Talk of The Villages Florida
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Talk of The Villages Florida (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/)
-   The Villages, Florida, New Members Forum (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-new-members-forum-115/)
-   -   Securing Lanai Fan in Anticipation of a Hurricane (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-new-members-forum-115/securing-lanai-fan-anticipation-hurricane-359820/)

Kzeus 07-06-2025 01:25 AM
Thank you for your reply.

Kzeus 07-06-2025 01:28 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arctic Fox (Post 2443592)
I know this will elicit numerous angry responses, but a "hurricane" in The Villages is rarely anything remotely resembling a proper hurricane along the Atlantic or Gulf coasts.

Hurricanes gain energy from the heat of the ocean which, as you may have noticed, is not that close to us here. Thus their energy is quickly dissipated when passing over land.

At the slightest hint of a wind above 20mph this forum is filled with posts asking when to evacuate and how many extra toilet rolls they should be buying up (to add to those bought the three previous times, and still stacked up in the garage).

Be prepared, but don't over-react.
Thank you for putting our minds a bit more at ease. No angry response from us - only gratitude that you took the time to answer. 🙏🏼

retiredguy123 07-06-2025 01:59 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arctic Fox (Post 2443592)
I know this will elicit numerous angry responses, but a "hurricane" in The Villages is rarely anything remotely resembling a proper hurricane along the Atlantic or Gulf coasts.

Hurricanes gain energy from the heat of the ocean which, as you may have noticed, is not that close to us here. Thus their energy is quickly dissipated when passing over land.

At the slightest hint of a wind above 20mph this forum is filled with posts asking when to evacuate and how many extra toilet rolls they should be buying up (to add to those bought the three previous times, and still stacked up in the garage).

Be prepared, but don't over-react.
I agree. A hurricane is defined as sustained winds (not gusts) of 75 mph or higher. As far as I know, The Villages has never experienced a hurricane. Yet, many people continue to refer to past hurricanes in The Villages.

Rocksnap 07-06-2025 04:50 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by retiredguy123 (Post 2443639)
I agree. A hurricane is defined as sustained winds (not gusts) of 75 mph or higher. As far as I know, The Villages has never experienced a hurricane. Yet, many people continue to refer to past hurricanes in The Villages.
We had sustained winds of at least 80 mph last Oct during Helena.

retiredguy123 07-06-2025 05:02 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocksnap (Post 2443647)
We had sustained winds of at least 80 mph last Oct during Helena.
Not according to AI or the Orlando Sentinel. There were some wind gusts reported of up to 60 mph during Helene in central Florida, but no sustained winds anywhere near 75 mph. There is a huge difference between a sustained wind and a gust.

NoMo50 07-06-2025 06:21 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocksnap (Post 2443647)
We had sustained winds of at least 80 mph last Oct during Helena.
Helene was in September last year. Milton came thru in October, and was the stronger of the two.

Indydealmaker 07-06-2025 06:36 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kzeus (Post 2443385)
We’re new to Florida/The Villages & have a pool area including a covered lanai. The section above the pool is screened & the adjacent seating area is covered by a solid roof. All sides surrounding the lanai & pool are enclosed by screens.

Our concern is with the 4 large ceiling fans hanging in the roofed area of the lanai. From the roof to the blades, there is a 4 ft "stem." Even light winds cause the blades to turn. We’re concerned about possible damage during hurricane-force winds.

The previous homeowner mentioned that she would tie a rope to each fan and anchor it to a bucket sitting on the ground below the fan, filled with rocks to limit movement. The fan manufacturer didn’t have recommendations. Our own online research led to two suggestions:

1. Removing the fan blades before each storm
2. Tying the blades together
Neither option seems ideal.

If anyone has ideas on how to safely stabilize large hanging fans during strong winds, we’d truly appreciate your insight. 🙏🏼
We have lived here 15 years and your fears are virtually baseless. We have never experienced hurricane force winds. Other than securing or removing lightweight items that can blow away, we have never seen the need to go overboard. We never turn ceiling fans off anyway. They are designed for 24/7 operation.

retiredguy123 07-06-2025 06:36 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by NoMo50 (Post 2443668)
Helene was in September last year. Milton came thru in October, and was the stronger of the two.
At my house, neither storm ever exceeded 40 mph wind speeds.

Berwin 07-06-2025 06:41 AM
1) Our ceiling fan has a three-foot stem because the roof over it is sloped so don't worry about the folks on here saying you must be mistaken. We've weathered three or four storms since we've been here and the fan has been just fine. It is under a roof surrounded on three sides with the fourth side open to the bird cage with no damage. Do what feels safe for you. 2) I joined the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and in the training, when people asked where we would relocate to in a hurricane, the instructor said, "This is where people relocate TO in a hurricane." Yep, we had friends from St. Pete stay with us a week last year when Milton hit there.

