skip to main content

Lighting Design Dilemma

ceiling fan below recessed lights -> flickering?

6 years ago

I'm building a house and I'm considering asking for ceiling fans in a room in which there were plans to also put recessed lighting. Should I be concerned about ensuring that the recessed lights are far enough away from the ceiling fan so that they don't effectively "backlight" the ceiling fan in a way that would cause weird shadows to be cast from the ceiling fan (and those shadows would move and flicker when the fan is on too...).

Featured Answer

User

6 years ago

Major flickering. Strobe light effect.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

e f
Original Author
6 years ago
I see. I also forgot to mention that in this room there's a cathedral ceiling, so if I had a ceiling fan it would be hanging pretty low and the recessed lights would still be all the way up in the cathedral ceiling, so it's not like i can easily isolate the fan away from the recessed lights. I wonder if I should either forego the ceiling fan, or use the lights from the ceiling fan as the primary overhead light and then use wall sconces instead of overhead recessed lighting to fill in any additional lighting requirements for the room... As you may be able to tell I'm not a lighting expert and I'm guessing it's showing through pretty clearly from my questions.
Related Discussions
Flourescent bulbs flicker with ceiling fan remote
Q
Comments (5)
I tried some of the very expensive dimmable cfl bulbs (I borrowed them from a fixture in another room). They still flickered, whch probably means that the remote receiver modulates too slowly (ie cheap defective design). It would also be prohibitively expensive (approx $160) to fully populate the four-socket fixtures on both fans with this problem. The ceiling fan is independent of the remote control receiver, which fits inline at the ceiling wiring connection. I'd buy another remote receiver in a heartbeat if I could find one with no dimmer on the lights. Unfortunately all of the receivers have this "feature" which makes them unusable with cfl bulbs. Very frustrating. I'm paying someone $100 to come out and remove the remote receivers this weekend. I can't reach them myself because they are on a 15 foot cathedral ceiling. Arrgh!
...See More
recessed lighting and ceiling fan question
Q
Comments (5)
May times when someone wants to use ceiling fans, the recessed lighting is placed around the perimeter of the room. It can get tricky with the ceiling fans. I've seen where a fan was installed too close to the recessed cans and the flickering drove me nuts. If you want a quicker answer than waiting for the lighting book that you ordered, you may want to go to a lighting showroom and speak with someone there. They should be able to give you several suggestions. In the dining room, are you going to put a light kit on the fan to illuminate the table? If so, you won't need to have recessed cans close to it. The cans can be placed around the perimeter and you will be surprised at the amount of light that reflects back into the room. If the kitchen fan is going to be over the eat-in area, the same question applies. Will you have a light kit? With vaulted ceilings my main concern is where is the ceiling fan outlet going to be located. If it is not centered in the room, you are going to have to know the pitch so that you get the right fan and the right length of rod so that the blades don't hit anything.
...See More
recessed lights, ceiling fan, center light??
Q
Comments (2)
If you are using LED downlights in the kitchen, which it looks like they are , then you have enough light in the kitchen using the lights you have at the moment. There is a formula that can be used to work out the amount of light needed. It is a rule of thumb formula that we use in our business and we find it is quite successful. If you measure the size of a room and let us say a room is 4 m x 4 m giving 16 SQM you then multiply that by 70-100. (100 if you need lots of light) So 16 SQM x 100 is 1600. This means the room would need 1600 lumens. Any half decent downlight or globe will have a lumen count on the box. Therefore if the downlight output is 800 lumens then 2 downlights would in enough. You then do need to consider placement of the lights but generally this formula works well. Hope this is of some help.
...See More
Recessed lighting/ceiling fan woes
Q
Comments (8)
@RL Relocation LLC I definitely got a black and gold fan (ha!!!), but I’ll be sure to tell the electrician to not drop it so low. I live in a very hot city so the fan is a must. Thank you for the advice! @3onthetree I‘m living through renovations and haven’t had furniture for a year and a half. I guess I have to buy furniture based on this new layout 😭 yeah, the room is awkward because of that dang “foyer”…thank you to you as well! @fissfiss haha! I agree. Thank you. He actually did a good job! I bought the globe smart wifi lights and they are amazing!!!! I tried a dimmer, but I think I need the one they make specifically…normal dimmers don’t work because the lights are dimmable through the app as well. I can change the colors and everything and they’re LED, super slim too! Never thought I’d be so excited about lighting lol
...See More
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
6 years ago
Do you need the fan . I certainly would not do a fan with a light kit . I would just hang a hreat light fixture and forget the fan
e f
Original Author
6 years ago
because it's a new construction it's hard to tell whether these fans will be nice to have or not. it's going to be a super insulated house with an HRV that will be circulating air, but the HRV air circulation fans are giving me air flow on the order of a bathroom fan, they aren't moving tremendous amounts of air. The heating and cooling is coming from a pair of ductless minisplits which are going to give me point source heat and cooling. It's for this reason that I'm considering putting in ceiling fans to ensure that the temperatures get sufficiently distributed within the main chamber of the house.
User
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
What does your architect or interior designer say? Either should be willing to do a complete lighting plan for you. It’s not very DIY friendly to attempt this yourself unless you have a lot more time to study lighting. Vaulted ceilings are always Problems with lighting. And Heating and Cooling. And sound control. And, and, and.
PRO
Sina Sadeddin Architectural Design
6 years ago
I think I would forget the fan, BUT since you are concerned it might be an issue maybe put a rough-in for one so that you can easily add one later on if you find you need it.
e f
Original Author
6 years ago
The architect will definitely weigh in on this soon and make the call, I just like being proactive in my own research so that I can have informed, quick discussions with the architect; they aren't cheap!

