How to Install Ceiling Fans

It's easier than you think, even on an angled ceiling.

Time

A full day

Complexity

Intermediate

Cost

$101–250

Introduction

A ceiling fan improves cooling in summer and heating in winter. The consequence: You lot experience more comfortable while you save on utility bills. And installing them yourself is much easier, thanks to new, stiff hanging systems and electronic controls. Nosotros show you how to avoid mutual pitfalls when installing ane yourself.

Tools Required

Materials Required

  • Ceiling fan
  • Fan brace and box associates
  • Switch
  • Wire connectors

Project stride-by-step (thirteen)

Step i

Overview and getting started

Measure the ceiling slope

Measure

Determine the ceiling gradient past holding a ii-ft. level against the ceiling and measuring the vertical distance from the level to the ceiling. Divide that number past 2 to get the drib over 12 in. of horizontal run, 3/12 slope in our case. Run across the nautical chart beneath to determine the minimum downrod length for the blade diameter you'd like.

You lot don't have to exist a "Casablanca" aficionado to appreciate the elegance a ceiling fan can bring to your home. And you tin relish a fan all year long every bit it creates a welcome breeze in the summertime and circulates warm air in the winter.

Installing a ceiling fan (technically called "paddle fans") used to exist frustrating, to say the to the lowest degree. Most of the time you had to wing it because specialty hanging systems were poorly developed or nonexistent. Present, most manufacturers have designed versatile fan mounting systems that take the hassle out of installing a ceiling fan. When you lot add in the improved, stronger ceiling boxes, you'll find that only nearly any ceiling fan tin become upwards quick and easy on whatsoever ceiling, sloped or flat.

In this article, nosotros'll illustrate crystal-articulate instructions that go beyond the bones gear up included with the fan. We'll also show you how to avert mutual pitfalls like putting on parts in the wrong society and forgetting to slip shrouds on ahead of fourth dimension. Some mistakes are more serious than these. Standard electrical boxes or blades hung too low can exist downright dangerous.

In addition to the fan, you tin can buy accessories like electronic controls, fancy light packages and furniture-grade paddles.

Put up a new fan in a leisurely Saturday afternoon
If everything goes well, y'all tin can put upward a ceiling fan in a couple of hours, including cleanup. In most cases, the whole job will take only a hammer, a screwdriver, a 3/8-in. nut commuter and a wire stripper.

Most of the fourth dimension, the wires that fed a previous ceiling fan wiring light fixture are acceptable for hooking upwardly a new fan. If you have a ceiling fan wiring arrangement that's different from ours and you are unfamiliar with wiring techniques, consult an electrician or edifice inspector for help.

Follow the photograph serial for basic installation steps that apply to more than 95 percent of all fans. There may be small variations, particularly when it comes to the light and blade mountings, so you'll all the same need to consult the instructions provided with your fan. Every bit with any other electrical piece of work, you may need an electric permit from your local edifice department before starting the job. The inspector will tell you when to call for an inspection.

Fan Height Requirements

Height

Manufacturers generally crave that fan blades be at least 7 ft. above the floor. Since about fan and motor assemblies are less than 12 in. high, they'll fit under a standard viii-ft. ceiling with the proper clearance.

Angled ceilings crave that you install "downrods" (also chosen extension tubes or downtubes) that volition lower the motor and fan blades and so they'll clear a sloped ceiling surface. The more space between the ceiling and the fan, the improve. The fan will take more than air to draw from, and you'll feel more air movement because the blades are closer to you.

Most fans come with a curt downrod designed for mounting on viii-ft. ceilings. If your ceiling'due south less than 8 ft., you'll need to remove the rod provided and flush-mount the fan. Simply if you have a college or sloped ceiling, purchase a longer downrod.

Step 2

Knock out the old box and install a fan brace

hammer

Shut off the power at the primary panel and remove the calorie-free fixture. Knock the existing electric box complimentary of the framing with a hammer and a block of wood, then pull the electric cable free of the onetime box and through the ceiling hole. Leave the old ceiling fan junction box in the ceiling cavity unless you can easily remove it through the hole.

