Ceiling Fan Installation in Austin, TX
When it comes to being comfortable, sometimes the old ways are the best. This is especially true in the case of ceiling fans. Compared with other comfort methods, few compare favourably as much as do ceiling fans. This doesn’t matter whether it’s winter or summer. Ceiling fans can make a massive difference in the comfort you enjoy in your home.
Another benefit of ceiling fans is that they look great if you are looking for a way to upgrade your home style. And if none of these benefits appeal to you, try this one: a ceiling fan can significantly cut your energy bill. What follows are some general guidelines about ceiling fans and how they are installed, whether you choose to do the job yourself or have an Electrical service professional do it for you.
Installing a Ceiling Fan
Regardless of why a homeowner wants to install a ceiling fan, it’s best to know that just as is the case with any electrical work, this should not be done by an amateur. Simply put, when done incorrectly, Ceiling Fan Installation can be dangerous and even deadly.
Ceiling Fans are relatively easy to put up. All it takes are a few simple tools and the right home set up. At this point, most homeowners get tripped up since they don’t understand how electrical wiring works.
If there is already a ceiling fan or some other electrical fixture in a place, there must also be a ground wire. This is not, unfortunately, common in an older home. Older homes frequently only have positive and negative wires. That is all. An electrician must install a ground wire for the new fans to be installed and work properly in these cases. Installing a ground is not work that anyone but a professional should do. Again, attempting a job like this by the average homeowner is can be very dangerous. Do this type of work incorrectly and there’s a good chance that you will be electrocuted.
The Set-Up
Many ceiling fans are equipped with both a fan and a light. If this is the type you have, it is usually best to assemble the light and fan before the fan is installed on the ceiling. This might make the entire fixture heavier, but you can always get help holding the fan while it is being installed.
When connecting the light assembly with the fan, match the appropriately colored wires, then screw the assemblies together to make it one fixture. Now it’s time to affix the fan to the ceiling.
Hooking Up
In most ceiling fans, there is a plate that comes with the fan that needs to be screwed to the ceiling. This is usually done with screws that hold the plate to the electrical box in the ceiling. If there is no box or you want to rewire an existing box to move the fan to where you want it, a professional electrician should be called to perform this work. This is much more complicated than just connecting wires, and again, it can be very dangerous. Once the box has been located or installed by an electrician, it’s time to install the ceiling fan.
Once the installation plate has been attached to the ceiling, it’s time to connect the fan. The good news is that many installation plates have a hook installed that makes holding the fan while it is being wired a lot easier. Since the hook is holding the fan while it is wired, there is no need for assistance.
If there is no plate or hook on the electrical ceiling box, the job just became much more complicated. It’s at this point that not only will a homeowner need help to hold the fan while it is being wired, but there might even be a need for a new box or some other method of connecting the fan to the ceiling. This is often especially true with older homes since there is a good chance that there will be connection differences between the electrical box and the new fan. Again, if this condition exists, it is best to contact a professional to do the work.
Making Connection
It’s time to finish the job. That’s done by making the final connection between the ceiling assembly and the fan. This is done, again, by connecting the like-colored wires. If the colors are different, make sure that positive is connected with positive and negative to negative. Again, if there is a ground wire, that will need to be also connected. Be sure that before you finish the job, make sure that caps have been put on each wire end. This prevents a shock hazard and possibly even a fire.
A new ceiling fan has been successfully installed. It’s now time to enjoy a whole new level of comfort. Please note that any homeowner who does not feel completely comfortable with any aspect of the work described above should contact Conquest Electrical Contracting, LLC for help. They’ve been in business since 2011, providing nothing but the best in electrical contracting services to Austin and the surrounding areas.