How to Install a Ceiling Fan | This Old House
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- Опубліковано 14 жов 2024
- In this video, This Old House electrical contractor John Barros shows how to swap a light fixture for a ceiling fan. (See below for a shopping list and tools.)
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Shopping List for How to Install a Ceiling Fan:
ceiling fan with light kit
pancake fan box, a shallow, fan-approved electrical box
ladder
twist-on wire connectors
Tools for How to Install a Ceiling Fan:
slotted screwdriver
drill/driver
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How to Install a Ceiling Fan | This Old House
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John is good in explaining the process, but he lost me on the wiring for the new panel; also he installed a wider panel and suddenly it fits in the ceiling. For an amateur like me, this does not help me
Good thing I scolled through the comments. Looks like its Hampton bay landmark style fan.
I'm literally only here cause my teacher gave us a question on the homework saying "An electrician installs a new ceiling fan for a customer. When he flips the switch to turn it on, it doesn't turn on. What could be a reason why the fan doesn't turn on?" This video helped alot, thanks.
I really would like to see you connecting the wires. I have 2 sets of black and white wires coming out of my ceiling. I'm not sure which I need to use.
Both
One set is the feed . The other set set is a switch leg...
@@johnnybussart4721the fan only has one white. So do I connect the blue for the light fixture to the switch leg, the hot black for the fan to the feed and then all three whites together?
What year was that house built?
What do i do if there four sets of black and whites in the old outlet?? How do i know which ones to use?
Did he cut off a section of the green ground wire and connected to the ceiling before installing the fan? I thought I saw green wire coming out of the ceiling. Since the BX Is the ground wire connecting to the circuit breaker box how did he connect the green ground wire onto the metal shielding?
yeah...this. he talks about the BX being ground but then as he's connecting, i see a ground wire coming from the box. hmmmm
Put in the screw hole
All metal boxes have a hole that will accept a 10-32 ground screw. He installed this type of screw to the box and a short piece of wire to attach to the fan wiring
Video conveniently ends before it shows the fan wobble at medium speed.
HAHA truth
Ha! Or the light flickers on high😂
I have brand new house ( 2023 construction), Do I have to change pancake box for fan
anyone?
ALWAYS A BUNCH OF GENIUS' REPLYING
geniuses...you're welcome.
@@westsideken Nothing ruins an insult like bad grammar.
Would have been nice to see the actual wires hooked together
The power to the fan is constantly on, controlled by the breaker in the basement. The fan’s hot wire is then connected directly to this hot wire.He then paralled another hot wire from these joined hot wires to the light switch below before coming up again and connect to the lamp’s hotwire. This way the lamp can be operated by the light switch while the fan can be turned on/off by the pull cable. Not a very elegant solution but thats how its is fitted.
Instead of the power coming to the switch and feeding the light via a switch leg, it's wired as a switch loop with power coming into the light
@sanesociety yeah, but this isn't up to code anymore cause there's no neutral in the switch box.
That’s what I just said too
@@cobaltpica whatever you just said needs a video to match..
That looks easy to do! But how easy is it to put a fan up? I am afraid I might mess up and burn the house down.
I am an old lady. I have installed several ceiling fans. I am installing a fan tomorrow! I waited 3 months for my husband & son to do it. I had shoulder surgery a couple of months ago, that's why I didn't do it sooner. It's nice to have help, but not necessary. You can do this project easily. Make sure you have a good, heavy duty brace between the joists to hold your fan an keep it from vibrating. Good luck!
If there is a blue wire is that for light fixture?
I can't say I've ever heard a drill be called a "screw gun" 3:12
Trilliante So many countries and accents.. I don't notice unusual sentences anymore. As long as they make sense then it's good.
Trilliante to me a screwgun is for either drywall or decking with a sliver nosecone but alot of older folks will call it a screwgun
I took stage crew class when I was in high school, and the teacher called the cordless drills "screw guns."
Trilliant
Lololol
I love ceiling fans
Did anyone hear that crackling at 5:09-5:10?! It sounded like electrical arcing.
