Fanco Ceiling Fans

Fanco ceiling fans buying guide

Fanco is an Australian-owned and designed brand of ceiling fans and ventilation products, according to its own about page, with DC and AC motors and both indoor and outdoor styles. People who search for Fanco usually want to know which range is which, whether to choose DC, which suit a bedroom or a patio, and how the ranges compare on size, airflow and ceiling. This collection holds the Fanco ceiling fans listed here, and each range has its own page. This guide sets the ranges side by side from the specification lines on the listings, with CHOICE and retailer guides used for general advice about fans. Points from CHOICE or a retailer are attributed in the text; the rest comes from the listings.

How the Fanco ceiling fan ranges differ

Blade material, motor, size and ceiling suitability separate the ranges. Most are DC fans with six speeds and a remote, and a few are AC with three speeds. ABS plastic blades are the norm, with solid timber on some ranges. A few state flat ceilings only, while most take up to 15 degrees of pitch. The sections below go through the groups, with a link to each range page for the full detail. For fans from other makers see ceiling fans.

Fanco DC ceiling fans with ABS blades

• Eco Silent Pro: 48, 52 and 56 inch, DC, 36 to 40 watts, airflow of 13,283 to 15,388 cubic metres an hour (12,000 on one 48 inch version), 15 degrees of pitch, overall height of about 305mm to 314mm. The listings carry indoor and outdoor undercover wording and coastal wording.
• Infinity iD: 48 and 54 inch, DC, 20.2 and 39.5 watts, airflow of 9,409 and 14,125, with indoor and outdoor undercover wording.
• Horizon: 52 and 64 inch, DC, 25.3 and 45 watts, airflow of 13,862 and 19,010, 15 degrees. Some listings say indoor or outdoor use, coastal rated.
• Eco Style: 52 and 60 inch, DC, 33 and 40 watts, airflow of 9,641 and 15,200, 15 degrees, indoor.
• Flow: 52 inch, DC, 31 watts, 13,386 cubic metres an hour, indoor, with most versions stating flat ceilings only.

Fanco timber blade fans

• EarthFirst Gaia: 48 and 54 inch, DC, 26 and 30 watts, airflow of 12,973 and 14,870, FSC certified solid timber blades with a bio-based housing, flat ceilings only, indoor.
• EarthFirst Wynd and Wynd: 52, 54 and 60 inch, DC, timber blades, with the EarthFirst versions stating flat ceilings only and the Wynd V3 stating 14 degrees, 28 watts and 14,782 cubic metres an hour.
• Sanctuary: 52 inch, DC, solid timber blades, 40 watts, 8,860 cubic metres an hour, 15 degrees, indoor.

Fanco AC ceiling fans

Breeze is the AC range: 48 and 52 inch, three speeds, airflow of 9,030 and 9,950, 44 to 45 watts, 15 degrees, ABS blades. CHOICE points out AC motors are the older type and usually have three speeds, while DC motors are now the most common, are more efficient and offer up to seven speeds. In CHOICE testing DC fans used less electricity than AC on average. See DC motor fans for the full DC set.

Choosing between DC ranges

Start with the ceiling and the room, then pick the blade and the look. A flat ceiling opens every range. A sloped ceiling rules out the ranges that state flat only, and CHOICE says fans generally handle about 10 degrees of tilt without a kit and need a raked ceiling kit and a longer rod at 20 to 40 degrees. For quiet in a bedroom, listen at the lowest speed, and a DC motor is the quieter type in the sources. For airflow in a big room, compare the cubic metres an hour. The Horizon at 64 inch lists the highest figure here, and the Infinity iD at 48 inch the lowest of the DC fans with a stated figure.

