Friday, December 10, 2010

Install A Ceiling Fan That Includes A Light Kit

The lighting on a ceiling fan is fed by a separate wire.


Ceiling fan installation is simpler today that it once was, thanks to modern kits that cater to do-it-yourself homeowners. In most cases, you can install a fan unit in place of an existing ceiling light in an hour. Many kits include lights as part of the fan unit, controlled by a separate pull switch on the unit, with all of it controlled by the wall switch connected to the original fixture. You generally don’t have to do anything special to hook up the light except to tie one extra wire into the connection.


Instructions


1. Cut power to the room at the fuse box.








2. Remove the existing ceiling fixture, unscrewing the screws around the base, pulling it straight down, and disconnecting the wire behind it. You will be left with an exposed ceiling electrical box with wires hanging down from it.


3. Attach the mounting bracket from your kit to the electrical box, using the provided machine screws and lining up the screw holes on the bracket with the screw holes in the face of the box.


4. Assemble the fan motor housing and light on the floor, if necessary, according to the instructions that came with the kit. Don’t attach the blades. Take the housing to the top of the ladder, and connect the white wire from the housing to the white wire from the box. Wrap a piece of electrical tape around the connection to seal it. Connect the black wire from the box to the two remaining wires from the housing, which will be either two black wires or one black and one blue. (The extra wire is for the light.) All three of the wire ends should be in one wire nut. Wrap it in electrical tape.


5. Connect the copper grounding wire from the ceiling box to the green grounding screw in the fan housing, twisting it around the screw and tightening.


6. Hold the fan housing up to the electrical box, pushing the wires and wire nuts into the box. Turn the housing so the screw holes in the housing line up with the screw holes on the mounting bracket. Insert the screws that came with the kit.


7. Put a light bulb in the socket. Turn on the power and test the bulb at the wall switch. (Note: If it doesn’t go on immediately, pull the light cord to see if it was turned off at the housing.) Test the fan motor as well. If everything works, attach the fan blades using the screws and washers provided in the kit.

Tags: screw holes, wire from, attach blades, came with, electrical tape, existing ceiling, extra wire