Tip: Before you blast out the box, curve dorsum the plastic clamps or loosen the metal cable clamps so information technology'll be easier to pull the electrical cablevision free after the box is loosened.

Stride 3

Install the ceiling brace

brace

Feed the fan caryatid upwards into the hole, rest the flat border of the anxiety against the ceiling and center the shaft over the pigsty. If your ceiling is more than than i/2 in. thick, as ours was, rotate the feet and position the rod the depth of the box from the ceiling. Rotate the shaft to secure the brace to the framing. Snap the metal saddle over the shaft and so it'southward centered over the hole.

Close-up of fan brace

The caryatid ends fit confronting the ceiling and the terminate screws drive into the joints as you lot rotate the shaft.

Before starting any piece of work, close off the circuit breaker that feeds the switch and light fixture. If there's a working seedling in the fixture, turn it on. And then yous'll know you have the right breaker when the seedling goes out. Check the wires with a voltage tester to make sure they're off after removing the fixture and when changing the wall switch.

The side by side footstep is to remove the existing plastic or metallic electrical box and install a "fan brace" that'southward designed to concur ceiling fans. Few conventional boxes are strong plenty to back up a ceiling fan, then don't fifty-fifty recall well-nigh trying to hang your fan from an existing box. Instead, purchase a fan brace when y'all purchase your fan. You can choose braces that fasten with screws if the framing is attainable from the cranium or if it's new construction. Otherwise, pick a brace that's designed to sideslip through the ceiling hole and through the electrical box. These braces (Photos three and closeup) adjust to fit between the framing members in your ceiling; yous simply rotate the shaft to ballast them to the framing.

About existing electrical boxes are fastened to the framing with nails, making them easy to pound out with a hammer and a cake of wood (Photo 2). Later on you costless the cable, just leave the former box in the cavity (Photograph 3) rather than struggling to work the box through the ceiling hole. And so pull the cable through the pigsty and skid the fan brace through the opening and secure it, following the directions that came with the brace. Picayune feet on the ends of braces go along them the correct distance from the behind of ane/2-in. thick ceilings so the new electrical box will be flush with the surface. If y'all have a thicker ceiling (like ours), rotate the ends to reach the correct spacing.

Step four

Install a new ceiling fan mounting box: electrical box and a ceiling fan wiring hanger subclass

Install

Feed the existing wire through the cable clamp in the top of the new metallic ceiling fan junction box, sideslip the box over the saddle screws, and tighten the nuts to clench the box to the shaft with a nut driver or a deep-well socket. Crimp a loop of grounding wire three-quarters around the grounding screw and tighten the screw.

Footstep 5

Attach the hanger bracket

Attach

Position the hanger subclass and so that the opening in the bracket is on the uphill side of the sloped ceiling. Then screw it into the box with the special screws provided with the fan brace.

Pull the ceiling fan wiring into the new box, mount the box onto the brace (Photograph iv) and attach the fan hanger bracket (Photo 5).

Step half-dozen

Gather the fan and hang it

Insert the correct size downrod

downrod

Place the motor correct side up, thread the wire through the downrod and insert the downrod into the mounting neckband.

Step 7

Fasten the downrod securely

Fasten

Sideslip the downrod pin through the neckband and tube, lock it into place with the cotter pivot, and tighten the screws and locknuts.

Tip: Tighten the locknuts firmly. Loose nuts are the about common cause of wobbly fans.

Pace 8

Prepare the hanging ball

ball

Sideslip the collar cover, then the awning over the downrod. Slide the ball over the downrod and push the pivot through both sets of holes, then lift the ball over the pin and tighten the set screw.

Step 9

Hang the motor

motor

Lift the assembly over the open side of the subclass and lower it into identify. Rotate the motor until the ball slot locks into identify over the tab on the subclass. Your fan will include assembly instructions. Photos 6 – 9 volition help you with several key steps.