Choosing the size

CHOICE gives 52 inch (132cm) as the standard size, 48 inch for smaller rooms and over 54 inch (137cm) for larger square rooms of about 5 by 5 metres or more. A retailer pairs 6 to 12 square metres with 48 to 52 inch, 12 to 20 square metres with 52 to 60 inch, and over 20 square metres with 60 inch and larger. The 48 inch fans suit a small bedroom or study. The 52 inch fans, the largest group, suit a standard bedroom or living room. The 54, 56, 60 and 64 inch fans suit a larger living room, and for a very large space CHOICE reports several fans work better than one oversized fan. See large fans and small fans.

Ceiling height

Blades must hang at least 2.1 metres above the floor, as retailers advise. The listed overall heights for the Eco Silent Pro are about 305mm to 314mm. Arithmetic from those figures: on a 2.4 metre ceiling the blades hang at about 2.09 metres, which is just under the minimum, so a standard ceiling needs a fan built close to the ceiling or a ceiling of about 2.5 metres. The electrician should confirm the figures. A hugger or flush fan suits a low ceiling, see low profile fans, and a rod suits a high one, see ceiling fans for high ceilings.

Timber blades

Many wood-look blades are plastic, as CHOICE reports, and the listings for the Gaia, Wynd and Sanctuary state solid timber blades. The Gaia listing names FSC certified solid timber with a bio-based motor housing, and the brand's own site describes the Gaia the same way. A retailer says timber blades can warp or swell in moisture, so timber suits rooms with stable humidity, and the listings give indoor as the use for these ranges. ABS blades resist weather, and CHOICE notes no blade material has been shown to improve airflow. See woodgrain ceiling fans.

Lights and colours

The ranges come with and without an LED light, and some list colour temperature options of 3000K, 4000K and 5000K. One retailer points out warm white of about 2700K to 3000K suits bedrooms and lounges and neutral white of about 4000K suits task areas. CHOICE warns that a fan light near downlights can cause a strobe effect, and that many models are sold as light or no-light versions only, so decide before buying. Finishes run through white, black, natural timber, woodgrain and bronze. See white ceiling fans, black ceiling fans and ceiling fans with lights.

Controls and smart fans

Most ranges list a remote in the box, and some list wall control, a timer, a breeze mode or app control. CHOICE lists pull cords, wall switches, remotes and apps as the usual options, and says a wall-switch fan must be installed by a licensed electrician. The smart versions work through an app, and it is worth confirming the app and the remote for the model you buy. See smart ceiling fans.

Indoor, undercover and coastal wording

Several listings carry indoor and outdoor undercover wording, and some carry coastal wording. Check the application line on the specification for the one you buy, because the wording varies between listings and ranges. One retailer observes that covered does not mean dry, because sideways rain, mist and sea air can reach a fan near the edge of a roof, and that IP ratings say nothing about corrosion resistance. For fans rated for outdoors see outdoor ceiling fans and coastal rated fans.

Fanco exhaust fans

Fanco also makes exhaust fans. They move moist air out of a bathroom, which is a different job from a ceiling fan. They have their own pages: Fanco bathroom exhaust fans, Dynamic and Hybrid 250.

About the Fanco brand

The brand's about page describes Fanco as an Australian-owned and designed brand that makes ceiling fans and ventilation products for homes and commercial projects. It lists DC and AC ceiling fans, indoor and outdoor styles, fans with lights, remotes or smart controls, exhaust fans, cooling fans, heat recovery units and air purifiers. The page dates the Fanco Urban fan to 2010 and says the brand sells through stockists and online retailers. The brand's home page describes the EarthFirst Gaia as having FSC certified solid timber blades and a bio-based plastic housing. That is the brand describing its own products, and the specification line on each of the listings is the figure to work from.

How airflow figures work

The listings give maximum airflow in cubic metres an hour for most ranges. A fan with a larger span usually lists a higher figure, so the Horizon at 64 inch lists 19,010 against 13,862 at 52 inch. The wattage runs the other way in one respect: the Infinity iD lists 20.2 watts at 48 inch and 39.5 at 54 inch. CHOICE points out no blade material has been shown to improve airflow, that design, shape and motor quality are what count, and that blade count is not a factor. Large fans usually run at their lowest speed most of the time, as CHOICE explains, so the top-speed figure is a ceiling and not the everyday number. Compare ranges at the same span to see the difference.

