Why Perth homes add fans
Heat is the obvious reason. On top of those 26 hot days in an average year, summer 2021 to 22 had 11 days above 40 °C, six of them in a row from 18 to 23 January. A fan doesn't cool the room, it cools the people in it, and it runs on a fraction of the power an air conditioner draws.
The Fremantle Doctor brings relief from the hot north-easterlies, strongest in December and January, but it's a sea breeze. A fan keeps the air moving on the evenings it doesn't reach your bedroom.
Outdoor living is the other common spot. Any fan on a patio or alfresco ceiling needs to be one its maker rates for outdoor or damp locations, and the electrician should know it's going outside before they quote.
Perth details that change a fan job
Power off for the roof space
Under WA's work health and safety rules, a worker can't go into the roof space of a house, unit building or garage until the electrical installation has been de-energised, including any power from solar panels. Expect the house to be off for part of the visit.
Tell them about solar
If you have panels or a battery, say so when you book, so the electrician can plan how they'll isolate it before going up.
Brick walls
Inter-war bungalows, post-war brick veneer and the ranch homes of 1945 to 1980 are mostly brick. The cable to a new fan usually goes through the roof space, and a wall controller on solid brick takes more work than one on plasterboard.
The certificate
New fan wiring comes with an Electrical Safety Certificate from the contractor within 28 days. Maintenance and like-for-like replacement are the exceptions.
Before the electrician quotes
- Can each fan and its light be switched separately?
- How long will the house be off while you're in the roof?
- How will you isolate our solar before going up?
- Is this outdoor fan rated for where it's going?
- What's your EC number, and will I get an Electrical Safety Certificate?
What's yours to do, and what isn't
You can
- Choose the fans and how you want to control them.
- Measure the ceiling heights, especially under a patio or pergola roof.
- Clear a path to the manhole and move anything stored beneath it.
- Plan for the fridge and Wi-Fi to be off while the electrician's in the roof.
Leave to a licensed electrician
- Taking down a light and putting a fan in its place.
- Isolating the house, and the solar, before entering the roof space.
- New cable runs and wall controllers.
- All wiring for outdoor fans.
If it were our Perth house
We'd do the bedrooms first, then the main living area, and have them all fitted in one visit so the power only goes off once. If there's a patio, we'd add an outdoor-rated fan in the same booking. And we'd book in spring, before the first run of 35-degree days, so the fans are spinning when you want them rather than on a waiting list.
Want a specialist to sort it?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.