Content material of the fabric
- Mr. Electric Special Offers
- Video
- Attaching the Fan Blades
- First Attach the Brackets to the Blades
- How to Install a Ceiling Fan
- 1. Remove the Existing Light Fixture
- 2. Remove Box and Cut New Hole
- 3. Attach New Electrical Box
- 4. Glue on the Ceiling Medallion
- 5. Mount the Ceiling Plate
- 6. Assemble the Fan Components
- 7. Make the Wire Connections
- 8. Attach the Blades and Lights
- Supplies Needed
- Wire the fan, fan light and switch
- Connect ceiling fan wiring at the fan: Know your ceiling fan wire colors
- Knock out the old box and install a fan brace
- Finding the Mounting Position When Installing aCeilingFan
- Install a Ceiling Fan Where No Fixture Exists
- Installing Ceiling Fan Wiring
- Install Ceiling Fan Mounting Box
- Installing Ceiling Fan With Light
- Ceiling Fan Electrical Box
- 3. Install the ceiling bracket
- Project details
- Skill
- Cost
- Installing Ceiling Fan With Downrod
- Follow the manufacturer’s directions to install the adjustable hanger bar and ceiling box
- 7. Add the switch housing
- Related Articles
- Your Guide to Troubleshooting a Leaky Faucet
- Why is My Sink Gurgling?
- Why is My Toilet Draining Slowly?
Mr. Electrical Particular Provides
Mr. Electrical supplies solely the highest-quality service. Allow us to present you some nice causes to name us. Present Provides
Attaching the Fan Blades
The final step in putting in a ceiling fan has you attaching the fan blades.

