Monday, December 23, 2013

Install & Balance A Ceiling Fan

Today's ceiling fans are usually made for do-it-yourself installation.


Today's ceiling fans are usually made for do-it-yourself installation. They mount on new or existing ceiling fan rated electrical boxes. Among the innovations for homeowners are easy-to-use fan-balancing kits that either come with the fan or can be bought separately. It's important that the electrical box is solid and properly mounted to hold the weight of the fan. If the box moves at all, consult a contractor before going any further with the project.


Instructions


1. Turn off the power to the existing ceiling light fixture at the fuse box. If unsure which breaker, turn off the main breaker and verify with a non-contact voltage tester that there is no power present in the sockets. Remove the screws from the fixture and drop the fixture a few inches to expose the wires within the box. Check all wires within the box with the tester to verify that there is no power present in the box. Remove the fixture by taking out the screws from the base and disconnecting the wires behind it. Leave the wires hanging out of the exposed ceiling box. Generally, there will be one black, one white and one bare grounding wire.


2. Find the mounting bracket that came with your fan. It will be a flat circular or rectangular plate of metal with screw holes in it and a green grounding screw on the surface. Install the bracket to the ceiling electrical box with the provided screws.


3. Wrap the bare grounding wire from the box around the green screw on the bracket and tighten it.








4. Carry the fan unit up your ladder and position it close enough to the box to connect the wiring. Connect the white wire from the fan to the white wire from the box, and the black wire to the black wire. Make the connections by putting wire nuts over the ends of the wires and twisting them together. Make sure they're completely covered. If your fan has an additional blue wire (for a light), connect it to the black wire.


5. Lift the fan to the mounting bracket and attach it with the provided screws.


6. Turn the power back on and turn on the fan. Watch its movement. If it wobbles, stop it and clip a blade weight to the side of one of the blades. Run the fan again and watch it. If the wobbling persists, try another blade. If the wobbling is lessened but still present, move the weight to a different point on the blade. Continue moving and testing the weights until the fan is balanced.

Tags: black wire, wire from, bare grounding, bare grounding wire, ceiling fans, ceiling fans usually, do-it-yourself installation