How to Install a Ceiling Fan in 7 Simple Steps

Ceiling Fan Set up

Putting in a ceiling fan just isn’t troublesome, it simply takes a bit time to get all of the items put collectively. Tougher is discovering or creating a spot to hold the fan from; strange electrical containers generally utilized in residence development will not be designed to accommodate both the burden of most followers or the vibration they produce.

Anytime a ceiling fan goes to switch an strange gentle fixture, it’s essential to confirm that the field it’s to be hung from is rated for ceiling followers. This often means changing the present ceiling electrical field, so let's begin there.

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Set up a brand new ceiling fan mounting field: electrical field and a ceiling fan wiring hanger bracket

Feed the present wire by way of the cable clamp within the high of the brand new metallic ceiling fan junction field, slip the field over the saddle screws, and tighten the nuts to clamp the field to the shaft with a nut driver or a deep-well socket. Crimp a loop of grounding wire three-quarters across the grounding screw and tighten the screw.

Fasten the downrod securely

Slip the downrod pin by way of the collar and tube, lock it into place with the cotter pin, and tighten the screws and locknuts.

Tip: Tighten the locknuts firmly. Unfastened nuts are the most typical reason for wobbly fans.

Set up a Ceiling Fan The place No Fixture Exists

If the set up is for a room that has by no means had a ceiling fan earlier than, then it might want to have a fixture and the required mounting equipment put in earlier than the fan will be mounted. You will have to rent an electrician to convey switched 120V energy to that location, at the price of about $170 for the electrician’s time and one other $40 for components. Nonetheless, prices go up relying in your solutions to the next questions:^[1]

1. The place would you like the wall swap?
2. The place would you like the fixture?
3. Which means are the joists operating within the ceiling in relation to the wall swap and fixture location?
4. The place are you able to choose up energy?
5. Is there lath-and-plaster or drywall on the partitions and ceiling?

Putting in Ceiling Fan Wiring

Overhead lighting in residing rooms just isn’t typical. A switched receptacle is. Relying on how the room is wired, an electrician wants to vary the field on the swap location to a two gang and maintain the switched receptacle, or he/she might be able to change the receptacle and disconnect the line-in within the swap field. The present wires are often a 3-wire feed. Then the one swap/field can be utilized for the overhead gentle.

Set up Ceiling Fan Mounting Field

With a fan weighing as much as 50lbs., you’ll want a powerful mount to help it. These are put in by attaching the mounting field to a help brace on the ceiling joists. A handyman will both do that by going by way of the attic or by ratcheting the brace in place from the room beneath.

A ceiling fan mount will value $8 to $15. Your handyman might want to swap out the outdated gentle mounting field for a ceiling fan field; in any other case, the movement of the fan may shake the fan unfastened over time.

Putting in Ceiling Fan With Gentle

If you’re putting in a substitute ceiling fan, then your contractor will first must take away the present fan from its ceiling set up and exchange it with the brand new fan. Even when the unique fan didn’t have a lightweight, all of the wiring ought to be in place for one with a lightweight. A handyman can do that for about $75.

Ceiling Fan Electrical Field

It’s value having an electrician try your circuit panels to verify your ceiling fan set up received’t place too excessive of a requirement on the breakers you’ve got in place presently. Poor preliminary electrical wiring, or subsequent non-code compliant repairs or enhancements, may end up in zone crossover with lighting fixtures on the identical circuits as retailers.

The ensuing load from the mixed demand, which ought to by no means exceed 80% of the breaker’s capability, may show an excessive amount of for that breaker and require an extra panel or the substitute of the outdated circuit breakers. If an extra panel must be put in, that would value someplace between $250 and $400, but when it’s time to exchange the whole circuit breaker setup, you could possibly be taking a look at a value between $900 and $1,300.

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Attaching the Ceiling Bracket

Take away the Fan Blade Arm Screws

More often than not, your screws used to connect the fan arms come pre-installed within the fan motor. Take away these screws from the highest of the fan motor earlier than you do anything. You’ll use these later to connect the fan blade arms and also you don’t need to need to take away them when the fan is mounted to the ceiling if in any respect doable.

