I just finished hanging a ceiling fan on my cathedral ceiling. The ceiling is 16 feet and the fan hangs down on a 3 foot rod.

It has a dome light (I chose this because I thought it always looks better when you dont see the bulb) and looks great. But...

The dome light is open on top and when the light is on and the fan is spinning, it looks like there is a disco on my ceiling!

That never entered my mind. Is this just accepted on a fan that hangs low (Ive always seen huggers or close to it). Im assuming its not the fact that the light is open on top - that this would happen with any light kit - since any light will shine up somewhat.

Is it part of the charm of a hanging fan (am I stretching here?)

Aside from that I like this light also because it takes 2 100 watt bulbs. All of the other kits seem to take just a couple of 40s or 60s if your lucky.

Any thoughts?

 

I think the closer the fan is to the ceiling the worse the effect will be. Try a longer rod if possible to get it further from the ceiling (mine is on a 5' extension).

The higher wattage a bulb the bigger the difference you will see between the lite and dark areas. Those brighter bulbs you love may be making things worse.

More bulbs in the fixture will reduce the strobe effect. Every bulb will cast it's own shadow. More bulbs will cast 4 or 5 softer shadows instead of 2 hard ones.

Adding other light in the room will help minimize the strobe effect. We have four wall sconces with 40w bulbs. They wash up the walls and onto the vaulted ceiling and wash out the blades shadows except right over the fan.

 

I think it tends to happen on fans that having a bright uplight. Generally speaking the uplight is for ambiance and general decorative-ness, and if you want practical light you need a downlight, either on the fan, some track lighting, or recessed cans.

HOWEVER I think a 3' downrod is awfully short for a 16' ceiling. A longer downrod might help some with the strobe effect.

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