I want to hang two fans in my workshop. The peak of the frame is about 18' up so I would like a 6-7 foot downrod. The longest one at Home Depot was about 4 feet, and at $20 that isn't going to work. 3/4 emt is slightly larger than the opening in the ball hanger but the downrod packages state 3/4. Am I completely missing something? What is the best way to accomplish this?
Ceiling Fan Downrod
- Thread starter Bearkat
- Start date
sands35
Well-known member
EMT would work. You'll need to drill the holes for the cross pins though.
Charles (in GA)
Well-known member
¾ galvanized water pipe. Much better than EMT, has some thickness to it for bearing surface for the cross pin, and threads easy for the ground screw. The water pipe is also the exact same size as the downrod.
I used 4 ft sections of ¾ galvanized water pipe (USA made, 1987 vintage date stamps, brand new old stock) and hung my 60 inch Home Depot industrial ceiling fans from the peak of the building. Peak outside is 21 ft, so I suppose the box is about 20 ft off the floor.
Charles
I used 4 ft sections of ¾ galvanized water pipe (USA made, 1987 vintage date stamps, brand new old stock) and hung my 60 inch Home Depot industrial ceiling fans from the peak of the building. Peak outside is 21 ft, so I suppose the box is about 20 ft off the floor.
Charles
Charles (in GA)
Well-known member
¾ Rigid electrical conduit, NOT EMT nor IMC, but regular rigid conduit, will work as it is nothing more than ¾ water pipe anyhow. If the instructions suggested conduit as an alternate, that is the conduit they were referring to.
Charles
Charles
LS6 Tommy
Well-known member
Stevie-Ray
Well-known member
This. I couldn't find the right size downrod for my living room with vaulted ceilings, had some rigid ¾, and cut it to perfect length. Drilled holes for pin, painted it white, and voila.
I used PVC pipe for this pair of fans. It's not really a high-stress application.
Beemer533
Well-known member
That is cool... is that an outside room?
I'm surprised that the PVC doesn't wobble around at that length...
rlitman
Well-known member
x3. You want this, and not EMT, because the part that goes into the fan has an MPT pipe thread. Buy a 10' length and cut it to size, or buy a 6' pre-cut length if your store has them and that length works for you. Having pipe cut to length adds a LOT to the price, because then you pay by the foot.
Just one more pointer. However you choose to cut the upper end (which doesn't need to be threaded, but needs to be cross drilled for the pin), be sure to de-burr it, or else it can damage the wires.
Yes. I recall a great thread on the canopy, and another on the deck stain.
I wouldn't expect PVC to wobble any more than steel. Any wobble would be a function of an imbalanced fan, not anything to do with the pipe. My only concern would be failure of the glue joint or end of the pipe under tension, but neither should be an issue if done right (and I'm sure Jack did it right).
Well, it's very possible that I did it wrong. But there was no glue. If I remember right, there's a hole at each end with a pin going through the hole. If there was a lot of vibration, I'd worry about the PVC losing strength over time -- but the fans move pretty smoothly. If UV degrades PVC, the paint (and end caps) should take care of blocking the UV.
Here's a video of the fans starting up. It's an outdoor deck covered with shade fabric. The fans are rated for wet outdoor use. I run them in two different directions, I think at the medium speed. It works pretty well to send flies and instincts elsewhere.
Fan Video
Here's a video of the fans starting up. It's an outdoor deck covered with shade fabric. The fans are rated for wet outdoor use. I run them in two different directions, I think at the medium speed. It works pretty well to send flies and instincts elsewhere.
Fan Video
Ben7203
Well-known member
Charles (in GA)
Well-known member
In the case of Jacks fans I would have used schedule 80 pvc as it is thicker and stronger if I was determined to use PVC.
The stuff I used was pretty thick. I'm not sure if its schedule 80. I just went to the hardware store with a caliper to find something with the right diameter. Pretty sure I could hang from it without any issue, but I'm not about to try.
And Mike, I promise to never, ever pressurize the stuff. 