We have two outdoor fans that were not damaged during IKE
(the hurricane). It is suppose to be a good idea in Texas to run the fans when it gets really hot - it keeps your house cooler?

My parents have one and really like it - it's been up at least 7 years and they have not had any problems.

I plan on putting one up as my patio will be enclosed on 3 sides and I am concered that it will be too stuffy, muggy w/o one.

When I think of outdoor ceiling fans Spokane, WA is not one of them! LOL! I think of the south or southwest where it can be hot or humid and where the weather does not fluctuate much. The only conditions I would think could work would be some kind of enclosed outdoor area where wind, rain, and snow could not reach. I live about an hour and a half from Spokane and that wind was really something!! I seem to remember another wind storm like it last year too.

Our outdoor ceiling fans have been up for 10+ years with no problems.
Survived the recent 86 mph winds that uprooted trees here in PA.... survived winter storms, etc.

I just recently moved in so I can't really say, but I'm glad I have one on my screened porch. We're really loving the porch so far and I imagine when it gets a little bit warmer that the fan will provide some heat relief and allow us to enjoy the porch more.

And I agree that during high winds, all bets are off. If trees are being uprooted, a ceiling fan would be the least of my worries.

First off, about the comment above about "keeping your house cooler" -- yes, it makes the room feel cooler to the occupants, but it doesn't actually cool the room. Plus, that's only inside. Outside ceiling fans don't make your house feel cooler.

Second-- we had outside ceiling fans in Panama City Beach, FL during several named storms (hurricanes and tropical storms) and after 7 years, the fans are still fine. They did seize up a little this past winter, but a little elbow grease got them moving again easily. We did have to compromise a little, though -- if we had installed them with the appropriate sized downrod to bring them to the necessary 8' height to be most effective, it would've moved them down past the "apron" around the roof of the covered patio. This would've made them more vulnerable to the winds. So we kept them at about 9 or 9.5 feet (I think the outside ceiling height was about 10.5 feet) and that made them less useful. We didn't get a ton of benefit from them so we didn't use them much. So make sure your fans aren't subject to high winds.

It's kinda like anything else that's outside during high winds -- you have to put it away or protect it somehow!

We are installing two in our screened porch. We'll be sure to remove the blades if high winds are predicted.

fyi...the Craftmade exterior fans have blades that have some kind of metal rib molded into them for strength. You can see the shape of it from the top side.

We had Hunter ceiling fans on a porch and balcony for 12 years. In the hot humid summers they were used often to stir the air and create a breeze. They also did a fairly good job of keeping mosquitoes at bay. During Katrina we had many uprooted and downed trees, but the ceiling fans hung tight with no damage!
Whether or not you need them probably depends on where you live. Whether or not they hold up probably depends on the brand you choose.

Do like turbine engine aircraft owners do. Tie them down with a piece of rope and a red flag.

We have a Minka aire outdoor wet rated ceiling fan. it has held up to 70mph winds for almost 10 years. they do make outdoor fans that are not wet rated and those blades sag when wet from rain.

8 year old thread. Why resurrect it?

rwiegand - I found your question ‘Why resurrect it?’ Well - for the simple reason that high winds still exist, as well as the need for outdoor ceiling fans. The discussion is as valid as it was 8 years ago.

Like Amy, we have outdoor Minka Aire, (a Slipstream ) and they have held up well for 5 years. The 65 inch version moves a lot of air.

Our central Texas house is up on a ridge, and has a nice breeze about 80% of the time, but during summer they’ve been quite useful as a relief to the heat, as well as helping keep mosquitos off.

Yes but there's no reason to bring up what is now a thread from 3 years ago if no one currently has a question about outdoor fans.

Here in Michigan mosquitos dismantle ceiling fans and carry them away, but it was more prevalent eleven years ago.

We recently purchased an outdoor Minka for our back screened porch, and two outdoor Hunter fans for the front porch. Had Hunter at previous home that still looked brand new after 15 years. No sagging blades.