Hello Summer, 🌞. Welcome longer and warmer days for you to enjoy outside. The right outdoor ceiling fan can enhance comfort, add style to the space, and improve your entire outdoor experience. Hunter offers three different types of outdoor ceiling fans to suit different locations, from covered patios to pergolas, even in areas that see harsh weather.
Why Ceiling Fan Location Matters
Some fans are designed for direct exposure to water while others aren’t. Along with operational errors, aesthetic concerns such as rust and drooping can occur if you don’t choose the right outdoor fan for your space. Our outdoor ceiling fans go through tests to make sure the fan finish, blade finishes, and all the electrical components can withstand the environmental elements it will experience in its proper outdoor state fans to ensure maximum safety and performance.
There are two general categories for outdoor ceiling fans: damp-rated and wet-rated. We took it a step further and innovated our coastal-rated WeatherMax® technology to withstand the toughest coastal elements like salt air and thunderstorms without corroding or drooping.
So, when you want to update your outdoor oasis with a new outdoor fan, be sure to reference the rating as you shop for the right model.
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Damp-Rated, Wet-Rated, and Coastal-Rated: What’s the Difference?
The key differences between these three types of fans are how much moisture they can withstand and how close you are to the coast. All are engineered to offer corrosion protection and be droop-free when placed in the right location. Damp-rated ceiling fans should only be placed in areas that are covered and do not get direct exposure to rain or snow, like a covered patio or garage. Wet-rated fans can handle direct exposure to the elements and can be placed on open pergolas. Only coastal- rated fans withstand coastal weather elements like salt-air without corroding or drooping blades. For that reason, they must pass more rigorous water spray, UV protection and corrosion tests as shown below in our testing video.
Let’s walk through what to look for in damp-rated, wet-rated, and WeatherMax, ceiling fans so you can choose the best option for your outdoor space.
What is a Damp-Rated Ceiling Fan?
Ideal for areas that have no direct contact with rain, snow, or ice, damp-rated fans can handle moisture like a pro, but they're not designed to receive immediate exposure to water. Consider installing a
damp-rated fan in spaces such as:
- Covered patios
- Garages
- Bathrooms
- Covered or screened-in porches
- Laundry rooms
![Solaria outdoor damp rated fan]()
What is a Wet-Rated Ceiling Fan?
For outdoor spaces exposed to snow or rain, a wet-rated fan is the way to go. Some of our favorite wet-rated outdoor fans for pergolas are the Rainsford and Sea Wind casual fans. Wet-rated outdoor ceiling fans are designed and engineered to withstand direct contact with water and moisture, which makes them ideal for gazebos and pergolas.
To certify that our fans are wet rated they must go through several tests to verify the safety of the components. One of the tests our engineers perform, the rain test, uses high-powered hoses to simulate the fan being rained on. During this test, the ceiling fan has nearly six bathtubs full of water rained on it!
Wet-rated outdoor ceiling fans can handle just about anything Mother Nature dishes out. At Hunter, wet-rated fans are built with moisture-resistant motors and durable blades for long-lasting and safe performance. Use our wet-rated fan in these spaces that are exposed to rain, snow, or ice including:
- Gazebos
- Pergolas
- Exposed decks
- Uncovered patios
- Cabanas
- Verandas
What is a WeatherMax Fan?
Hunter WeatherMax ceiling fans are built for the outdoors with features and technologies that go beyond the average wet-rated fans. WeatherMax designs are coastal-rated as well as corrosion- and salt air-resistant, perfect for beach properties or lakeside homes. They feature premium materials to keep their style and performance as well as durable materials to maintain proper blade shape and pitch. Just as much thought goes into the technology as the design, so it’s comforting to know stylish models like the Skyflow and Trimaran no-light outdoor fans will hold up throughout the weather.
All WeatherMax fans also feature our SureSpeed® Guarantee for optimized, high-speed performance. Engineered for the Elements, WeatherMax fans deliver reliable performance, season after season. They're specifically designed to maintain a look that lasts while offering maximum airflow that keeps you cool and comfortable coast-to-coast.