Summer and winter use

A fan makes people feel cooler by moving air across the skin so sweat evaporates, and it does not lower the air temperature, according to CHOICE. A government passive-cooling guide, quoted by a retailer, says a fan can make a space feel about 3 degrees cooler while using far less energy than air conditioning. In winter, reversing the fan from anticlockwise to clockwise pulls air upward and moves warm air from the ceiling without a direct draught. The Fanco listings state a reverse function across the ceiling fan ranges, and a remote or wall control sets it.

Noise

For a bedroom, CHOICE suggests listening at the lowest speed, because clicking or knocking is more irritating than steady air noise. Humming can come from ripple control signals on the supply and is usually not a fan fault, and a conventional dimmer on a fan light can also cause humming. DC motors are the quieter type in the sources, and a retailer lists AC fans as usually louder with fewer speeds. The specification does not give a decibel figure, so the motor type and the lowest speed are the guide. See quiet operation fans.

Which range has which feature

• Lowest wattage: the Infinity iD at 48 inch, listed at 20.2 watts.
• Highest airflow listed: the Horizon at 64 inch, at 19,010 cubic metres an hour.
• Timber blades: Gaia, Wynd and Sanctuary.
• Flat ceilings only: the Gaia, the EarthFirst Wynd and most of the Flow.
• AC with three speeds: Breeze.
• Coastal wording on some listings: Eco Silent Pro, Infinity iD and Horizon.

What is not stated

Some figures are not stated. The specifications do not give an IP rating for the ceiling fan ranges, and they do not give a noise figure in decibels. Some ranges give an overall height and others do not, and the pitch is not stated on every listing. For any of these, the specification sheet linked from the product page and the supplier are the places to confirm.

Common questions on Fanco fans

• Which Fanco ceiling fan is quietest? DC motors are the quieter type in the sources, and the listings do not give decibel figures, so test at the lowest speed.
• Do all Fanco fans have lights? No. The ranges come with and without an LED light.
• Can a Fanco fan go outside? Some listings carry undercover and coastal wording, and the application line on each listing is the figure to check.
• Which suits a sloped ceiling? A range that lists 14 or 15 degrees of pitch, and a steeper slope needs a raked kit.
• Do Fanco fans come in timber? Yes, the Gaia, Wynd and Sanctuary ranges list solid timber blades.
• Is there an AC option? Yes, the Breeze, with three speeds.

Installation and care

A hard-wired ceiling fan must be installed by a licensed electrician, and CHOICE says wall-switch fans cannot legally be fitted without one. The electrician checks the ceiling support, the wiring, the switch position and the circuit protection. Wipe the blades every few weeks, as retailers suggest. A fan that wobbles is louder and less efficient, and a balance kit corrects it, as CHOICE reports.

Specification checklist

• Range and size: against the room.
• Motor: DC or AC, and the speeds.
• Airflow: cubic metres an hour at the top speed.
• Ceiling pitch: flat only or up to 15 degrees.
• Overall height: against the ceiling and the 2.1 metre minimum.
• Blade: ABS or timber.
• Light: included or not, and colour temperature.
• Control: remote, wall control or app.
• Application: indoor, or the undercover and coastal wording.

Room by room

• A bedroom: a 48 or 52 inch DC fan, with a timer or sleep function where listed.
• A living room: a 52 or 54 inch DC fan, with a light if the fan is the main fitting.
• A larger living area: a 60 or 64 inch DC fan.
• A sloped ceiling: a range that lists 14 or 15 degrees.
• A timber look: the EarthFirst or Sanctuary ranges on a flat ceiling.
• A covered patio: a range with undercover wording, once the exposure is checked.

Related collections

For every style see ceiling fans. For another brand, Martec ceiling fans.