I did
Jared, probably an old light switch arcing.
ike fun, calm down.
Jared S
Yes! I DID!
Jared S
It's probably the Landmark III,
How does the fan shroud connect to the box. Do you have to line the screws up with holes?
That’s a Hampton Bay landmark plus ceiling fan warning ⚠️ this fan is loud!
Thank you. Good video
Nice landmark!
Tomaserin Larocque too noisy
4:14 if u can see into the box with the big circle w the threads, my dude used the Metal Tabs instead of the threads that go into the back of the box, sure the tabs will hold the fan up but it will be 5 times stronger with the threads going into the back of the box in stead of the 2 little tabs with very little threads, oh well
Thank you
You guys are installing a Hampton Bay Landmark plus ceiling fan but I heard it's a bad ceiling fan
Y7p 2, ctn. 4 4
I see
Loads of fun if your balance isn't that great.
If I wanted to wire this up so that the light and fan are on separate wall switches how would I go about that? ( I do not have a red wire) I have 2 whites, 2 blacks and 2 grounds coming from the box in the ceiling.
Its B/X armored cable with old cloth coated wire, the ground is the armored cable itself through the electrical system, when metal is connected to metal without any breaks the ground is from the panel, so that is one less wire you have to worry about, very common in older homes with cloth wire. If you wanted to have two switches then you would have to pull another cable up to the fan or pull the one out and put 14/3 armored cable, but this video doesn’t show if there is attic access and he got lucky by running into a joist because we hardly ever do. There are a few ways to use that fan with one switch operating it. You can do a remote control which gives independent operation of both the fan and light but the switch has to remain on in order for the remote control to work unless it’s a in wall remote transmitter and the receiver is in the canopy. That would be the best way around having to pull additional wires up to the fan box. We also wire the fan direct hot all the time and is operated by the pull chain only and the switch would be for the light only, most people don’t care for that. Then there is modern technology that we simply use smart bulbs in the light kit and that is normally operated from the Alexa or Eco dot or Google home or your phone, the switch on the wall can then be changed to a fan control to change the speed of the fan. We have done them all and most people opt for the in wall remote that is LED compatible to dim the dimmable LED lights and the fan is operated from the same in wall transmitter. It’s simply wired in place of the existing switch with full function of the fan/light but the receiver needs to be wired that slips into the slot between the fan down rod between the bracket, once that’s wired up all that gets tucked into the canopy and then you have full function of the fan/light without losing a remote somewhere in the room or losing it. The transmitter and receiver both have dip switches that are 1234 numbered, the dip switches need to match each other from the in wall transmitter and the receiver or it will not work, and if there are other fans in the house the dip switches should be changed in sequence so it doesn’t interfere with any other fans that have remote function.
Oh my God...
I watched almost that entire video to get to the wiring part, just to have them pick THAT moment to skip forward. Like we needed to see approximately 78% of the other content, or hear the technicians comments for that matter. Yet when they got to the ACTUAL helpful part that most people are looking for, naaaahhhh.....we can jump ahead.....WTF 💀
Jjjhjewww
Isn't there an issue with connecting Alluminum [fan] and Copper [house] wires with a Twist nut?
No
I need to know got old house trying to hook fan in old light fixture but having problem the light only has 2 wires. Has 1 white 2 blks. One of the blk wires is by itself. So how would we hook up the fan pls help
Sorry for being 4 months late….. I’m still learning everyday as a apprentice, but I would guess the two blacks primarily serve as your power going back to the panel and the other being your “switch leg”. The white is simply just a neutral. For connecting your wires, just match the colors up with what is existing. More than likely you are going to have a red or a blue wire coming out of the fan housing. Connect that to the black. As far as the ground goes, I’m not sure. I know at one time many fixtures were installed without grounding but that has been ruled incorrect in current times.
I’d wrapped that old wire with scotch 33+ electrical tape. I’m sure that old insulation is very brittle.
can i use this pancake box on a what seems to be a furring strip in the ceiling? the fan was originally screwed into the 1x2 with a thick hook like screw, and then the fan sat on the hook.
the fan is a hampton bay landmark iii plus
I just bought a house built in 1908. My wires are both black. It seems both are hot. How can I install a modern fan?
