Best Hardware to Hang a Ceiling Fan

When you hang a ceiling fan, it needs to be right. Use the right support method to assure your fan will stay put, providing air movement and aesthetics too!

#ceilingfan #ceilingfansupport #fansupportbox

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Ceiling fans are hardworking devices that look good too! To assure they can safely stay on duty, they must be installed securely using the right support approach.

Because there is combined static weight and vibration when the fan is being operated, heavier-duty boxes and screws must be used than are typically used for installing outlet, switch, and junction boxes. Fans can weigh from under 10 lbs. (4.5 kg) up to 80 lbs (36 kg), depending on the model and accessories. Add the torsion that occurs when the fan is operated, and the fan better be more than adequately supported and attached to its mounting system!

An electrician friend of mine told me that he has actually encountered fans that were mounted to a “cut-in” box mounted in gypsum board! Only slightly better (but still totally inadequate!) is a single-gang octagon box nailed or screwed to the side of a joist, and the fan attached to that.

While these can work, the risk is too high for you, the fan, and everything else in the way when the fan lets loose and falls!

The right way to install the fan is with boxes that are rated for ceiling fan use and installed with fasteners also rated for the job. This is true both for new and remodel installations.

Even the screws you mount the fan to the box must be a heavier gauge. Most fasteners for light fixtures are #8, but you should use #10 fasteners for fans - and boxes rated for fans will have #10 mounting holes right in them.

Here are some links that you can visit to get more information or purchase these boxes and hardware:

https://www.homedepot.com/b/Electrical-Electrical-Boxes-Conduit-Fittings-Boxes-Brackets/Fan-fixture-box/N-5yc1vZbohnZ1z0zp1g

https://www.lowes.com/pl/Ceiling-fan--Electrical-boxes-Electrical-boxes-covers-Electrical/4294653959?refinement=4294641854

There are essentially two types of fan installation boxes: joist direct mount boxes, and boxes affixed to hardware that allows for fan placement between ceiling joists.

Direct-mount boxes affix alongside a ceiling joist or are mounted on a ladder block between two joists. Be sure to use pan head screws, with flat undersides of the screw heads, to attach these types of boxes. Some types have heavy-duty mounting flanges on the sides, others you directly screw the box to the ladder block, and others have a half-box that goes alongside the joist, with the round portion of the box extending ½” (12 mm) down, the same as the thickness of commonly used sheetrock.

Hardware-mounted fan boxes are available for new and remodel construction. Both utilize a crossbar with brackets that “bite” into the joists on both sides. The box can be tightened anywhere along the bar so that you place the fan in other places than alongside the joists. When installed correctly, the box will be suspended ½” (12 mm) below the bottom edge of the joists so that is flush with the ceiling sheetrock.

The remodel type allows you to insert the bar and box through a 4” (10 cm) round hole, and twist the threaded bar to have the toothed ends embedded in the joists. The box is then wired as normal, and the fan is mounted using #10 screws.

It really pays to do this correctly, and it’s not that expensive for the safety and peace of mind you’ll get.

JUST DO IT YOURSELF!

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