How to Mount Hardware for Electric Fans

Turn off the circuit breaker or remove the fuse for the circuit at the electrical service box.

Loosen and remove the screws from the existing light fixture or junction box cover. Remove the light fixture or junction box cover from the junction box. If you are removing a light fixture, loosen the wire nuts and use a pair of electrical pliers to untwist the electrical joints that connect the fixture to the electrical system.

Check the existing junction box to see if it is attached directly to a ceiling joist. If it is, proceed to Step 5. If the junction box is not attached to a ceiling joist, loosen and remove the screws inside the junction box. Remove the wires from the inside of the junction box and move them to the new box location. Place the junction box directly onto the bottom of a ceiling joist and drill at least two holes through both the box and the joist. Insert wood screws into the holes and tighten them down to mount the box to the joist. You may also choose to replace the existing junction box if it becomes damaged in the removal process or is too small to accommodate all of the electrical connections and wire nuts for a fan installation; if so, remove one of the knockout holes on the side closest to the wires.

Insert the wires into the knockout hole on the side of the electrical box. Pull the wires through the knockout hole so that there are a few inches of slack available to attach the fan to the electrical circuit.

Hold the fan's ceiling plate up to the junction box and pull the wires through the hole in the middle of the plate. Line the holes in the ceiling plate up with the screw holes on the junction box. Insert 10-32 machine screws into these holes and tighten the screws to attach the ceiling plate to the junction box. Match the wire colors from the fan to the electrical system then attach the fan canopy to the ceiling plate with the canopy screws included in the fan kit.