuries from depression-hanging fans.
The touch from fan blades can drive bruising, muscle or nervus damage, lacerations, in addition to in the worst example, a concussion or other encephalon injury.
Preventing Ceiling Fans From Falling
Proper installation will foreclose ceiling fans from falling. If your fan is already installed, y'all tin can go a ceiling fan inspection to bank check that it has been properly fixed into your ceiling.
Installing a fan from scratch requires an electrical junction box in addition to fan distich box. If yous’re converting a low-cal fixture to a ceiling fan, y'all’ll ask to upgrade the junction box.
Using the Proper Electrical Junction Box
The electric junction boxes used for a low-cal fixture are different than the ones used for fans. The electric junction box supports the fan in addition to must be listed past the National Electric Code as rubber to role for fans.
The reason particular junction boxes are required is due to forces from the fan (particularly rotation) that volition campaign the back up to fail if it is solely designed to concur a light.
The information on the junction box will land if it’s rated to support ceiling fans merely there are as well other ways to tell.
Junction Boxes Must Be Attached to Joists
Just using a fan-rated junction box is pointless if you lot make not attach it to the ceiling joists. These ultimately render the support for the ceiling fan, making the actual ceiling boards non-weight-bearing.
Ceiling Fan Braces as well as Safety Cables/Wires
A ceiling fan duet (amazon link) supports the junction box when the fan is installed betwixt two joists. It’s really important that the fan is not hanging from the ceiling alone because drywall is not potent enough to agree the fan.
A mounting yoke wedges itself betwixt ceiling joists to ensure that the mass of the fan’second weight is borne by these structural supports. Check that your mounting bracket and electric box are compatible amongst these braces earlier buy.
A video on installing a ceiling fan twosome is found below:
For heavy fans, you tin can use a safety cable (amazon link) to hold the fan inwards place. They add an extra measure out of security past property the fan to the mountain or joist to forbid the fan torso from falling fifty-fifty if the support housing breaks.
Cables similar to these are too used to attach ceiling fans to joists in drib ceilings.
Mitigating the Chance of Head and Arm Injuries
To avoid head in addition to arm injuries, the best modes of activeness are to become the fan equally high off the ground (too away from the bed) equally possible as well as to modify your habits in addition to the conduct of your loved ones to avoid contact amongst the ceiling fan.
Installing Ceiling Fans at the Proper Height
Neither the International Residential Code (IRC) nor the National Electrical Code (NEC) gives specific height recommendations for ceiling fans. However, fan manufacturers as well as the EPA Energystar program do furnish clearance parameters. They propose that fan blades should be no less than seven feet from the ground.
To avoid injury from contact alongside ceiling fan blades, effort to install your ceiling fan every bit about the ceiling every bit possible (just not less than 8″ from the ceiling or you lot volition impair the efficiency of the fan). The distance betwixt the fan as well as the bed volition already be shorter than betwixt the fan as well as the floor, so avoid using a long down rod, specially if you have depression ceilings.
Making Behavioral Changes to Avoid Injury
If you lot take children, prohibit them from jumping on the bed or engaging in whatever activeness that has them standing on the bed, if possible. When children are acquaint inwards the bedchamber, it may be a skilful thought to lower the fan speed or plow it off.
Adults should likewise avoid standing on the bed to clean, paint, etc. If yous design to stand up on the bed for whatsoever argue, make certain the fan is turned off to avoid causing greater pain inward example of knocking against it.
Any tall people should also take aid to non achieve upwards or walk nether a low-hanging ceiling fan.
Bunk Beds/Loft Beds
There are ii scenarios in which having a ceiling fan in a higher place a bed becomes far more than unsafe: when the beds are bunk beds or loft beds.
Bunk or loft beds are typically much closer to the ceiling than whatever other type, increasing the adventure of injury exponentially. Even having a ceiling fan adjacent to one of these beds is not a good thought.
Another component that weighs inwards here is the fact that bunk beds and loft beds are typically used past children who more often than not too naturally take less developed activeness-consequence processing. In other words, they are more than impulsive.
In all other cases, I intend that having a ceiling fan above the bed (or at to the lowest degree in the sleeping room) is a really adept idea.
Sources
https://www.nachi.org/ceiling-fan-inspection.htm
https://ceilingfantips.com/tin-a-ceiling-fan-fall-as well as-how-to-forbid-this/
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