Make a brace for your ceiling fan before installing it
Ceiling fans look great in so many different settings, and they serve many different purposes. They can distribute airflow, create a focal point in a room and even distract small babies looking for stimulation. Most fans are heavy, especially ones with added light fixtures, so precautions must be taken to ensure security. Installing a brace in the ceiling before attaching the fan will give the fan more support and distribute the weight more evenly over a drywall ceiling.
Instructions
1. Mark the point of installation on the ceiling where the fan will be placed with a pencil. Using a stud finder, make sure two joists, no more than 2 feet apart, are around the marked spot. The brace will be suspended between these joists, and a standard brace is only 24 inches long.
2. Press the fan box against the ceiling, and trace it with a pencil. The fan box is included with your ceiling fan. It's the small, square metal box slightly bigger than your palm.
3. Cut out the traced square with a drywall saw.
4. Remove any insulation blocking access to the joists on either side of the cut-out hole. Keep the insulation to use later.
5. Insert the brace into the hole, and lay it down so the corkscrew faces down. The brace should be perpendicular to each joist, forming an "H."
6. Unscrew the corkscrew with a screwdriver to release the expansion bolt. Keep unscrewing until each end of the brace is firmly planted in the joists.
7. Place the included U-bracket over the brace so the U shape is upside down. Screw the fan box onto the U-bracket, hollow side down.
8. Feed the electric wires in the ceiling through the hole in the fan box.
9. Replace the insulation around the fan box.
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