Ceiling Fans Information & FAQ

What size ceiling fan is right for your room?
Great Rooms
Great Rooms are the warmest, most inviting room of the house. The selection of the correct ceiling fan for this area will set the mood as well as add comfort and style to your home. Great rooms require larger fans. Choose from or selection for 56'' to 72'' ceiling fans for a welcoming breeze. Don't forget to choose the correct downrod length and sloped ceiling adapter to assure proper hanging of this fixture.
Large Rooms 15' x 15'
Large rooms can be easily styled byselection of the right ceiling fan. Choose from ourselection of 52'' to 56'' ceiling fans that will help provide a cooling breeze in the summer andwith a flick of the reverse switch, force the warm air down in the winter.
Small Rooms 10' x 10'
Select from our selection of 38'' to 48'' ceiling fans to assure a perfect fit.
Small Spaces - Utility
Small spaces and utility rooms can be difficult. Norburn can assure the perfect fit with our 24'' ceiling fans. Don't forget to use a flush mount adapter in situations where ceiling height may be an issue.
Choosing a down rod.
Ceiling Fans are effective in both the summer and winter.
In the summer, ceiling fans are very effective at lowering the apparent temperature by making use of evaporation. When you are hot, you perspire, perhaps only a small amount. This is the body's way of cooling off - Evaporation of the perspiration pulls heat away from your body. Circulation of the air rapidly increases evaporation. The more evaporation, the cooler the apparent temperature.
Ceiling fans are more than a cooling device. In the winter, a large amount of heated air can collect in a large room with high ceilings before it can even be felt. In cold climates, where possible, heater vents are put in the floor. This is the most effective way to heat a room, because the air will rise. In a room with 14' cathedral ceiling or higher and the thermostat set at 20 degrees C or 68 degrees F - the uppermost 3 feet can be 32 degrees C or 90 degrees or higher before the thermostat shuts the furnace off.
A ceiling fan breaks up the cool and warm layers, making the overall room temperature uniform. By simply flipping a switch to reverse the fan's normal, warm air is moved across the ceiling and down the walls. This distributes room heat without creating a cooling draft. The result is that warm air is where you need it - at the level you live in, not on the ceiling. So, in winter you can lower your furnace thermostat by several degrees, again saving energy dollars
Frequently Asked Questions
What to do if your ceiling fan wobbles
There are several things that can cause a ceiling fan to wobble
  • Loose junction box
  • Loose mounting hardware
  • Loose blade holders
  • Bent blade holders
  • Warped blades
  • Blades that are out of balance
  • Inferior quality ceiling fan

Quality fans don't normally wobble.
For a ceiling fan to perform efficiently it is important that the blades be flat and that each blade weighs the same. Better quality ceiling fan manufacturers use various techniques to keep warping to a minimum. "Balanced" blades, blades that are electronically matched at the factory are sold as balanced sets of four or five blades, depending on the design of the fan. This, combined with the use of precision quality made components such as the blade holders and motor, help insure that the fan will not wobble when they are newly installed. Cheaper brands do not go through this process, so it is likely that the blades are either warped or do not weigh the same as each other.

Make sure your junction box is secure
Remove the canopy from the top of the fan at the ceiling and try to wiggle the junction box to see if it is not loose. If it is secured properly, you should not be able to move it. If the junction box is loose, you will need to reinforce it. If you have an attic above the ceiling fan, you can reinforce the junction box simply by nailing a 2x4 between the joists above the junction box and then screw the junction box into the 2x4. There are special expandable fan brackets available for applications where there is no attic space. To install one of these, you will need to remove the existing junction box from the ceiling. Slip the expandable fan brace up through the hole in the ceiling, then twist it so that it expands until it is wedged between the joists. There is hardware supplied that will enable you to attach the j-box to the fan brace. Make sure all screws are tight

Your ceiling fan may be wobbling simply because there are some lose screws somewhere. Be sure all screws attaching your fan to the ceiling are tight. For fans other than hugger fans, there is usually a ball at the top of the downrod that fits into a bracket that is mounted to the ceiling. This ball will normally have some type of set screw that keeps it tight. Make sure that the set screw is tight and that the ball does not wiggle on the end of the downrod. If it does, this could be your problem. If the fan does not come with a set screw, then it was poorly designed and you may not be able to solve your wobbling problem. However, you should continue through all of these steps anyway.

