Advises consumer on the basic checklist on ceiling fan installation.
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| HDB ceiling fan installation from the Straits Times |
Also see
Showing posts with label HDB. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HDB. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
HDB Ceiling fan installation (Part 2)
Caught this comic strip on the Straits Times last week.
Advises consumer on the basic checklist on ceiling fan installation.
Also see
Advises consumer on the basic checklist on ceiling fan installation.
Also see
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Ceiling Fan comparison Chart
This is a follow through article after research on the general considerations in choosing a ceiling fan. If you have not read it, the link is here (coming soon)
Unique to our needs, we have summarized our requirements as follows:
1. Size of fan in accordance to the room size.
2. Ceiling height about 2.3m. We cannot afford a low hanging fan.
3. High Aesthetics is important to satisfy my better half's requirement
4. Light kit is a must!
Guided by the above requirements we visited 7 showrooms over 2 weekends and shortlisted 5 options as follows:
1. Crestar Rainlite
2. Crestar Skylite
3. Fanco FF707
4. Acron Ventieulator 218
5. Vento Mela distributed by Amasco
You can probably guess our final choice from the photos below. For the benefit of the readers, we still want to share the selection process. Our 2 weeks of fact finding and comparison has been summarized into the following comparison chart.
Note that the Fanco FF707 specs are from our living room ceiling fan purchased in 2009. Read the review here (coming soon!)
Comparison Discussions with the sellers:
1. Crestar Fans offer great value with their Aluminium cased motors. Aluminium releases heat well and does not rust. One seller explained that Crestar used German Technology, built in Taiwan. I loved their functional appeal. Unfortunately, its aesthetics did not appeal to my better half.
2. Fanco has a competitive price (at least in 2009 when we bought it) This is a good choice for something decent looking but on a tight budget. The have very similar design to Amasco. Read our review on our Fanco FF707 here (coming soon)
3. Although we have never heard of the Acorn brand, but we asked extensively about it as we found the unit on display elegant. The motor body is largely hidden by the light kit. The seller explained that Taiwan makes the "best" ceiling fans. He explained that several ceiling fan marketing companies that have their products OEMed by the same few Taiwanese factory. Thus they have the same quality despite the different brands. Acorn is one of them.
4. Vento's Mela really caught our hearts. See here to understand why. It remained our 1st choice until the last minute when we realized the price tag was sufficient to purchase 3 standard ceiling fans. There was also an unfounded doubt on the ease of maintenance and lifespan of the blade rotation bearings.
5. KDK is a household brand I grew up with. However we did not consider KDK as they did not provide much options with lighting kits. Perhaps another reason is our choice of showrooms did not promote KDK aggressively.
The most balanced choice was the Acorn.
Also see
Advantages of installing a Ceiling Fan
How to choose a Ceiling Fan
Installing a ceiling fan
Unique to our needs, we have summarized our requirements as follows:
1. Size of fan in accordance to the room size.
2. Ceiling height about 2.3m. We cannot afford a low hanging fan.
3. High Aesthetics is important to satisfy my better half's requirement
4. Light kit is a must!
Guided by the above requirements we visited 7 showrooms over 2 weekends and shortlisted 5 options as follows:
1. Crestar Rainlite
2. Crestar Skylite
3. Fanco FF707
4. Acron Ventieulator 218
5. Vento Mela distributed by Amasco
You can probably guess our final choice from the photos below. For the benefit of the readers, we still want to share the selection process. Our 2 weeks of fact finding and comparison has been summarized into the following comparison chart.
Note that the Fanco FF707 specs are from our living room ceiling fan purchased in 2009. Read the review here (coming soon!)
1. Crestar Fans offer great value with their Aluminium cased motors. Aluminium releases heat well and does not rust. One seller explained that Crestar used German Technology, built in Taiwan. I loved their functional appeal. Unfortunately, its aesthetics did not appeal to my better half.
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| HDB Renovation Ceiling Fan- Crestar Rainlite |
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| HDB Renovation Ceiling Fan- Crestar Skylite |
2. Fanco has a competitive price (at least in 2009 when we bought it) This is a good choice for something decent looking but on a tight budget. The have very similar design to Amasco. Read our review on our Fanco FF707 here (coming soon)
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| HDB Renovation Ceiling Fan- Fanco FF707 WH |
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| HDB Renovation Ceiling Fan- Acorn Ventilateur 218 |
4. Vento's Mela really caught our hearts. See here to understand why. It remained our 1st choice until the last minute when we realized the price tag was sufficient to purchase 3 standard ceiling fans. There was also an unfounded doubt on the ease of maintenance and lifespan of the blade rotation bearings.
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| HDB Renovation Ceiling Fan- Vento Amasco Mela |
The most balanced choice was the Acorn.
