Good ventilation is a key component to a healthy home environment. It keeps indoor air from becoming stale, or either too dry or too humid. Home ventilation systems include everything from cross ventilation through open windows, the use of electric fans and fresh air from air exchangers. But in this article I wish to concentrate on fans and how they contribute to the air quality in a home.



A ceiling fan, which is used to distribute heat in the winter and to cool the air in summer, will not do the job effectively if it wobbles. Balancing the blades is a simple process that will only take a few minutes. To balance the blades, make sure the fixture is shut off and tighten the screws which holds the blades to the blade brackets. Holding a yardstick vertically from the ceiling, measure the distance from the end of one blade to the ceiling. Then, without moving the yardstick, rotate the fan and measure each blade's distance to the ceiling. To make a correction, bend the blade brackets gently until each blade is the same distance from the ceiling. If this does not work, you can place counterweights on the blades or purchase a blade balancing kit at a hardware store.

A noisy ceiling fan can be a source of annoyance and will prevent the fan from working optimumly. After shutting of the fan, tighten the screws that can become loose with use. Make sure the canopy is not touching the ceiling as this can be a source of noise. You can also buy a silencer at the hardwood store if all else fails.

A fan can save you money. In summer, set the fan to draw warm air upwards. In the winter, set it to force warm air downwards. This will save you between four and eight percent on cooling costs and between one and two percent on heating cost for every degree you raise or lower your thermostat.

A kitchen fan will help remove moisture from cooking vapors which is important with cooking methods such as boiling or steaming food. It is important to clean the grill and filter regularly by removing and washing with lots of warm soapy water. Just make sure to switch off the power to the fan at the main power source before removing the screws and motor from it's housing to prevent electric shock. A clean fan will remove moisture from the air a lot more efficiently than a dirty one.