Lightree Retractable Ceiling Fan (DS-FQ08) w/Dimmable LED Light Installation and Review

Lightree Retractable Ceiling Fan (DS-FQ08) w/Dimmable LED Light Installation and Review

Buy it at Amazon: Lightree Retractable Ceiling Fan (DS-FQ08) w/Dimmable LED Light [Affiliate Link]

Takeaway: Straightforward installation, bright light and fan with decent airflow. Adjustable color, brightness, speed, and fan direction.

You’ll receive the fan motor body, lampshade diffuser, decorative bottom cup, decorative canopy cup, an 8 inch down rod and optional 4 inch down rod, hanging bracket, a pack of mounting hardware, a pair of white gloves, remote controller signal receiver, remote controller with wall holster, hanging hardware and instructions, and an installation manual. On the front of the manual is a QR code to a brief installation video from the manufacturer, but it's fairly light on actaul instruction, so in my installation and review video I go into more detail and walk you through the entire process step-by-step.

The main body of the fan has four translucent dark brown plastic blades which extend out when the fan is on and are hidden above the light fixture when the fan is off. For the 42” version of this fan, the diameter of the light fixture in the middle will be 19” inches. This fan is also available in a 36” overall width (w/16"" diameter light fixture) for smaller spaces. The housing is made from a lightweight metal with a matte black finish. On the underside, the spiral shaped LED strip is pre-installed. There are fifty-two individual LEDs, and what I like about this design is that the light panel is easily replaced by simply disconnecting the connector towards the center and removing a few screws that hold it in. You’ll also notice 4 small pegs evenly spaced around the perimeter; these are used for installing the lampshade diffuser. The lampshade is made from a translucent white, lightweight plastic with metal accent bands. The shade is a single piece and along the outer edge are four notches with tapered grooves which will attach to the 4 pegs on the bottom of the light fixture with a simple twist-to-lock operation. The other thing you’ll notice is that the locking channel for the lampshade is also translucent, which means that this side section of the shade will be lit when the light is on, giving the appearance of the third tier of light on this two tier lamp shade.

On top of the motor, you have two cable connectors: one for the light and one for the fan motor. On the mounting stem you’ll find two set screws and a hole on both sides, for the clevis pin that secures the down rod. You’ll need to choose either the 8 inch or four inch down rod for your installation, depending on the height of your ceilings. The installation height with the 4 inch rod will be 13” below your ceiling and 17” with the 8 inch rod; note that the bottom of the fan after installation should be no lower than 7 feet above the floor. The hanging bracket has four outer screw holes and two sliding screw attachment points for attaching to your ceiling or electrical pan. On the bottom are four brass screws and you’ll need to use a pair of opposing screws to attach the decorative canopy. It’s a good idea to pre-loosen the pair of screws that you plan to use before installing this bracket so you don't have to do this with the low clearnace once the fan is hanging in the bracket. Inside this bracket is a cast aluminum cup joint for the hanging rod’s ball and an upper support rod to prevent warping. The attachment points also have foam cushioning on top to avoid scratching your ceiling and absorb vibrations from the fan. Note the three tapered catches inside the cup. These will line up and securely hold the matching grooves on the down rod’s ball. Also remember that the ground screw should face the opening of the cup so you can more easily add a grounding wire. The large gap above the cup is designed to allow you to place the remote control signal receiver in it so it and all the wiring can be fully concealed by the decorative cover. There are wire leads for connecting to your main power lines, a connector for the fan, the remote control receiver’s antenna, and connector for the LED light fixture.

I installed my fan on a ceiling fan-rated pancake junction box that sits flush to my ceiling’s surface, though you do have a little bit of wiggle room if your fan pan is set a little bit deeper. If mounting directly to a wooden ceiling, batten, or support beam, you can use the included six wood screws, or optionally these four expansion screws for a concrete ceiling. The instructions recommend installing the lampshade prior to attaching the motor to the hanger, but I actaully did it at the end for practical reasons, since I found it easier to hold and support the fan from the bottom when hanging it on the bracket. I also used the white gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints on the fan and ceiling. When connecting the signal receiver's power to your home’s main power, you can either use the push pin wire connector or the included wire nuts. In either case, you’ll want to match the black wire from the controller to you live power line and the white wire to your neutral. Once I had all the wires hooked up, the decorative canopy was able to conceal all the wiring, receiver, and the hanging bracket for a clean look. The final step was to install the lampshade which I simply lifted into place and gave a turn counter-clockwise to secure it. You’ll notice that the shade fits a bit loosely and there’s a bit of up and down play in the shade. This is normal and won’t affect operation.

To control the fan and light, you’ll need to use the remote controller, which comes with a wall mountable holster that you can hang on your wall using the included screws and drywall anchors. The remote requires 2 AAA batteries which are not included. There’s a main power off button which shuts off both the fan and light, a light toggle which control only the light but not the fan, forward rotation button and backward rotation for the fan, 3-mode quick toggle for the light, night light mode, incremental brightness controls, incremental color controls, setup button to reprogram the remote to the receiver, a 1 hour and 2 hour shut off timer, six fan speeds from lowest to highest, and a fan stop button. If the fan is connected to a wall switch, make sure you set the switch to the on position. The light will automatically turn on in a bright white more and beep once when power is supplied. Using the remote, pressing the ‘F’ fan button starts the fins in a forward rotation which pushes air down from the ceiling for faster cooling during warm weather. As the fan comes up to speed the fins extend outward and reveal above the light fixture. At the slowest speed, 1, the fan is virtually silent save for a very slight metallic hum. Even at the highest speed of 6, most of the noise you’ll hear will be from moving air rather than any motor noise from the fan. When the fan is turned off, the fins will slowly retract until they are once again hidden above the light fixture. The ‘R’ button, or reverse mode, spins the fins in the opposite direction, causing cool air to move upward and redistributing any heat that may be accumulating near the ceiling during colder weather.

The 'K' button cycles between a cool white, neutral white, and warm white and the nightlight mode is a warm, but dim light mode. You can incrementally change the brightness in 10 stages at any color temperature, and also change the color temperature in 12 stages at any brightness. When switching the light off and on again using the remote, the fan will remember the last settings for the color and brightness. However, if you turn the main power off at the wall switch and turn it on again, the light settings will reset. Overall, this ceiling fan with light is pretty straightforward to assemble, install, and use. The amount of airflow that I get from this 42” diameter unit is adequate for the size room I have it in, about 150 sq ft. At moderate to low speeds it’s virtually silent during operation. The light is moderately bright on its own but complements my existing ceiling lights well, and I love that the light’s brightness and color are customizable and that I don’t need to go up to the unit to change the rotational direction with the changing seasons, since it can be done right on the remote.


Buy it at Amazon: Lightree Retractable Ceiling Fan (DS-FQ08) w/Dimmable LED Light [Affiliate Link]