Also see
Advantages of installing a Ceiling Fan
How to choose a Ceiling Fan
Installing a ceiling fan
How to choose a ceiling fan
How to Choose a Ceiling Fan
From our research,
generally the key recommended considerations are the room size, ceiling height
and lighting kits.
1. Room size: 44” or 54” sized fans?
Firstly, the measurement of the fan
sized we were told is NOT measured from the diameter of blade tip spinning path.
It was rather complicated and we gave up trying to understand it. If anyone
knows please let us know. As recommended by several sellers, for optimal
performance:
For room size below
100 square feet
(typical old HDB 4R common bedroom) - use size around 44”
For room size 100 to 200 square feet
(typical old HDB 4R master bedroom) - use size around 50”
For room size 200 to 350 square feet
(typical old HDB 4R living & dining
room) - use at least 54”
2. Ceiling Height
Standard HDB ceiling height are less than generous. Unless the ceiling fan is
mounted above a non-walking path eg dining table or bed, the choices are pretty
limited. For low ceilings there are a few low profile and flush mount fans
available in the market. One of the smallest one we found is the KDK M11SU
3. Light Kits
Some ceiling fans models come with light kits and most have optional add-on
options. It is a good way to mount one more light in the room and saves the cost
of an extra light point.
With this in mind, check out our
Also see:
Choosing an air-conditioner (coming soon)
Installing the ceiling fan (coming soon)
Advantages of installing Ceiling Fans
Why
we had a ceiling fan in the Bed room.
When applied intelligently
together with air-conditioning, it can help to save electricity consumption.
This was how I convinced my wife the savings without doing a laboratory test:
When using the air con with
ceiling fan, this 2 additional steps were applied:
1. Set the thermostat on the aircon
to 3 to 5 DegC above the preferred ambiance temperature. For example, if
you are used to sleeping at 20DegC, set the aircon thermostat to 25DegC.
2. Set the auto off-timer on the
aircon to 3 hours before your wake up time. For example, if user sleeps at 10pm and wakes up at 6am. Set the
aircon auto off-timer to 3am .
Thermostat set on air con
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Air con Operating hrs
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Fan operating hrs
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Energy consumption per month (KWhr)
|
Estimated cost savings (April
2013 SP rates 26.7c/kWhr)
|
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Aircon (2.5KW) only
|
20DegC
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8hrs
|
0hrs
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2.5KWx8hrsx30days= 600KWhr
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S$ 160
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Aircon (2.4W)+ ceiling fan
(0.08W)
|
25DegC
|
5hrs
|
8hrs
|
2.4KWx5hrsx30days
+ 0.08KWx8hrsx30days
= 380KWhr
|
S$ 102
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S$ 58 per month per room
|
Assumptions:
(A) Assume 0.1kM savings from thermostat temperature difference of 5DegC.
(B) Typical 1 air con blower from a system operating at 8,540BTU/hr = 2.5kW
(C) Typical ceiling fan power consumption = 60W to 90W (costing about S$300 to purchase)
(D) Estimated electrical consumption = Input (kW) X No. of hours used X No. of days per month X Current Utility Rate
The choice seems clear! Conservatively, even if the real difference is only half of the calculated, the electrical tariff savings will pay for the ceiling fans in 10 months! The only exception I can think of is if users cannot sleep in a “windy” environment due to arthritis.
Disclaimer: We are not trained electrical engineers. The above is a heartlander trying to make sense of the small things in life. Apply at your own risk! If there are any experts out there who can correct or verify this, please leave a kind comment.
Also see
Choosing air-conditioner (coming soon)
Installing Ceiling Fan (coming soon)
Cost savings from using LED lights (coming soon)
Lighting-concept-cost-savings
Installing Ceiling Fan (coming soon)
Cost savings from using LED lights (coming soon)
Lighting-concept-cost-savings
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Lighting Concept- Living Room
The approach to the lighting concept was to have a "functional lighting" and a "mood lighting".
Functional light
1. Choice of white light for reading on the sofa
2. With a ceiling fan and no downlights or cove lights (see why here) we opted to choose a ceiling fan with built-in light to reduce the spinning shadow effect caused by the light located above the fan blades.
Mood Lights
1. Choice of yellow light
2. Can be used as a night light during the childrens' quiet time before bed.
3. Installed through wall mounted and ceiling mounted chandlers.
Also see Shopping for lighting
The cost savings of converting from down lights/cove lights to the above lighting concept can be found here.
Improved Toilet Layout- Cost of Renovation
There has been numerous inquiries about the cost of renovating the toilet.