Be sure that the screws holding the blade holders to the fan motor are tight, as well as the screws that hold the blades to the blade holders. These screws are the most common to get loose. Although this is not a problem with most better quality fans, some of the cheaper fans seem to have a chronic problem with blade screws, so if yours are loose, you should check them regularly just to be safe.

Check for bent blade holders
Hold a yard stick near the end of a blade and measure the distance from the bottom edge of the blade to the ceiling. Rotate the fan one blade at a time checking them at the same point. You might notice that one or two of the blades hang lower than the rest. This indicates that you either have warped blades or a bent blade iron. You can visually inspect the blades by standing on a ladder and looking at them down the length. Warped blades or bent blade holders are a common cause for wobbling ceiling fans.

If you suspect that you have warped blades or bent blade holders, we suggest that you remove the blades from the fan by loosening the screws that hold the blade holders to the motor. This way you can remove the blade holders from the blades once you take them down and then perform the next two checks. First, stack all of the blades on top of each other. You will easily notice if one or more are warped. If they are warped more than 1/4", then you may want to consider trying to replace them, although you will need to find the correct blades to fit your blade holders. Next, stack all of the blade holders on top of each other to see if any of them are bent. Be sure to line up the base of the blade holders so you can check the angle that each blade holder is bent to. They all should be the same. If one or more are obviously different, you can attempt to bend them back, but you must be careful since some of the cheaper fans use pot metal for these parts and they can break easily. Finding replacement blade holders is difficult or impossible for cheaper fans, but not so much for the more the higher quality fans. Give us a call to see if replacement blade holders are available for your fan if need be.

 

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 Testimonials

Dear Norm: Please accept my sincere thanks for your input and consistent support on the design and implementation of the Laroche Residence. As anyone familiar with the project knows, it was a complex and demanding design on a difficult and unusual site. The design process involved a great deal of detailed preparation and the input of numerous participants. Your assistance on the overall lighting design, both interior and exterior, was consistently valuable, as were your many fixture recommendations. The construction of the home, which has taken upwards of two years to complete, required the full commitment of the builder and his team, as well as dozens of sub-trades and suppliers. Needless to say, coordinating all of this was at times both difficult and frustrating. However, I can say without hesitation that working with you and your team at Norburn was a pleasure. You quickly earned our confidence with your professional approach and maintained that trust with timely support and follow-up. As corny as it might sound, if every key supplier had a Norm Brown, my life would be a lot easier. Thanks again for the help and I look forward to working with you again in the future. Yours truly,
David Mailing
Architect


I have had the pleasure of working with Carol Smith at Norburn Lighting in Langley on both residential and commercial applications. She has been a great source of knowledge and takes pride in her work. A proffesional that you know your clients are in good hands with.Thanks for making my job easier.
Cindy Vodermayer/Colour Schemes


It was pleasure to deal with such a knowledge person as Carol, in respect to our lighting needs. Not only did we get excellent input but suggestions and options for unique and quality lighting for our home. Norburn lighting and yourself saved us lot time in solving our lighting requirements.
Thank you.
Martin & Toni Harman


My wife and I designed our "dream home" in South Langley. For our lighting and plumbing needs, our Builder suggested we visit Norburn Lighting. We were so impressed with their selection that we ended up choosing lighting and plumbing fixtures for our entire house through their Surrey store. In addition to offering a wide range of choice, we were also very impressed with the product knowledge and customer service provided by Norburn's Manager Carol Smith and her staff.
Greg and Whitney Chad


“Proper lighting is a critical component to creating drama in homes, and requires an expert to be able to work with Owners to guide them through the process” I have known Norm Brown for almost 20 years, and have always trusted his opinions for the location and types of lighting required to enhance the details of the custom homes that we build for our clients. With his outgoing personality, extensive knowledge of lighting products and lighting design, he is the only person that we recommend to our clients to work with for their lighting packages.
Mark Ashcroft
President
API Construction Ltd.