Step 10

Wire the fan, fan light and switch

Connect ceiling fan wiring at the fan: Know your ceiling fan wire colors

Connect

This is what y'all need to know well-nigh ceiling fan wire colors: Connect the bare footing wire from the box to the green ground wire on the bracket with a wire connector. Connect the white neutral wire from the motor to the neutral wire from the box. Connect the blue and black wire from the motor to the black hot wire from the box and neatly fold them into the box.

Step 11

Adhere the fan blades

blades

Screw the fan blades to their brackets and screw the brackets to the lesser of the motor. It's easiest to concur the spiral in the bracket with the screwdriver while you elevator the bract assembly into position. So drive the screw in.

Pace 12

Connect the light pod and radio receiver

receiver

Place the radio receiver into the switch housing/lite pod associates and connect the light pod wires according to the manufacturer'south instructions. Note the settings on the receiver's code toggles and so you can punch in the same settings on the electronic controls at the wall switch. Now loosen the screws in the switch-housing hub halfway. Plug the motor ceiling fan wiring into the receptacle on the receiver and twist the switch housing into place on the hub. Retighten the screws.

Step thirteen

Connect the switch

switch

Cheque and reset (if necessary) the code toggles on the wall-mounted electronic switch to friction match the ones on the receiver. Remove the existing wall switch and connect the two black wires on the new switch to the ones that were connected to the old switch with wire connectors. Screw the switch into the box and install the embrace plate.

New electronic controls salvage you from running additional ceiling fan wiring.

Since almost fan installations are retrofits into existing electric boxes, there'due south normally a single electrical cable connecting the fixture to a single wall switch. You lot can exit the switch and employ information technology to turn the fan on and off, so use the pull chains on the fan to control fan speed and lights. A second option is to install electronic controls. Higher-quality fans give you the selection of adding a radio receiver kit. The receiver accepts signals from a special wall switch (included in the kit) to control the fan and light separately without boosted wiring. The receiver also accepts signals from a handheld remote, so you can operate multiple fans and fine-tune fan speed and light intensity from your La-Z-Boy. Electronic switches are matched to fans past flipping code toggles in the controls and the fan, just like with your garage door opener. Installing an electronic switch (Photo 12) is a snap. The receiver drops right into the fan housing and plugs into the bottom of the motor.

If the onetime calorie-free is fed by ii iii-way switches instead of a single switch, the control options are a little more complicated. You have three choices:

  1. Leave the existing switches in place and turn one of them on. And so use a remote control to control the fan and lights.
  2. Use the existing switches and control the fan and lights independently with pull chains.
  3. Disable 1 of the 3-mode switches and rewire the other i to receive a wall-mounted electronic control. Sorting out all the wires is complex. You'll demand an electrician's help for this.

Ownership a Ceiling Fan

remote

If yous haven't walked under a large fan brandish yet, hold onto your hat. You'll exist overwhelmed by the selection of colors, styles and accessories, peculiarly if you visit a ceiling fan shop. If you intend to use your fan regularly, invest in a high quality model. You'll become a quieter, more efficient, more than durable unit. If you spend beyond that amount, you're usually paying for low-cal packages, radio-actuated remote and wall controls, mode, and blueprint (fancier motor castings, inlays, blade adornments or glasswork). If you spend less, you're likely to go a less efficient, less durable, noisier unit of measurement with fewer color, bract and electronic choices.

Choose the bract diameter that all-time suits the room visually and brand sure the unit of measurement will fit nether the ceiling without jeopardizing beehive hairdos.
Bigger rooms call for wider fan blade diameters.
The bigger fan will not only look better but likewise move more air.

Most ceiling fans are designed for heated, enclosed spaces. If you lot're putting a fan in a screen room, a gazebo or other damp area, the building code requires yous to use a "clammy-rated" fan. These fans have corrosion-resistant stainless steel or plastic parts that can stand up to high humidity and condensation. If you alive in a coastal expanse with corrosive sea air, or if yous're putting a fan in a especially moisture environs like a greenhouse or an enclosed pool area, yous should cull a "wet-rated" fan.