First Connect the Brackets to the Blades
Connect the brackets to every fan blade earlier than you connect the brackets to the ceiling fan. Sometimes every bracket is connected with 2 or 3 screws and washers. It helps to string these screws by hand first after which use a guide screwdriver to tighten all of them the way in which.
Acknowledge that the heads of the screws are on the “high” of the blade—the aspect you gained’t see uncovered. Many fan blades are reversible in shade, so ensure when the job is accomplished you may have the right end pointing “down” from the ceiling.
Video
How one can Set up a Ceiling Fan
1. Take away the Present Mild Fixture
- Ensure electrical energy to circuit is turned off and thoroughly take away the glass shade or globe from the previous 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 Lower New Gap
- Take away the previous 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.
- Lower 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 via the knockout gap within the pancake field. (Make sure there is a cable connector connected to the knockout gap.)
- Set the field into the outlet minimize via 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.
- Go the wires via the medallion (above).
- Middle 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 via 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 Elements
- With the fan on the ground, feed the wires coming from the motor via the middle of the cover. Set the cover on high of the motor.
- Subsequent, move the wires via 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 a 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 a 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 change.
Provides Wanted
Earlier than putting in a ceiling fan, you could shut off the circuit breakers supplying energy to any fixtures or retailers you may be working with. You also needs to totally unpack your fan package and skim the included set up information. Confirm that each one the elements are included, and collect the opposite instruments you may want, which can embody:
- Electrical drill
- Pliers
- Crescent wrench
- Wire cutters
- Screwdriver
- Ladder
- Drywall noticed
- Security goggles
Wire the fan, fan gentle and change
Join ceiling fan wiring on the fan: Know your ceiling fan wire colours
That is what you might want to find out about ceiling fan wire colours: Join the naked floor wire from the field to the inexperienced floor wire on the bracket with a wire connector. Join the white impartial wire from the motor to the impartial wire from the field. Join the blue and black wire from the motor to the black sizzling wire from the field and neatly fold them into the field.
Knock out the previous field and set up a fan brace
Shut off the ability on the major panel and take away the sunshine fixture. Knock the present electrical field freed from the framing with a hammer and a block of wooden, then pull {the electrical} cable freed from the previous field and thru the ceiling gap. Go away the previous ceiling fan junction field within the ceiling cavity until you may simply take away it via the outlet.
Tip: Earlier than you blast out the field, bend again the plastic clamps or loosen the metallic cable clamps so it’s going to be simpler to drag {the electrical} cable free after the field is loosened.
Discovering the Mounting Place When Putting in aCeilingFan
When putting in a ceiling fan, you could mount it to a metallic junction or outlet field. This should be securely connected to the ceiling joist, both instantly or through a safe cross brace. The field and no matter is supporting it should be able to dealing with a ceiling fan in movement. There are a number of selections for this, together with options for brand spanking new building and “previous work” (current installations):
For brand new building, you merely connect your alternative of fan field to a vertically-positioned 2×4 which braces between two ceiling joists. Conveniently, each thick and skinny packing containers can be found, although you must be sure that all uncovered wiring stays inside the field and ceiling fan cover. For current installations, in the event you don’t have already got an satisfactory mounting electrical field, you should use an increasing metallic ceiling fan hanger bar. A few of these are supposed to be inserted from beneath and expanded as soon as they’re positioned between the joists.
Make sure to measure your fan mounting place properly in case you are doing new building. There’s nothing worse than mounting a fan and realizing it’s off-center after the set up is full!
Word: For detailed wiring examples and choices, please see our article on wiring a ceiling fan, which particulars a number of completely different methods to make the required electrical connections in a wide range of conditions you might encounter.
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 package put in earlier than the fan might be mounted. You’ll need to rent an electrician to carry switched 120V energy to that location, at the price of about $170 for the electrician’s time and one other $40 for elements. Nevertheless, prices go up relying in your solutions to the next questions:[1]
- The place would you like the wall change?
- The place would you like the fixture?
- Which means are the joists operating within the ceiling in relation to the wall change and fixture location?
- The place are you able to choose up energy?
- Is there lath-and-plaster or drywall on the partitions and ceiling?
Putting in Ceiling Fan Wiring
Overhead lighting in residing rooms isn’t typical. A switched receptacle is. Relying on how the room is wired, an electrician wants to vary the field on the change location to a two gang and preserve the switched receptacle, or he/she might be able to change the receptacle and disconnect the line-in within the change field. The present wires are normally a 3-wire feed. Then the one change/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 via the attic or by ratcheting the brace in place from the room beneath.
A ceiling fan mount will price $8 to $15. Your handyman might want to swap out the previous gentle mounting field for a ceiling fan field; in any other case, the movement of the fan may shake the fan free over time.
Putting in Ceiling Fan With Mild
If you’re putting in a substitute ceiling fan, then your contractor will first have to take away the present fan from its ceiling set up and change it with the brand new fan. Even when the unique fan didn’t have a light-weight, all of the wiring must be in place for one with a light-weight. A handyman can do that for about $75.
Ceiling Fan Electrical Field
It’s price having an electrician take a look at your circuit panels to ensure your ceiling fan set up gained’t place too excessive of a requirement on the breakers you may have in place at present. Poor preliminary electrical wiring, or subsequent non-code compliant repairs or enhancements, can lead to 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 a further panel or the substitute of the previous circuit breakers. If a further panel must be put in, that would price someplace between $250 and $400, but when it’s time to change the whole circuit breaker setup, you can be taking a look at a value between $900 and $1,300.
3. Set up the ceiling bracket
Now it’s time to put in items of the brand new fan. First up is the ceiling bracket. Use the screws that include the brand new fan, and safe it into the holes on {the electrical} field.
Carry the wires from the ceiling via the middle gap. In our case, that was one white wire and one yellow wire (plus the inexperienced one on the ceiling bracket).
Challenge particulars
Talent
1 out of 5 Simple Considerably simple. It takes a bit of labor to put in a fan-approved electrical field, however the ceiling-fan meeting and set up are very easy.
Price
$50 to over $350, relying on dimension and options of the ceiling fan
Putting in Ceiling Fan With Downrod
The usual minimal distance between the ground and the blades of a ceiling fan is round 7 ft. Most properties have an 8-foot ceiling top, so owners will both have the ceiling fan mounted flush with the ceiling or with a low-profile 3” to six” pole referred to as a downrod. For ceilings with a top higher than 8 ft, installers will use a pole to attach the motor housing of the ceiling fan to the ceiling mount. Relying on the dimensions and end you want, your prices will land someplace between $6 for a 3” and $80 for a 72” rod.
Downrods can be found in diameters between ½” and 1” to go well with the kind of fan being put in. Listed below are the frequent downrod sizes primarily based on ceiling top in keeping with ceiling fan producer Del Mar. [4]
Ceiling Peak | Downrod Size | Common Price |
---|---|---|
8’ | No downrod | — |
9’ | 6” | $5–$20 |
10’ | 12” | $6–$84 |
11’ | 18” | $8–$98 |
12’ | 24” | $11–$76 |
13’ | 36” | $10–$73 |
14’ | 48” | $25–$94 |
15’+ | 60” | $30–$94 |
Observe the producer’s instructions to put in the adjustable hanger bar and ceiling field

You put in most hanger bars by pushing them via the outlet within the ceiling left by the previous electrical field. When you may have the hanger bar fully via the outlet, rotate it till it’s perpendicular to the ceiling joists. The bar expands till it engages the ceiling joists. The ends of the hanger bar are outfitted with sharp metal pins that dig into the wooden joists when the hanger bar is expanded. You then connect the particular ceiling field to the hanger bar, locking it in place to supply a safe base for the fan.
7. Add the change housing
You’ll more than likely put your change housing into place utilizing screws. There can be a wire plug that goes from the higher to the decrease change housing. Ensure this connection is safe, as a result of it’s what turns the fan on.
Associated Articles

Your Information to Troubleshooting a Leaky Faucet
The drip, drip, drip of a leaky faucet is greater than an irritation that retains you awake at evening.
Study Extra

Why is My Sink Gurgling?
Learn our information on what causes your sink to gurgle and how one can repair it.
Study Extra
Why is My Bathroom Draining Slowly? Learn the way bathrooms flush, why yours may be draining slowly and how one can repair it. Study Extra