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What's up handypeople, anyone replaced a ceiling fan?
KidDynamite
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So... as part of the joys of homeownership, I'm learning to do all kinds of new things.
But, I've got some new ceiling fans to put in (Not wiring, just replacing older "home depot specials" with some nicer looking new ones).
I've done some amatuer electrical work in the past, so I'm familiar with the not killing yourself stuff, and have been reading online.
The one caveat, is I haven't been up in the attic to look at how they are hung. If past experience with the "remodelers" of the house are any indication all signs point to as crappy and cheaply as they could.
So with that said:
1. Are fan mountings somewhat universal? If I have fans already in place, I am most likely good to go correct?
2. Currently, the fans that are there stick out from the ceiling about 1/8 to 1/4 inch (not flush) this bothers me. Can I fix it so the new fans are flush with the ceiling?
3. The guy at the store told me to use at least the 2" downrod for the best airflow, good advice?
Anything else you can add would be appreciated.
Ty.
But, I've got some new ceiling fans to put in (Not wiring, just replacing older "home depot specials" with some nicer looking new ones).
I've done some amatuer electrical work in the past, so I'm familiar with the not killing yourself stuff, and have been reading online.
The one caveat, is I haven't been up in the attic to look at how they are hung. If past experience with the "remodelers" of the house are any indication all signs point to as crappy and cheaply as they could.
So with that said:
1. Are fan mountings somewhat universal? If I have fans already in place, I am most likely good to go correct?
2. Currently, the fans that are there stick out from the ceiling about 1/8 to 1/4 inch (not flush) this bothers me. Can I fix it so the new fans are flush with the ceiling?
3. The guy at the store told me to use at least the 2" downrod for the best airflow, good advice?
Anything else you can add would be appreciated.
Ty.
KidDynamite on
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It wasn't super hard. Since I have no access above (4th floor condo), I used a spanner rod that screws into the joists to hang it from. From what I saw and read on, yeah, the mountings should be compatible.
The hardest part is getting the damn thing together, since you have to hold it and move it at the same time. Another pair of hands can be helpful.
The fan should come with a bracket or plate that gives several sets of holes to accomodate several ways of mounting it. I think if you have fans in place you'll be good to go. I did not need attic access (which I have) to remove and install a new fan, everything was done from underneath.
All our fans have a slight gap from the ceiling, which I assumed was there to accomodate the vibration of the fan during operation.
The downrod might be good advice from an airflow perspective, but I don't have downrods since I don't want to lose headroom.
Wearing safety glasses and a paper mask is not a bad idea, dust and dead bugs and shit fall down when you're working on ceiling mounted stuff.
If you could, time from start to finish? I'm debating on starting this saturday, but I don't want to be hanging fans at midnite
Some fans I've put up have a "slot" so you can hang the fan on the mount temporarily while you complete your wiring. If it doesn't, you have to hold the fan up with one hand and try to wire with the other, which is somewhat annoying. It really helps in those cases to have someone else to help hold the fan up for just a few minutes while you secure everything. Assuming you assemble the fan and prepare your mount/wiring first, the actual time of installing the fan is 10-15 minutes tops.
Generally speaking, yes. The exception would be the reason you want to check out the actual box to see how it's been hung (you don't necessarily have to go into the attic to see - some boxes are marked, or they're the kind that actually straddle the stringer, so that it's obvious what they are, but it can be easier). What you want to be wary of is people who have attached a ceiling fan to an electrical box not designed for it. You don't want to have a pretty heavy fan land on your head unexpectedly.
Not sure what you mean by "stick out", the fairing should take up much of the gap between the mount on the box and the ceiling itself. Small gaps probably won't be visible from ground level. Cheap fans can have worse fit and finish, too.
Most fans have multiple mounting options, from having a (short) downrod, to being tight against the ceiling with no downrod at all. Some fans come with different mounts so you can choose, others only come set up for one way. Check the box, they usually highlight stuff like that as a significant feature.
Probably good advice, provided the height of the ceiling can accomodate it. The closer to the ceiling the fan blades are, the less efficient they'll be in terms of moving air.
Takes a few hours (including finish work and clean up). Most of the time I've had to spend hanging a fan came from assembling the fan itself, not putting it up. It actually takes a lot longer than you expect to assemble the fan blades to the mounts and things like that. Some manufacturers offer fans that have blades that go on faster, but it's not a common feature and isn't worth limiting yourself in terms of style and price just for that.
