How to Install Your Ceiling Fan

Installing a ceiling fan is a great money saving way to circulate air within your home. Even a do-it-yourself beginner can do it with very few tools! Check out our step by step breakdown of how to install your new ceiling fan:

To provide the most optimal airflow, ceiling fans are hung in the center of a room. Ceiling fans, like the energy efficient Hunter Energy Star Ceiling Fans, Casablanca Energy Saver Fans, or Emerson Money Saver Ceiling fans, take up no more power than a standard light fixture; however, if your ceiling fan has a light attached to it, you may want to make sure that there's enough power in the circuit to run both the light and fan at the same time. If there isn't, you'll need to run a new circuit and circuit breaker from the main panel (or a sub panel) from the house to the ceiling fan. If there was no fixture prior to the one you are currently trying to install, you will need to make room for the current fixture and use an existing circuit to receive power. Above all else, be sure to have enough room from the ceiling to the fixture's blades (known as blade clearance).

Ceiling Fan Installation

Turn Off the Power

Turn off the circuit. To turn off the circuit, remove the fuse or switch the breaker off. If there is a pre-existing fan, remove it. Make sure that you keep the wire nuts that are holding the wires together because they can be re-used. Also, be sure to measure everything so that the fan is centered.

Mount the Fan

If you can access the attic, check to be sure that the existing electrical/junction box will provide enough support to hold the weight of your fan. Look for metal cross braces that span over the two joists. If there are none, you can cut a 2x4 to in between the joists.

If you cannot access the attic, install a metal electrical/junction box. Be sure not to use a plastic box as it isn't strong enough to support the full weight of the fan. Cut a hole large enough to fit the junction box through, and screw the box securely to the joist. If the joist is too far away, connect the box to an available header that is nailed between the joints. If your fan weights more than 35 pounds, be aware that you will need to use the structure of the home for added support as the metal junction box cannot support that much weight. Lastly, be sure to get a beam mount if your fan will be affixed to a beamed season.
Mount the hardware that attaches the fan to the electrical/junction box and screw it tight enough so that the fan will not wobble or sway when turned on.

Attach the Wiring

Following the manufacturer's instructions, feed the wires through the fan's mount and connect the wires according to color. The white house wires will connect with the white fan wires and the black house wires will connect with the black fan wires. Make sure the fan is grounded to the metal box. Locate the ground wires from the box, fan, and power supply and wirenut them together. Lastly, cover the black and white power connections with a tightly screwed wirenut.

Finishing Steps

Affix the ceiling fan motor to the mounting bracket and turn the power back on to be sure that all the connections are in working order. If the connections work, turn the power back off; otherwise, review to make sure you have not missed a step.
Affix the decorative cover before you attach the blades to cover the hole in the ceiling. Now attach the blades one at a time to each mounting bracket and then afix the blade assemblies to the ceiling fan's motor. This step may require the assistance of another individual, especially if the blades are large or elaborate such as the case of Fanimations's Palm Leaf Blades, Casablanca's Wicker Blades, or Emerson's Bent wood Blades.
Now, everything should be in working order! Turn the power back on and be sure that your ceiling fan runs quietly and smoothly. The ceiling fan should not wobble nor make excessive noise. These directions from FanShack, combined with the ceiling fan manufacturer's instructions, should make installing a fan yourself quick and simple!