Your house has what you call Knob & Tube wiring, so you get a wire tester pen to see which wire is neutral and which wire is hot, and if you put it on the wire, and if the pen doesn't beep, that means the wire is neutral, and if the pen does beep, the wire is hot.
Wasn't that type outlawed? I
Homeowners class said if you ever see that wiring, GTFO out an never turn back
Landmark 42” fan.
Very helpful thanks 🙏
What if there's no existing wiring in the ceiling? I live in an older 1950s construction home.
Then you run new wiring.
Just hire an electrician since you re asking this kind of questions.
Nice
John doesn't show the complete wiring he says he intends to. The video skips each wire stage he says he intends so I'm lost. can you assist.
Roger Spence what assistance do you need? Willing to comment with help
Helpful but you didn’t explain how the neutral wire was connected to the pancake box
That's actuality the landmark ceiling fan
Notice how to skip the 20 miles of wiring amd gow to get it into the canopy
Fan box in the peak roof 4/12 pitch new construction. How to build in supports between rafters 24" oc?
Why are there 4 wires coming out of the ceiling (2x sets of black and white in the grounding tube)? Would you just connect both black to the black and blue from fan (4 wires; 2 from ceiling + blue and black from fan) and the 2 whites from ceiling to the white from fan (3 wires)?
One set comes from the panel hot and neutral. The neutral goes to the fixture. The hot gets spliced to one of the other wires in the other BX cable which goes down to the switch and the second wire is the switched leg.
As Derek from vice grip garage would say
( HELP ME UNDERSTAND )
I needed more specifics and slowing down on the wire connections. 5 hours into a fan install and nothing I’m seeing online matches
Did you figure it out?
Mine has a red wire too
3:12
what's a screw gun? only heard of drill
A drill is what you probably call a drill bit.
I am trying to hook up a ceiling fan with light and there are only two wires coming out of the ceiling how do I get the light and the fan both to work I so far can only get the light or the fan working
Call an electrician. Have you tried hooking both black and blue to the black?
Call an electrician. You will need to lay new electrical cable or if don't want/can't do this (house made of bricks/hollow blocks) you can use one of this "wireless power switchs".
Connect both the black & the blue wires from the fan to the black (feed) that's already in the ceiling .. next connect your white wires together .. make sure your light switch is off before messing with the wires though
@Jamie. Go to Home Depot and purchase a Hampton Bay Universal 3-Speed ceiling fan remote control, About 30 bucks. Easy to install. Then you can operate the fan motor and the light separate from each other. This beats fishing another wire down the wall and adding a switch.
Straight screw driver? Screw gun?
How can I fix the string It came off now I can turn on the fan
How freaking tall is that guy?! He's ducking through doors!
All ceiling fan installers have to be over 7 feet so the don't need a ladder.
Bill Brasky
Something you see on the hub
Ill just hire someone to do it for me.
how old is this video and house and fan?
JOSE MURILLO judging by the wire quality..id say the house was built in the 30s-40s. Scary looking compared to more recent electrical wiring installs.
@@postrockforthemind128 I think that house was built in the 1920s.
Lol they cut it off short when he said let’s try the fan because the Hampton bay landmark plus is so cheap it exploded lol. I’m just kidding. But they could have installed a Casablanca panama like they did in their other video
I like vintage fans, but that fan is an insult to the light that was there!
That light is an insult to fans.
I loved that light.
I draw the line at "screw gun"
Dude hammered his nail bad. Ouch
I can't find any info about no neutral/white wire from the ceiling. I removed an old ceiling/light fan and I don't remember how the wires were connected. I am installing a new fan/light and there is only a copper ground wire and a thick black wire with some sort of heavy metal. There is not a white wire from the ceiling. This video does not show what he did with the white wire from the fan. All I can figure is that the blue, black, and white were all connected to the thick black wire with the metal thingie. I really don't understand why he didn't display the most important info in the video.