Related Stories

DECORATING GUIDES Are Ceiling Fans the Kiss of Death for Design?

By Becky Harris

Ceiling fans get a bad rap for being clunky and outdated, but these streamlined styles and a bevy of pros beg to differ

LIGHTING Get Your Home's Recessed Lighting Right

By Elements of Style

Learn the formula for how much light a room needs plus how to space downlights, use dimmers and more

LIGHTING The Pros and Cons of Recessed Lighting

By David K Warfel at LightCanHelpYou.com

A lighting designer shares three things recessed lights do well and three things to watch out for

CEILINGS Ceiling Fans: Some Spinning Sensations

How to Match Your Fan With Your Space and Keep Cool in Style

DECORATING GUIDES How to Choose a Ceiling Fan for Comfort and Style

By Annie Thornton

Houzz pros share what fan size to buy, what blade angle to look for and which type works with your ceiling height

WORKING WITH PROS What to Know About Installing Recessed Lighting

By Erin Carlyle

Find out what can-light installation costs, how long it takes and what types of lights would work for your home

OUTDOOR ACCESSORIES Cool Down With These Stylish Ideas for Outdoor Ceiling Fans

By Lauren Dunec Hoang

See how this outdoor accessory can work with a variety of porch and patio styles

LIGHTING How to Light Your Ceiling Right

By David K Warfel at LightCanHelpYou.com

Discover the best lighting techniques to highlight 9 common ceiling features

LIGHTING Guest Picks: 20 Fabulous Ceiling Lights

Replace those boring overhead light fixtures with flush mounts that shine with personality

LIGHTING Dramatic Lighting for Low Ceilings

By Beth Dotolo, ASID, RID, NCIDQ

No room for a big chandelier? See how your overhead lighting can still make a statement

Sponsored

Jc's and Sons Affordable Home Improvements

Zanesville's Most Skilled & Knowledgeable Home Improvement Specialists

More Discussions

Ceiling light shade too small for 2 bulbs(pics in comments)

6

Help with a lighting plan in the kitchen

4

Recommendations for a two light wall mounted vanity light

3

Lighting Plan Help

3

Foyer light assist!

13