Ceiling Fan Installation

Installing a ceiling fan will help keep your room cooler during the warm months and warmer during the cooler months. Installing a ceiling fan is not difficult. For most homeowners it is an easy to do DIY project. Using an existing ceiling light fixture for a ceiling fan is the easiest method as the electrical wiring is already installed. Ceiling fans are designed with and without light fixtures. Ceiling fans with light fixtures permit you to add additional lighting to your room. The fan will work with air conditioning or with open windows to cool your home. During winter a ceiling fan operating in reverse helps to circulate the warmer air that collects at the ceiling.

It is important to buy the right size fan for the intended room, consider the following guidelines for the right size fan:

• If the room dimension is 12 feet or less, you need a 36-inch fan
• If the room dimension is 12 to 16 feet, you need a 48-inch fan
• If the room dimension is 16 to 18 feet, you need a 52-inch fan

To get started on your ceiling fan installation gather the tools and hardware needed.

• Drill

• Hammer

• Wire stripper

• Keyhole saw

• Screwdriver

• Pliers

• Wrench

Installing a Ceiling Fan

The fan hardware is usually included with the fan. Before starting, turn off the power at the main circuit breaker panel. If you are not sure which breaker to use, then turn off the master breaker to the entire house.

1. Take down the old light fixture.

2. Attach the stove bolts to the adapter plate in the fixture using the locknuts. Test the fixture box to ensure it will hold the weight of the fan. If for some reason it does not hold, a metal brace will be needed to be installed between the joists. In most cases, the canopy of the fan will cover any holes that are drilled into the ceiling.

3. Install the u-bolt over the brace bar as well as through the bottom of fixture box and adapter plate. Run the wire into the mounting box of the fixture. Make sure the face of the box is flush with the ceiling.

4. Position the box in the ceiling cutout. The bars holding the mounting box are then twisted to extend the braces.

5. Attach the fan wires to the incoming circuit wires inside the fixture box using wire nuts. Attach the black wires together, attach the white wires together, and attach the bare wire to the green wire (ground). Secure the fan to the fan box using the mounting bolts and install the canopy to cover the ceiling holes and fixture box. Install the fan blade if not installed.

 Turn the power back on and then turn on your fan. Enjoy your new fan.