How to Install a Ceiling Fan With New Wiring
Installing a new ceiling fan is not difficult, but it can be time-consuming and requires making cuts in the walls and ceilings, threading wire, and tapping into one of your home's branch circuits. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Utility knife or keyhole saw
- Fish tape
- Electrical cable
- Electrical connectors
- Screwdriver
- Wire cutters
- Switch
- Switch box
- Fan brace bar
- Junction box
- Ceiling fan kit
- Drywall patch kit
Instructions
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1
Cut the power to the circuit where you will be working.
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2
Make cuts in the wall and ceiling where you will be hanging the fan and installing the switch. Follow the manufacturer's instructions regarding the size of the hole for the fan, otherwise cut a six-inch round hole. Use the switch box for a template for the wall switch hole. Where the wall meets the ceiling, make 1-inch by 2-inch cuts above the outlet that will be supplying the power and above the switch hole. This will make threading cable easier.
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3
Remove the power supply outlet from its electric box.
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4
Hang the fan's brace bar. Pass the bar through the hole and affix the bar to the ceiling joists with wood screws. Attach the fan junction box to the brace bar.
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5
Run the wiring for the fan and switch. Push the fish tape from the hole near the ceiling to the location of the fan. Attach wires to the end of the tape and pull it back toward you. Drop the wire to the power supply receptacle. Do the same from the fan to the on-off switch.
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6
Make the electrical connections at the power supply. If the outlet is the last receptacle in the circuit, connect the black wire to the empty brass terminal screw and the white wire to the empty silver terminal. If the outlet is not the last receptacle, make a pigtail by disconnecting one set of black and white wires from their terminals. Connect short black and white wires to the terminals and then connect the circuit wires and the fan wires to those short wires.
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Make the connections at the switch. First mark the white wire at the switch box with black electrical tape. The other end of this wire will connect to the fan's black wire. On the switch, attach the marked white wire and the black wire to the brass screws on the switch.
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Connect the fan to the circuit. At the fan, attach the marked white wire to the fan's black wire and the unmarked white wire to the fan's white wire. If the fan has a light kit, connect the hot wire to the marked white wire as well. Connect the light's white wire to the unmarked white wire.
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9
Attach the fan to the bracket and finish the installation according to the manufacturer's instructions. Use the drywall patch kit to fix the holes used to thread the cable.
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