Make sure that you have someone on hand to help you lift the fan onto the hook of the ceiling plate or the mounting bar if your model has that. Also, If you are taking down an existing fixture and replacing it with a heavy ceiling fan, make sure you have reinforced the outlet box in the ceiling with a support brace.
The project shown here is replacing an existing ceiling fan. Essentially the same steps would be required to replace a ceiling light with a ceiling fan. If there is no existing fixture, you’ll need to start with a new reinforced electrical box and run some wiring, which, honestly, means it’s time to call an electrician.
—SUPPORT THE WEIGHT—
Whether you’re adding a chandelier in your dining area, or a ceiling fan in the kid’s bedroom, it’s always nice to have electric run to the position already. A common mistake, however, IS assuming that the electrical box mounted in the ceiling will support the weight of the fixture.
A standard electric box may be simply nailed to the side of a ceiling joist and isn’t designed to support the weight of a heavy lighting fixture.
Not to worry! A very handy after-market accessory is available from a few manufacturers that replaces the existing electrical box with a support brace that expands and attaches to the joists.
You may be required to do a little drywall work (moving the box location), but to add the peace of mind of knowing that your ceiling fan will stay on the ceiling is worth a little extra work.
—STEP 1—
As with any electrical project, start by making sure the power is off at the breaker. Our existing ceiling fan has a neat decorative trim piece hiding the mounting screws for the fan. Yours may not have this, in which case you’ll be looking at the screws and step 2 is the one for you. If no screws are obvious, look for a way to remove the trim strip.
—STEP 2—
Unscrew the screws holding the cover housing from the existing fan. Nothing heavy should come loose, just a cover, but still, work cautiously.
—STEP 3—
Nothing came loose in our case, because the housing was sealed to the ceiling with paint. A utility knife took care of that issue quickly.
—STEP 4—
Now the housing will come loose and hang down from the ceiling, exposing the wires inside.
—STEP 5—
With the wires exposed, you should be able to remove the wire nuts, disconnecting the old fixture. For peace of mind, you may want to get your tester and check to make sure the electricity is off to the fixture first.
—STEP 6—
With the wires disconnected, you can grasp the fan fixture and lift it free of the mounting bracket. It may be a little heavy, so having a friend handy to help is smart. You may also want to consider removing the fan blades to make it easier to handle.
—STEP 7—
If you’re replacing an existing ceiling fan (like us) there will be a hanging bracket mounted to the electrical box. Most are specific by manufacturer, so you’ll need to remove the old bracket. If you’re mounting a fan to an existing light fixture, this is the time to make sure the existing electrical box will support the weight of a ceiling fan. Follow your fan’s instructions for this step.
—STEP 8—
With the bracket removed, I’m using a putty knife for remove some built-up plaster and paint on the ceiling that will keep our new fan from seating properly against the ceiling.
—STEP 9—
There are lots of parts with any ceiling fan kit. It’s smart to lay everything out and familiarize yourself with the pieces.
—STEP 10—
The first piece I need to get better acquainted with is the mounting plate. This model requires four rubber bumpers that keep the fan from rocking when spinning. These are simply slipped in place on the mounting plate.
—STEP 11—
Back on the ladder, tidy up the wires leading from the electrical box and feed them through the appropriate hole in the mounting plate.
—STEP 12—
The plate itself then screws into the appropriate holes in the electrical box.
—STEP 13—
Our fan is a flush-mount model, so the next step is to secure the mounting stud to the fan motor. If yours is a post-mounted model, you’ll also need to attach a mounting to the motor at this time, but it will also include the post.
—STEP 14—
Whether flush-mount or post-mount, a trim ring will rest against the ceiling. Most need to slip over the wiring at this point, or it’ll be tough to add later!
—STEP 15—
Our fan includes a grounding plate that screws inside the ceiling housing.
—STEP 16—
With the wires fed through both the grounding plate and housing, screw the plate to the mounting stud already in place on the motor.
—STEP 17—
With many fan kits, the wires come with the insulation already stripped back the appropriate distance for easy connecting.
—STEP 18—
If your kit doesn’t have pre-stripped wires, remove about 1/2″ of insulation from the end of each wire using a pair of wire strippers.
—STEP 19—
Making the wiring connections at the ceiling can be a challenge. Many ceiling fan kits include a hook on the mounting plate to support the motor while you’re making the wiring connections.
—STEP 20—
As you start to put the wires together, remember that like-color usually works. Black-to-black, white-to-white, and so on. I like to start with the ground wires, just to get them out of the way. A wire nut secures the connection.
—STEP 21—
Ground is attached, white wires are next, followed by the black connections.
—STEP 22—
With all the connections complete, tuck the loose wires as close to the mounting plate as possible. Once you lift the motor up to attach to the plate, you don’t want to have to fight with wires, and you don’t want to get one caught or pinched.
—STEP 23—
With the motor lifted into place, I just need to tighten a couple of screws to hold everything in place.
—STEP 24—
The decorative trim collar slips into place to hide those unsightly screws.
—STEP 25—
Next, it’s time to get Steve in here. He fastened the blade brackets to the blades themselves. This particular fan kit includes rubber grommets to protect the wood of the fan blades, and also reduce noise. They simply slip into the holes in the blades.
—STEP 26—
Then it’s a simple step to screw the blades to the mounting brackets.
—STEP 27—
It’s usually two screws per bracket to attach the blades. We recommend leaving the first screw a little loose until the second screw is started, then tighten both.
—STEP 28—
We’re adding a light kit to our fan. Three screws attach the light kit.
—STEP 29—
To run power to the light, it’s a simple plug-in connection. I like that!
—STEP 30—
Lastly, the light kit base is screwed in place on the fan motor.
