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August 24, 2009
ceiling fan installation
Can a ceiling fan be installed simply in place of a light fixture?
I showed a handyman who's good at electrical work a light fixture and asked him to replace it with a fan. At first he said no problem, but later he thought about it and said it would be a much bigger job (has to cut open part of the ceiling around fixture, install additional parts, etc.) Not sure what he was talking about but he wants $100 just for the labor. It's a brownstone and the fixture has been there for a long time. Wonder if I'm getting ripped off.
Comments
Yes it can. As I recall, he will need to install a box with bars to make fan is secure. $100 is very reasonable.
K
Posted by: HurricaneKate at August 24, 2009 3:47 PM
Yes it can.
As I recall, he needs to put in a box to house electrical wires and one that has bars that will ensure fan stays where it is. $100 very reasonable.
Posted by: HurricaneKate at August 24, 2009 3:48 PM
A ceiling fan weighs just a wee bit more than the average light fixture.
That additional weight needs additional support (and additional work and additional money).
The math works.
Posted by: SenatorStreet at August 24, 2009 3:58 PM
Assuming your handyman is even half way competent your getting a good deal. A licensed electrician would easily charge you 3 times that amount. You should give him an extra $50 if he sweeps up after himself.
Posted by: Bklyn Fire Alarm Guy at August 24, 2009 5:14 PM
Yes, you will probably need an extra brace on the joists above. That's a really good price, btw.
Posted by: Bolder at August 24, 2009 6:30 PM
If there existing light fixture is hanging from a gas pipe, you won't need any additional support[but you will need the right "hicky" to hang it from the pipe]. However most newer model fans use a hanger that's a PITA to install on a gas pipe. The Casablanca I hung last year took me hours and I had to call the dealer for advise. My older [Hunter] fans were much easier to hang, but I'm told that newer Hunters use the same PITA hanging system as Casablancas.
If it's hanging from a modern square box, without bars you need extra support unless you have an unusually light weight fan.If you need extra support for the electrical box the $100 is a very fair price.
Posted by: Bob Marvin at August 24, 2009 9:12 PM
Should not have to do any cutting. the box and bracket slip into the hole left by the light box and expand between the joists.
Be careful he is not getting in over his head in so far as old wiring. That insulation on that stuff can crumble and is often best left to the licensed guys - they have ways to deal with decaying insulation.
Steve
www.thetinkerswagon.com
Posted by: thetinkerswagon at August 24, 2009 9:38 PM
my only worry would be that the guy may not really know what he's doing, given his second-opinionating and low low prices. have you ever tried to live with a ceiling fan that's not balanced properly? it will drive you insane.
Posted by: Jimmy Legs at August 25, 2009 12:16 PM
Balancing has nothing to do with the way the fan is attached to the box. In my experience (which, I admit, is limited to the four fans I've hung) good brands like Casablanca and Hunter probably won't need balancing. The one fan I had to balance (a cheap generic model that I bought because it was very light and I was hanging it from an unreinforced box)) took about ten minutes with a stick-on weight kit.
Posted by: Bob Marvin at August 25, 2009 1:10 PM
I'm paying around $350 for the installation of a ceiling fan, but there's no light fixture there right now, so that wound involve running wires too.
Posted by: Frudo at August 26, 2009 1:11 PM
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