Connect the Mounting Bracket

Connect the mounting bracket to the ceiling’s electrical field with the included screws. Most trendy followers include some type of hook or hanger to briefly maintain the fan throughout set up. Place the mounting bracket in order that the hanger factors in direction of the ceiling. It should help the weight of the fan through the wiring course of. If you’re on a sloped roof, make certain the hook or hanger’s open aspect faces the excessive a part of the ceiling.

Pull {the electrical} wires by way of the opening within the middle of the mounting bracket.

Be aware: For this, we have to assume your ceiling-mounted electrical field already comes prepared for a ceiling fan. For brand new development, most constructing codes name these “fan containers” and they need to be all able to go. For an older residence, make certain you perceive whether or not or not that field can help a fan mount. A spinning fan falling out of the ceiling isn’t any laughing matter!

STEP 1: Choose a ceiling fan that fits the dimensions of the room

Picture: istockphoto.com

When selecting a fan, observe the dimensions of your room. The blades should be a minimum of 18 to 24 inches away from all partitions, a minimal of seven toes from the ground, and 10 inches from the ceiling. Use the next figures as a information to choosing the correct dimension ceiling fan on your area:

• 36-inch fan if the room is lower than 144 sq. toes
• 42-inch fan if the room is between 144 and 225 sq. toes
• 52-inch fan if the room is greater than 225 sq. toes

Our researched guide to the best ceiling fans gives terrific fan choices at a wide range of value factors. After selecting the fan, choose a ceiling field that’s authorised for followers. Containers for overhead lights will not be robust sufficient to help the burden of a fan; your finest wager is to decide on a metallic field that may help a fan’s weight. When you’ve got entry from an attic above or have open ceiling framing, you possibly can add framing between joists to connect the field. If not, use a brace bar. A brace bar will be screwed into the joists, and the ceiling field and fan will grasp from the newly added help.

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STEP 4: Join the ceiling fan wires

Picture: istockphoto.com

Rigorously pull the wires by way of the knockout gap within the receptacle field. A helpful pair of needle-nose pliers may also help. Then, connect the fan’s mounting bracket with the {hardware} included. Connect the fan’s down rod with the ball finish towards the ceiling, and safe (often with an included cotter pin).

Subsequent, join the fan’s wires to the circuit wires: white to white, black to black, and the grounding wire to the inexperienced lead wire of the fan or a grounding screw. Safe all connections with wire connectors, and tuck them into the ceiling field.

Selecting The place to Set up Your Ceiling Fan

The 2 huge questions you need to reply earlier than putting in a ceiling fan are the place you need to set up it and the way you will be supplying energy to that location. Elements to contemplate will fluctuate relying on in the event you’re putting in a brand new fan, changing an outdated one, or retrofitting an outdated gentle fixture.

• Present Followers or Retrofit: In case you’re changing an present fan or gentle fixture, your resolution on the place to put in your new fan is straightforward. You may need to fastidiously disassemble the fixture, starting with gentle bulbs and ornamental glass. Take away the screws holding the sunshine fixture to {the electrical} field, then disconnect the plastic wiring connectors to take away the fixture fully. In case you’re fortunate, {the electrical} field can be put in on to a ceiling joist. Which means you’ll bracket your fan to the joist to provide it the help it wants. If {the electrical} field is put in between two joists, you will want to put in a help bar that’s rated for fan help.
• New Fan Installations: When putting in a fan the place no fixture exists, you’ve got the identical choices for structural help: both bracket the fan on to a ceiling joist or set up a help bar between joists. The higher problem can be selecting the very best resolution for supplying energy, which is often the tactic that requires the least quantity of drywall chopping. With attic entry to the set up web site, householders who’re skilled with electrical rewiring can route new wiring from any electrical entry level within the attic. If there is no such thing as a such entry, wiring ought to be routed from the closest outlet or swap, which is often a wall swap within the room the place the fan is being put in. This may typically require a number of small holes to be reduce within the drywall in order that the wiring will be routed round corners.

Find out how to Set up a Ceiling Fan

1. Take away the Present Gentle Fixture

• Be sure electrical energy to circuit is turned off and thoroughly take away the glass shade or globe from the outdated gentle fixture.
• Unscrew the retaining nut or screws that maintain the fixture to the ceiling.
• Decrease the fixture and disconnect the wires by twisting off the plastic connectors from the ends of the wires.

