How to Safely and Effectively Use an Outdoor Fan Indoors?

Outdoor fans can be a friend in summer when you want to spend some comfy times outsides! Whether enjoying a conversation on the balcony or reading something on the porch, this fan can keep the place cool and cozy. But can you use an outdoor fan indoors?

The quick answer is yes! Using an outdoor fan indoors is definitely not a crime! Instead, it can add a different aspect to your indoor rooms and make them cooler. Depending on your room’s appearance, you can have a rustic look or a decorative touch. 

In this article, you’ll learn why and how to use an outdoor fan indoors. Keep reading so you don’t miss those whole ideas! 

Reasons To Use an Outdoor Fan Indoors

Outdoor fans are durable and sustainable for any environment. Besides, their unique appearance and design can level up the charm of your indoor rooms. 

Let’s find out why you can consider using an outdoor fan indoors. 

They Are Durable

Outdoor fans are made with durable plastic, which is water resistant. They are also made of rust-resistant materials, that includes stainless steel and vinyl. 

So installing an outdoor fan will serve you longer. Moreover, their high-end plastic blades are also easily cleanable. You don’t have to sweat out choosing the best cleaning agent to clean their dirt. They can withstand almost every cleaning product. 

They Look Attractive

Outdoor fans often have unique designs and appearances. You can find many colors and styles to install the perfect fan that goes well with your indoors. 

Besides, for their uniqueness, they will stand out. So, from a decorative point of view, outdoor fans can change the aspects of your living room or any other room!

They Have Stronger Motor

Outdoor fans are designed to cool open spaces. And so their motors are usually more potent than indoor fans.

They even have better motor-housing elements to keep the motor running smoothly. So, you will have better air quality using an outdoor fan inside your rooms. 

How Are Outdoor Fans Different Than Indoor Fans?

Outdoor fans usually have different weather ratings than indoor fans. These fans must withstand many troubles from mother nature, including rain, snow, or storm! So, they are designed like that and made with protective materials.

If we inquire about the weather ratings of ceiling fans, we’ll know there are three ratings available: dry, damp, and wet. 

Dry-rated fans are basically indoor fans. They don’t need to withstand high moisture, so they are not made with water-resistant materials. 

Damp-rated fans can tolerate moisture slightly. These fans are best for bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, or any other room whose moisture level is higher than average. 

Finally, wet-rated fans are known as outdoor fans. These fans are made with heavy-duty plastic and stainless steel, so water cannot damage them. The materials are durable, so rain, storm, or snow – nothing can damage them. 

Moreover, outdoor fans have better hardware, which includes motor and motor housing elements. So they don’t die out quickly. Also, their blades are almost indestructible, and they never warp! 

Exclusive Ideas To Use an Outdoor Fan Indoors

You can set an outdoor fan on the ceiling of your living room, office room, bedroom, or even bathroom. But choosing a fan that matches the room’s appearance is better. For instance, installing a giant fan in a small room may not look good. 

So, here are some exclusive ideas on installing outdoor fans indoors. 

Living Room

The living room is called the heart of your home! Because this room gets more spotlight from the guests. So, you can choose an outdoor ceiling fan inspired by the furniture and colors of your living room. 

Black and white might be a great choice, especially if you have a black coffee table or dark window beams. You can find a design with black blades and a white LED light at the center. 

Bronze or rustic wooden designs may suit your living room if you have wooden floors. Many outdoor fans have vinyl blades that surprisingly mimic a wooden design. 

You can also go for a creamy or white fan if your sofa set, cushions, table, or other furniture are mostly white. 

Office Room

If you keep an office space in your house, you might also want to install a ceiling fan! While office rooms do not need something fancy, you can be creative depending on the aspects of your home office. 

You can use a plain white-bladed fan that will complement the walls and tables of your home office. And at the same time, you can go for black as well. 

Bedroom

You can be pretty creative with your bedrooms. And installing an outdoor ceiling fan in your bedroom will keep you cozy at night. 

If your bedroom has more wooden or rustic features, go for something that mimics wood. You’ll find a lot of choices that have wood stains. 

For the master bedroom, you can use large fans that will complement your ceiling. For smaller bedrooms, use a confined design. You can also have a fan with a tunable LED light that will help you to change the mood at any time! 

