Ceiling Fan Installation with Downrod

Background

I received a request to install a ceiling fan. This bedroom did not have a ceiling fan originally, just a standard light fixture.

Remove the Existing Fixture

The removal was fairly easy. To begin, I had the customer turn off the power to the fixture. Come to find out, the entire room was on a single breaker. I confirmed using a non-contact voltage tester that the circuit no longer had power. Next was the removal of the cover plate and the disconnecting of the wires that powered the fan and light.

Confirm Fan Rated Junction Box

Next step was to confirm that a junction box, that was rating for a ceiling fan was already installed.

This is what the junction box looked like. This is a newer style of junction box that is in contact with the joist on the bottom and side of the joist. Normally the junction box is only in contact with the bottom of the joist or is the retrofit style that extends to connect to the two nearby joists.

This style of junction box, has the fan connected directly to the joist in the ceiling instead of connecting to the box and then the box to the joist.

Install the Ceiling Fan

Due to the height of the ceiling, a downrod was used to lower the ceiling fan closer to the living space of the room. Ceiling fans come with a downrod that is designed for a 8 foot ceiling. If you ceiling is greater than this height, then the use of a longer down rod is recommended. The length of the down rod depends on the height of the ceiling.

From this point forward, the ceiling fan installation was straightforward and followed the manufacturer's instructions. This particular ceiling fan comes with some of the screws already in their final installation place. This reduces the chances of you putting a screw in the wrong part of the fan and the amount of plastic that has to be used to package the parts.

Conclusion

Installing a ceiling fan is a simple and easy process as long as the electrical and mounting steps are doing correctly.