However, there are a few assumptions before sharing this information:
1. Do bear in mind that this was priced in end 2009 and offered as part of a complete renovation package.
2. Excludes demolition works and installation of all other toilet accessories.
3. Toilet is approximately 4.8sqm in floor area
a. S$1700: To Supply and Lay ceramic floor tiles c/w water proofing (Material cost up to $3/ft2)
For your information:
water proofing needs to be done under the toilet floor tiles. The failure of this waterproofing is often the cause of a wet/ leaking toilet roof between neighbours on the upper and lower floor.
b. S$1500: To Supply and Lay glazed wall ceramic tiles including low wall @ 1 toilet (Material cost up to $3/ft2)
c. S$920: To supply and install 1500mm wide vanity top c/w integrated Bowl
d. S$820: To supply and install 1500mm wide suspended cabinetary c/w mirror panel door (Material soild ply/Laminates)
Improved Toilet Layout- Feedback Dec 2012
Wet Floor Toilet Design
Improved Toilet layout
However, there are a few assumptions before sharing this information:
1. Do bear in mind that this was priced in end 2009 and offered as part of a complete renovation package.
2. Excludes demolition works and installation of all other toilet accessories.
3. Toilet is approximately 4.8sqm in floor area
a. S$1700: To Supply and Lay ceramic floor tiles c/w water proofing (Material cost up to $3/ft2)
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| HDB renovation- toilet floor waterproofing |
water proofing needs to be done under the toilet floor tiles. The failure of this waterproofing is often the cause of a wet/ leaking toilet roof between neighbours on the upper and lower floor.
 |
| HDB Toilet- Wall tile near completion |
c. S$920: To supply and install 1500mm wide vanity top c/w integrated Bowl
d. S$820: To supply and install 1500mm wide suspended cabinetary c/w mirror panel door (Material soild ply/Laminates)
 |
| HDB toilet- Vanity Top and Wall Mounted Cabinet Construction |
Improved Toilet Layout- Feedback Dec 2012
Wet Floor Toilet Design
Improved Toilet layout
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Demolition
The renovation contract was finally signed with my Interior Designer (ID) and he had his contractors start work ASAP. The contract was accompanied by the agreed scope of work and time frame allowed for completion.
Should there be floor or wall hacking involved in the HDB renovation, the contractor whom is carrying out the works must be a HDB approved contractor. They will apply for the HDB permit on the owner's behalf over the period of renovation. Please take some time to look at the permit carefully. HDB will hold the owner liable for unauthorised works.
Make sure that all demolition works agreed in the contract are clearly mentioned in the HDB approved permit. To protect your own interest, it is a good idea to have an agreed layout drawing attached to the contract.
The other consequence in an unauthorised renovation will surface when you resell the flat. During the resale transaction, HDB has a right to insist the seller (which will be me) to "make good" to the original state. Future money, time and effort can be saved by due today's diligence.
Typically, HDB's work permit includes 3 specified weekdays for heavy hacking. the contractor will try to finish up all the hacking within these 3 days.
Dropping by to spot check on the works, not a pleasant part of the renovation to be monitoring. Gotta be careful not to trip. Remember to wear covered shoes.
I recall meeting an elderly neighbour in the lift who was staying at the unit directly below mine. She was complaining to me that she cannot take her afternoon naps due to the noise from the hacking. It is obvious why HDB limits disturbing works to 3 days.
Trying to start on a right foot into the neighbourhood, had to do some PR and talked to the adjacent neighbours and told them about the hacking should end in 2 day's time. :P
Should there be floor or wall hacking involved in the HDB renovation, the contractor whom is carrying out the works must be a HDB approved contractor. They will apply for the HDB permit on the owner's behalf over the period of renovation. Please take some time to look at the permit carefully. HDB will hold the owner liable for unauthorised works.
Make sure that all demolition works agreed in the contract are clearly mentioned in the HDB approved permit. To protect your own interest, it is a good idea to have an agreed layout drawing attached to the contract.
The other consequence in an unauthorised renovation will surface when you resell the flat. During the resale transaction, HDB has a right to insist the seller (which will be me) to "make good" to the original state. Future money, time and effort can be saved by due today's diligence.
Typically, HDB's work permit includes 3 specified weekdays for heavy hacking. the contractor will try to finish up all the hacking within these 3 days.
Dropping by to spot check on the works, not a pleasant part of the renovation to be monitoring. Gotta be careful not to trip. Remember to wear covered shoes.
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| Living Room |
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| Long Living Room |
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| Entrance to Kitchen from Living Room |
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| Kitchen |
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| Toilet bowl from the Master bedroom toilet (yucks!) |
Trying to start on a right foot into the neighbourhood, had to do some PR and talked to the adjacent neighbours and told them about the hacking should end in 2 day's time. :P
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