Old: Light fixture New fan: Hampton Bay Landmark III Plus
Never ever hurt anybody calling a drill - screw gun... you got to be kidding me right now...
A drill is what you probably call a drill bit.
How many people have BX? Terrible example. What year is it 1920?
Slow down when explaining color connections for us newbies
How do I replace an old ceiling fan that has 2 old solid black wires?
That my problem 2
Same reason I'm here. I removed my light fixture and there are only 2 wire
One of them used to be white and turned black. Use an electrical tester to find hot and neutral.
Just wait instill it makes that buzzing noise
you didn't show how to hold the fixture while you're doing the wiring
wow!
My neck hurts from watching this
lol let there be light!!!!!!!!!!
That Looks Like My Fan
That's bc it is your fan
Is this realy the way in America how they connect wires toghether? I realy can’t imagion that this realy is so. Also the weight of the fan connected in this way to the ceiling. Horrible.
Lololol it's true, sh*t is weird af in America
I’ve never seen a ceiling fan wire encased in metal in any old house I owned, so you lost me with all that. Generally there are black wires to choose from, guess which ones match which colored ones on your new fan…no clue
From the looks of that wire it looks like this house needs more than a ceiling fan and needs to be rewired! That old wire is looking pretty shabby.
At 3:18, I'm unclear how that's screwing into the joist. He's going into the middle of the box. Isn't the joist off to the side?
Those thin-profiled pancake boxes typically sit under a ceiling joist. The knockouts sit on either side so you can run your wire through whichever side has more room. At least this has been my experience on a few jobs here recently.
The switch should be receive power first and then the load.
Melkiades Maton There is no first and last in an electric circuit. If there is no completed circuit then nothing in the 'circuit' has power (amps) running through it. The switch always needs to have voltage on it in any case to be able to switch on.
She barely even tightened those screws.
Techmatt167 maybe that’s why the video cut short because the ceiling fan blades broke lose and broke the camera.
Wait a minute, did he just call it a screw gun? So does does he call a pencil a writing stick or a jig saw a cutting tool?
What's the problem calling it a screw gun? Isn't that what it is.
What do you call it?
Why would you install a landmark they are so noisy
Don’t you need a fan brace box?
no
3:16 😬😬😬
Hampton Bay Landmark
The fan is a h.b landmark PS I have 2 h.b landmark
He didn't address the aluminum wires in the box
no need to. Video is about hanging a fan. Or am i missing something
THEY'RE TINNED
What the hell 4 wires?? I have only 1 wire coming out
potato head I think one pair of wires goes to the switch on the wall. The other pair is neutral + live and ground is the metal sheathing where the wires come out from. You need to have at least 2 wires to make an electric circuit. If you really have only 1 then you need to run more wires. Have a good look/feel in the ceiling/wall hole to find the second wire. With power off of course.
If you had a previously functioning light or fan installed up there it has to be another wire up there, go look again, its impossible for it to have previously worked without it
I am not a fan of the Hampton Bay Landmark III...
Hei Sima Khalifa!
I mean just wait when it makes that annoying buzzing noise
That's a Hampton Bay Landmark III/Plus Ceiling Fan, I wouldn't buy this because it's too noisy and it's underpowered and only blows around 4,384 RPM, I recommend to buy a Fanimation Studio Collection Pylon that blows 4,889 CFM.
That's a Hampton bay landmark
Thats a landmark celing fan
I'm not confident in that fan, I wouldn't sit under it or anywhere near it for that matter
Visual static starts at 2:16, all you hear is audio. You probably should fix this so someone doesn't electrocute themselves.
What a disaster. Never showed installing wires to the wall switch, which I was waiting for.
This fan is noisy, you gotta fix it soon
Thumbs down as I only got half-second shots of the helper.
Shitty job on showing how the wires are connected to the fan to switch
Baux 😂
This is very old wire ,be very careful.
D
Ckc
Old houses with old wiring, not a good place to put a ceiling fan.