It should be possible to hang a fan by yourself in most situtations, but if you can get a helper (if only to call an ambulance if you fall off the ladder), it can be helpful.
1) Don't attach the blades until you have the motor assembly hooked up and fastened to the ceiling. Having those blades on there makes the whole thing unwieldly. Which leads to:
2) Have a buddy/friend there to hold the motor assembly up while you connect the wires/brackets/screws/etc. It's trickly to screw upwards in direction AND hold something with your arms fully extended upwards. Plus, less up and down on the ladder/chair, etc.
Thanks for the good advice guys. Got 3 out of the 4 hung this weekend.
On the last one, I may have to call in the professionals, The electrical box where it is to be hung has the screww hole stripped out on one side. That and the hole was cut too big make me think I may call an electrician.
The rest went together fine, and other than my sore arms, looks 100% better, and weren't too bad.
Glad to hear that! Most home projects aren't as bad as they seem at first.
Very common, I'm afraid. Not really a problem - the usual solution is using a longer and/or larger screw. Just go down to the hardware store with the original screw and the mounting plate to see what will work best. You may need to pre-drill the hole longer (with a drill bit approporiate for the size of the screw) if you go with a longer screw.
I'm assuming you mean the drywall around the box is cut larger around the box? That's not a problem, it'll be covered by the housing, right? The drywall isn't structural.
You can probably solve both problems on your own, but if you're not comfortable doing it, it's OK to call in help. Watch what the guy does and ask questions so you can learn from it.
I'm still kicking ideas around. I hope I can explain this so it makes sense.
The fan uses a bracket, which the fans sits in on a little rubber ball. I'm guessing it is self-leveling in that respect.
But the bracket is too small for the hole, so it would just be hanging there, instead of cinched up against the ceiling itself, even though the electrical box is what it uses for mounting. If I did tighten it all up, the bracket would be above the ceiling height, so the housing wouldn't work.
I'm gonna get my dad to run by and see what we can do.
It's like stripped screw = not a big problem,
Plaster hole too big = not a big problem.
A + B = :?:
I'm sure we will get it figured out. Honestly, even the hole in the ceiling is an improvement.
I'm also convinced that the contractors they used should have criminal charges brought against them.
There was one fan, that the bracket was supported by the electrical wires. And that's it! It's like bracket slipped over wires, and then fan screwed on.
Cost me $30... and gave me a new base to put my ceiling fan on. I'll take a picture and post it if you like, as it's hard to describe.
You're correct about the ball mount. It takes out some of the vibrationof the fan's operation, and takes all of the fuss out of the ceiling angles.
OK, I think I get you on this. I've run into it before, but I can't remember how I solved it (or if I did).
You're right in that you can't tighten the support screws so that the bracket "submerges" below the wallboard level - the bracket kind of presupposes it's flush with the wall. The mounts are, sadly, kinda flaky in some respects.
I might have just shimmed things with washers or a steel spacer. I might have acually trimmed a steel support bracket for a ceiling light fixture that I had as a spart, and ran it perpendicular to the fan support bracket and cut it down so that it would pick up the edge of the wallboard, but still be hidden by the cowling. I suppose some 1/4" steel stock from Lowe's could be cut and drilled to do much the same with hand tools (although you'd prolly want a power drill too).
Dads can be an untapped weath of knowledge, this a is a good idea.
Be careful.
This is an important safety tip for others, although I suspect the OP is following correct procedures.
When doing electrical work, power should be removed at the circuit breaker and verified carefully at the work box. Never assume that the wires are colored or even wired correctly. Measure the voltage across hot and neutral, and between hot and ground and neutral and ground. It should be zero (modulo some noise values you'll see on auto-ranging meters in the fractional mililvolts). I've seen both old and new homes with bizzaro wiring problems that weren't evident until you started poking around, and there's nothing fun or funny about grabbing a live wire you thought was disconnected...
Although it's possible to do work on live circuts, homeowners should never have to.
This is the truth. Electricity is still one thing that scares the poo out of me. It is basically like black magic. I think I know how it works, and I'm confident, but then you find a live 220 line that isn't hooked up to anything in the crawlspace.
My wife hates me because I will literally say
"Honey, don't touch the breaker box"
"OK"
"Honey, don't touch the breaker box"
"OK"
"Honey, don't touch the breaker box"
"OK!!!"