Dear Mr. Brown, We have now completed our new house and would like to thank you and your group at Norburn. From the your first review of our plans where you eliminated 25% of our lights but rearranged what we had and provided much better lighting solution than we would have had without that review. Additionally, the competitive pricing you provided and very timely delivery of our orders, made your organization stand out among the many suppliers we utilized.
Thanks again! Don Jewell, West Vancouver


I want to thank Laurie Harley for the great help in assisting me in the lighting and plumbing needs for my store. I tried all the big box stores and wholesalers but was only able to get what I needed at Norburn. Stock and service! What a concept.
James Yauk


Over the years I have used many lighting suppliers through different organizations in my architecture, design and project management career. What I believe in and expect for a lighting supplier is customer service, knowledge, and leadership. This I got from Norburn Lighting in the past fourteen years. The best part of it is that many of the people that I deal other than the manager at Norburn Lighting have been working there for many years. This tells you something about how the business operates. The size of the lighting store is not a mega lighting store but do provide a great selection of interior and exterior lighting. It helps if you are dealing with knowledgeable people and a great leader. This leader I am referring to is Norm Brown who manages a few of the Norburn locations. What I like about this guys is his knowledge on lighting. He is a Certified Lighting Consultant and is part of the American Lighting Association. He provides lighting designs and has taught my staff about lighting designs. I have been fortunate enough to know Norm for over twenty years since the Guillevin International Co formally Gough Electric. He provided me the service and the straight goods time and time again and have saved a lot of money on lighting that I followed him. Not that I listen to him all the time.....certainly we have difference of opinions on lighting but that is half the fun in debates. Sincerely,
David Wong - Director of Design and Development
WHG Design Ltd


During the past few years, Norburn Lighting has helped make several of my design projects a success. The knowledge in their products and fast delivery makes them stand out over the rest. I'm happy to use Norburn Lighting for future projects.
Mario Szabat, Designer
Projekt by Design
projektbydesign.ca


We found the outstanding customer service provided by Norburn to be above and beyond all of our expectations. From start to finish - Jim Wong went out of his way to provide us with exceptional assistance and follow up to ensure we were completely satisfied. The competence, experience, product and design knowledge of Norburn Lighting staff enabled us to install a superior lighting system that has more than met our needs in every aspect. By working with Norburn Lighting we achieved superlative results and we would highly recommend their company to everyone.
Diane Goos - West Vancouver


For several years now I have been working with Norburn Lighting and Bath in their Burnaby location. I always think of them first when designing a client’s kitchen or bathroom. Without a doubt they supply me with the best service in the lowermainland and for that reason I go out of my way to work with Alan Ladha at this location. Allan is responsible, knowledgeable and pleasant through out all of our business dealing and never do I feel that any request is too small. Along with Allan, the entire staff is helpful welcoming and very service oriented. Kudos to all of you for making every trip a happy experience. Anita Harder
Owner Shalimar Design & Consulting


Dear Norm, Please accept my sincere thanks for your input and consistent support on the design and implementation of the Laroche Residence.As anyone familiar with the project knows, it was a complex and demanding design on a difficult and unusual site. The design process involved a great deal of detailed preparation and the input of numerous participants. Your assistance on the overall lighting design, both interior and exterior, was consistently valuable, as were your many fixture recommendations. The construction of the home, which has taken upwards of two years to complete, required the full commitment of the builder and his team, as well as dozens of sub-trades and suppliers. Needless to say, coordinating all of this was at times both difficult and frustrating. However, I can say without hesitation that working with you and your team at Norburn was a pleasure. You quickly earned our confidence with your professional approach and maintained that trust with timely support and follow-up. As corny as it might sound, if every key supplier had a Norm Brown, my life would be a lot easier. Thanks again for the help and I look forward to working with you again in the future.
David Mailing
Architect


Dear Sirs, We have been dealing with Norburn Lighting for as long as I have been in business as it is the one trusted lighting store I can fully rely on to assist my clients with their needs, whether it be new construction, renovations, purchase of new lighting or just information on current lighting trends. In particular over the past 2 years we refer clients and associates to Elizabeth Zunti. Her customer service skills, combined with excellent knowledge of all areas in lighting more than exceeds customer expectations and assists in taking the anxiety out of the process. We have no hesitation in recommending Elizabeth and the staff at Norburn to our existing and future clients.
Design Happens Inc.