2. Take away Field and Reduce New Gap

• Take away the outdated electrical field from the ceiling. If it is nailed to a joist, pry it free with a flat bar. If it is suspended from a bar, you will have to take off a metallic plate to unscrew the field; then pry the bar from the joists.
• Maintain a 1/2-inch-thick pancake field towards the ceiling, centered on a joist, and hint round it with a pencil.
• Reduce alongside the road with a drywall noticed.

Tip: Maintain a vacuum cleaner wand subsequent to the noticed to catch the mud.

3. Connect New Electrical Field

• Feed {the electrical} cable coming from the ceiling by way of the knockout gap within the pancake field. (Make sure there is a cable connector hooked up to the knockout gap.)
• Set the field into the opening reduce by way of the ceiling and press it tight towards the underside of the joist.
• Connect the field to the joist with the 2 1 1/2-inch No. 10 hex-head screws offered. Drive within the screws with a drill/driver outfitted with a 5/16-inch nut-driver tip.
• Wrap the cable’s naked copper wire across the grounding screw contained in the field. Permit the wire finish to hold down.

4. Glue on the Ceiling Medallion

• Apply a small bead of urethane-based adhesive to the again of the ceiling medallion.
• Move the wires by way of the medallion (above).
• Heart the medallion on the pancake field and press. Fasten it with 4 6d ending nails pushed into the joist.
• Set the nailheads and fill with caulk or spackle.

5. Mount the Ceiling Plate

• Maintain the fan’s metallic ceiling plate as much as the pancake field and pull the wires by way of its middle gap.
• Connect the ceiling plate to the field with two 1 1/2-inch-long 10-32 machine screws.

Tip: If you are going to paint the medallion, do it earlier than putting in the ceiling plate.

6. Assemble the Fan Parts

• With the fan on the ground, feed the wires coming from the motor by way of the middle of the cover. Set the cover on high of the motor.
• Subsequent, move the wires by way of the hole down-rod pipe.
• Thread the down-rod pipe into the highest of the motor. Use a wrench to tighten the square-head locking screw on the aspect of the pipe.

Tip: The pipe’s threads have a factory-applied coating. Do not take away this coating; it retains the pipe from unscrewing.

7. Make the Wire Connections

• Hook one aspect of the cover onto the ceiling plate.
• Utilizing twist-on wire connectors, be part of the 2 inexperienced wires to the naked copper wire coming from the cable. (In case your room is wired otherwise from the one proven right here, seek the advice of a licensed electrician.)
• Be part of the 2 white wires.
• Then join the 2 black wires.
• Swing the fan up into place towards the medallion and safe it with the 2 cover screws.

8. Connect the Blades and Lights

• Connect every fan blade to a blade iron (the bracket that holds the blade to the fan). Then, fasten the blade irons to the motor with the screws offered.
• Plug the fan’s light-fixture housing into the wire hanging from the underside of the fan’s motor.
• Set up the shades and lightbulbs.
• Screw the plastic holder for the distant management to the wall beside the wall swap.

Putting in a ceiling fan

Putting in a ceiling fan can appear intimidating, particularly with regards to wiring a ceiling fan. Nonetheless, we’ve got a lot of sources to assist information you together with a how to install a ceiling fan video. Our resources are dietary supplements to your Hunter ceiling fan manual, so be sure you discuss with your set up handbook in the beginning through the set up.

Hunter Fan Firm continues to innovate new methods to make for straightforward ceiling fan set up, together with our pre-installed distant receiver and snap-on blades. However in case you are uncomfortable putting in a ceiling fan, rent a licensed, skilled electrician to put in your fan. Relying on the hourly charges of electricians in your space, it may well vary from $60 to $250 to put in a ceiling fan together with putting in the ceiling fan field and the fan itself.

In case you contemplate your self helpful, putting in a ceiling fan the place a lightweight fixture exists is straightforward. Even in the event you don’t contemplate your self helpful, it’s nonetheless a simple and pretty cheap replace that may convey your room model and added consolation. Discover extra tips for installing a ceiling fan in your house on our weblog.

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