Ceiling Fan Options

[crabapplemcn]

I am buying a fan and there are a couple option for bulbs/ controls I dont understand and was looking for some help. The light kit options are:
- 75w halogen ambient light
- 18w gu24 compact flourescent
What is the difference and which one will give more light, this is in a vaulted ceiling bedroom

The controller options are :
- 2 circuit (3 wire) fan/light wall contol
- 2 wire fan/light remote (wall mounted)

What is the difference here and will they require different hardwiring

[GabeS]

I'm not 100% sure, but if I took an educated guess I would say this:

75 watt bulb would give off more light (but you are using more power, 75 watts as oppossed to 18 watts). There should be a number on the light bulb package, I think it's called lumes. The higher the number the brighter.

The 3 wire mounted control I'm guessing would be if you wanted to control the fan and light seperately from the switch and not the pull strings.

The remote is if you wanted to carry it around the room like on the bed or couch or something.

Typically, if you wanted to control the light and fan on seperate switches you would need 3 wire cable running from the switches to the fan. However if there is currently only 2 wire cable, I know there are some fan controls out there that will still let you do it.

In my brothers house he had fans with no switches when you walked into the room. You had to walk to the center of the room in the dark and pull the string. I installed a brain in the fan that was controlled by a wall mounted remote. Only thing bad is you have to change batteries. He didn't want to break any holes to run wiring.

[jimbo]

In terms of light output, 18W compact fl. is just about identical to 75 watt halogen, maybe slightly less. The color may be different, and you might perceive the halogen to be a brighter color, unless you get a 4100K or 5000K on the fl.

The FL. puts out a lot less heat, and is probably a spiral. Don't know what shape the halogen is.

[CarlH]

I am buying a fan and there are a couple option for bulbs/ controls I dont understand and was looking for some help. The light kit options are:
- 75w halogen ambient light
- 18w gu24 compact flourescent
What is the difference and which one will give more light, this is in a vaulted ceiling bedroom

If the bulbs are applied in the same manner, they should be roughly equivalent in light output. CFLs can take about a minute to reach full brightness when first turned on. The gu24 style is new to me and I had to do a search on gu24 to see what it is. It is a CFL that uses a bi-pin base that is similar the starter sockets used on older fluorescent fixtures.

My guess is that the idea behind the gu24 standard is to prevent people from swapping out the CFL for an incandescent bulb. Check on the availability of these bulbs in your area before committing to gu24 fixture.

Check on the halogen bulb to see if it is a standard screw in base. If it is, you can use whatever bulb you want in there within the specified limit. With a standard screw in base you can use either an incandescent or CFL.

The controller options are :
- 2 circuit (3 wire) fan/light wall contol
- 2 wire fan/light remote (wall mounted)

What is the difference here and will they require different hardwiring

Yes they require different wiring in that you cannot install a 3 wire controller if you only have a 2 wire set up. You can use a 2 wire controller in a 3 wire setup. This is where I pause an ask, who is going to install the fan and controller? If you have been pre-wired for the fan, it should be a 3 wire set up, but that is not a guarantee. Somebody familiar with installing ceiling fans will know if it is a 3-wire as soon as they look in the electrical box for the fan switch/controller or in the box for the ceiling fan.

I found that my suspicions were right about gu24. See section on gu24 here. This is how they will phase out incandescent bulbs. The thing that bugs me about the gu24 is that most will likely use self-ballasted bulb while it is possible for a gu24 fixture to require bulbs without the integral ballast. This could cause some confusion. I think the bulbs without the ballast will likely be for commercial/industrial applications though.

[CarlH]

unless you get a 4100K or 5000K on the fl.

Are you using any bulbs with that color temperature? Most find those to be harsh. A color temperature of 3000K is fairly close to incandescent. I think the 4100K is the old "cool white" and the 5000K is "daylight".

[Scuba_Dave]

The pin Fl bulbs are usually more expensive too - $5-7 each
I usually go with a normal socket & use the reg spiral fl bulbs
Keep in mind if you want to dim the light you need dimmable Fl bulb
My wife didn't want a light on the fan. I ran the -3 wire just in case
I installed (5) recessed cans instead & use CFL bulbs

[blue07]

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