You can use a fan of that same shade if you have colorful walls. For instance, grey color fans or matte silver will complement a bedroom with slightly grey-shaded walls. 

Bathroom 

While most people don’t use a fan in the bathroom, it can also be a good addition. Especially when it’s summer and you are habituated to spending more time in that room!

Outdoor fans will best serve in bathrooms. As they have a wet rating, they can sustain any moisture level. 

As most bathroom tiles are white, you can use a white-bladed fan. A slick black-bladed fan will also go well. Another option is to choose the fan shade depending on the wall color. 

Some bathrooms have decorative brown shades, e.g., mirror frames, baskets, or window frames. For that case, use an outdoor fan that has brown shaded blades.

How To Set Up an Outdoor Fan Indoors?

If you know the steps, you can set up an outdoor fan indoors yourself! It’s not really different from setting up an indoor ceiling fan. 

First, you need to turn the main switch off of the fan, so nobody accidentally turns it on during the setup. You may need to get a stair to climb close to the ceiling. 

Locate the hole in the ceiling where the wires are coming from. If you don’t have this arrangement in your room, you may need to call an electrician so that he can arrange wires through a conduit and a junction box.

Put the fan mounting bracket over the hole, and screw it up. Now you need to place the motor housing part of the fan. You can just slide the long part into the bracket. After that, you must connect the ceiling cables to the fan cables. 

If the fan cables are too long, you can trim them. See the color code to match the correct cables, and put a cap on the joint. 

Now pop the cables into the junction box and screw up the canopy. It will cover all the wiring and give it a fresh look.

It’s time to connect the blades and lights if you have any. Depending on the model, blade installation requirements may vary. Some will require screwing the blades with the blade brackets, whereas some will stay put with just the correct placement. 

But you’ll find keyholes in the bracket meant for the blades. Similarly, attach the light shades first, then put on the lights. 

It’s better to connect the blades and lights at the end. Because if you try to do the wires with the blades hanging, it will be very difficult. 

Can You Use an Indoor Fan Outdoors?

No, it will not be a good idea. Ceiling fans have different environmental ratings; depending on that, you can choose a fan for outdoor or indoor use. 

Indoor fans come with dry ratings. That means they cannot sustain moisture or wet weather. So, if you install an indoor fan outdoors, it’ll get damaged soon. 

Rainwater, outside air moisture, storm, or snow will deeply affect the blades and inner elements of the indoor fans. You’ll notice the blades are warping, and the motor will not work properly at some point. 

Besides, the equipment will get rusted. So, it’s better never to use an indoor fan outdoors.

Final Thoughts

Using an outdoor fan indoors is possible and might level up your interior beauty! Moreover, these fans are sustainable and can withstand any natural wrath!

So, yes, you can use an indoor fan outdoors.

READ IT NEXT: Keep Birds Off Outdoor Ceiling Fans? (Techniques that WORK!)

Some FAQs

Is It Worth Buying an Outdoor Fan?

Outdoor fans are worth buying if you want to stay comfortable outdoors during summer. It keeps the air cool and is perfect for evening gossip, party, or hangout. You can have an outdoor fan on your patio, balcony, sunroom, or even garage! 

Do Outdoor Fans Keep Insects Away?

Yes, outdoor fans do a great job keeping bees, flies, mosquitoes, or other irritating insects away from your house. It increases air circulation, so these flying bugs cannot fly in the area. That’s how outdoor fans reduce almost 75% of the flying pests.

How Many Blades Are Best for Outdoor Fans?

Generally, three blades are optimum for outdoor fans. Sometimes, more blades create more airflow as the blade distance reduces. But having more blades also imposes extra pressure on the motor. So, overall consideration, three blades are best. 

Do Outdoor Fans Damage by Rain?

It depends on what kind of outdoor fan you’re using. Most outdoor fans have a damp rating or wet rating. Damp-rating fans can withstand moisture, but heavy rain may damage them. On the other hand, if your fan is wet-rated, it will not get damaged by rain. Because these fans have sealed components, so they are protected. 

Why Do My Outdoor Ceiling Fan Blades Droop?

The common cause would be that the screws are gotten loose. So to fix the situation, you need to tighten all the screws of your outdoor ceiling fan. Moreover, the fan can be weakened by high moisture or heat. For that, you may replace the fan with a new one.