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Installing a Ceiling Fan Using Existing Wiring |
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Dear Mr.
Electrician: I'd like to install a
ceiling paddle fan in the bedroom. The house was built
in the 70's. The fan would be mounted onto an existing
ceiling light fixture box on the 1st floor. The
electrical box in the ceiling is metal, but I'm not
sure how it is attached to the joists. The box
is round and has 2 metal arms extending out.
I saw the house being built back then but I
don't remember if it's nailed or just tacked
with metal type prongs.
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My FREE Bath Fan Ebook
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Once the old
box and support has been removed you
are free to install a new
ceiling fan brace and fan rated box
as per article 314.27(2)(C) in the
National Electrical Code .
Also read article 422.18.
The new ceiling fan braces are relatively easy
to install. The ends of the brace
are made in such a way that they
will position the box at the correct
height as they rest on top of the
drywall ceiling. Just line the
brace up with the
center of the hole and tighten it
according to the manufacturers
instructions. The fan brace
will expand as you turn it and will
bite into the joists. The
brace should be straight and level
as it goes from joist to joist and
should be centered on the existing
hole in the ceiling.
Install the ceiling fan box after
confirming that the brace is solid
by giving it a strong tug.
Bring the wire into the box using a
cable connector or clamp before
attaching the fan box to the fan
brace. |
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Occasionally I have an installation that is not
so typical and requires some thought and
ingenuity to get a ceiling fan box installed.
One of the most common out-of-the-ordinary
installations is when double drywall is used on
the ceiling. Sometimes I also
encounter
resilient channel . My simple fix
is to buy a regular fan brace kit and also buy a
separate
2-1/8" deep fan box
deep fan box to use instead of
the 1 1/2" box that normally comes with the fan
brace. It is possible to buy a fan brace
with a deep box, however the legs on the brace
are longer, therefore the deep box will not sit
lower. |
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Ceiling fan manufacturers usually
furnish installation instructions
and many have simplified the process by the
addition of a hook or hole to hold
the fan motor up on the ceiling
while you splice the wires together.
Ceiling fan installations vary
slightly by manufacturer and even
from low end models to high end
models. If installing a
ceiling fan is new to you, I suggest
that you read the instructions and
also plan it out on the floor how
the ceiling fan needs to be
assembled. Do not try to
assemble the fan on the floor and
mount it on the ceiling as a whole
unit. It is not made to be
done that way.
Start by
grounding the new fan box with the
existing bare or green ground wire
and a
green ground screw .
Leave a grounding pigtail long
enough to extend past the box a few
inches.
Next mount the
bracket that came with the fan using
the screws and hardware that came with the fan
brace and box kit. |
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You are on http://www.MrElectrician.tv/questions/question-OldWorkCeilingFanBox.html
Created May 30, 2013
Updated December 15, 2015
Copyright 2015 John Grabowski All Rights
Reserved
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