MandoMan 07-06-2025 07:07 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kzeus (Post 2443385)
We’re new to Florida/The Villages & have a pool area including a covered lanai. The section above the pool is screened & the adjacent seating area is covered by a solid roof. All sides surrounding the lanai & pool are enclosed by screens.

Our concern is with the 4 large ceiling fans hanging in the roofed area of the lanai. From the roof to the blades, there is a 4 ft "stem." Even light winds cause the blades to turn. We’re concerned about possible damage during hurricane-force winds.

The previous homeowner mentioned that she would tie a rope to each fan and anchor it to a bucket sitting on the ground below the fan, filled with rocks to limit movement. The fan manufacturer didn’t have recommendations. Our own online research led to two suggestions:

1. Removing the fan blades before each storm
2. Tying the blades together
Neither option seems ideal.

If anyone has ideas on how to safely stabilize large hanging fans during strong winds, we’d truly appreciate your insight. 🙏🏼
If you want to loop a pice of string around a blade of a ceiling fan and tie it around The handle of a bucket of rocks, fine, but definitely don’t HANG a bucket of rocks from a fan blade. You would risk warping it permanently, or snapping it off. Their strength is sideways. I’d also recommend not unscrewing the blades before a storm. 1. Being up on a ladder unscrewing fan blades has its risks. 2. Every time you do that, there’s a risk of ending up with an unbalanced fan, and that can be frustrating. 3. In a hurricane, the blades are not likely to turn faster than they would if the fan were on high. 4. The blades are firmly screwed to the heavy fan body, which will keep them in place.

Justputt 07-06-2025 09:23 AM
Never had a problem with the ceiling fans and we don't do anything to them, HOWEVER, the screen door can be trashed because the wind will rattle it until it slams open, bending the closer mechanism and potentially breaking the door. We ended up using a zip or wire to secure the handle/latch to the strike plate.

Justputt 07-06-2025 09:25 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by MandoMan (Post 2443688)
If you want to loop a pice of string around a blade of a ceiling fan and tie it around The handle of a bucket of rocks, fine, but definitely don’t HANG a bucket of rocks from a fan blade. You would risk warping it permanently, or snapping it off. Their strength is sideways. I’d also recommend not unscrewing the blades before a storm. 1. Being up on a ladder unscrewing fan blades has its risks. 2. Every time you do that, there’s a risk of ending up with an unbalanced fan, and that can be frustrating. 3. In a hurricane, the blades are not likely to turn faster than they would if the fan were on high. 4. The blades are firmly screwed to the heavy fan body, which will keep them in place.
After a storm, I did see broken fans at our Dabney pool, so it can happen if they're really exposed.

Michael G. 07-06-2025 09:30 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Indydealmaker (Post 2443676)
We never turn ceiling fans off anyway. They are designed for 24/7 operation.
I read that ceiling fans running does not have anything to do with helping cool/heating a room.
Ceilings fans are only for people's comfort, moving air.

In other words, turn off ceiling fans when no one is in the room
to save energy.

Agree or not?

retiredguy123 07-06-2025 09:35 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael G. (Post 2443738)
I read that ceiling fans running does not have anything to do with helping cool/heating a room.
Ceilings fans are only for people's comfort, moving air.

In other words, turn off ceiling fans when no one is in the room
to save energy.

Agree or not?
I agree. My ceiling fans are just to look at because I don't want any air moving around. If I am warm, I turn down the thermostat.

kcrazorbackfan 07-06-2025 11:31 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kzeus (Post 2443385)
We’re new to Florida/The Villages & have a pool area including a covered lanai. The section above the pool is screened & the adjacent seating area is covered by a solid roof. All sides surrounding the lanai & pool are enclosed by screens.

Our concern is with the 4 large ceiling fans hanging in the roofed area of the lanai. From the roof to the blades, there is a 4 ft "stem." Even light winds cause the blades to turn. We’re concerned about possible damage during hurricane-force winds.

The previous homeowner mentioned that she would tie a rope to each fan and anchor it to a bucket sitting on the ground below the fan, filled with rocks to limit movement. The fan manufacturer didn’t have recommendations. Our own online research led to two suggestions:

1. Removing the fan blades before each storm
2. Tying the blades together
Neither option seems ideal.

If anyone has ideas on how to safely stabilize large hanging fans during strong winds, we’d truly appreciate your insight. 🙏🏼
We have 12” extensions on ours in the outdoor kitchen and never have had a problem.


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