Lighting & Ceiling Fans

[travismikjaniec]

Hi

We have a ceiling fan that was installed by the previous home owners, and it's wobbly.  So I found the installation document, and it said to tighten the bolts attaching the fan to the junction box.  Once I removed the housing to gain access to the bolts, the bolts were tight.  It was the junction box that was loose.

How do I fix this?  I know you need a special junction box for ceiling fans, something that can hold the weight.  How can I tell if this is the right box?  If it is the right box, how do I go about securing it so I feel comfortable using this fan?

Thanks

[BlakeTheDiyGuy]

Hey there Travismikjaniec, and welcome to the community! A wobbly ceiling fan can be a real nuisance, and it sounds like you may have found the culprit. In order to replace the box you will need to drop the ceiling fan and get a look at how the fan is mounted into your ceiling. If this fan is on the top story of your house this is as easy as digging through some insulation, however if there is no access to the roof then you may have to notch out your drywall around the box to see how it is installed.

There are the four basic types of approved ceiling fan boxes. First the expansion brace:

Or the standard box brace which would have a 2x4 running behind it for support:

It could be a pancake brace like this one:

Or a side mount box like this one:

Or worst case scenario it could be a ceiling box not approved for fan use like one of these guys:

If the box is ceiling fan rated it will have stamped on the inside “Approved For Fan Support”.

Once you have removed the old box, select the appropriate fan box based on where the fan is located. Use a pancake box if you fan is mounted to the bottom of a joist, a standard box if a sturdy 2x4 beam is already installed in the ceiling (it is important that this beam feels sturdy and structurally sound). Or if the box needs to go between two joists I really like the brace style boxes, as they are easy to install and adjust for fit. Also some don’t even need to have the drywall removed to do the install, like this one:

It may also be the case that the ceiling fan’s blades are unbalanced which may be causing the fan to rock loose the box. If this is the case a simple balancing kit and some trial and error might fix that annoying wobble! Balancing Kit

If you have any more questions about this project please hit us up we are happy to help!  

-Blake

[jthomas4109]

Do you have link on how to remove the housing unit. I need to check the tightness on these bolts as well, but have no idea how to get the housing unit (closest to the ceiling) off... if that would even be the first step. Thanks.

[BlakeTheDiyGuy]

Hi Jthomas4109, and welcome to the community! The housing unit closest to the ceiling is refered to as the canopy, and is usually connected by a few screws that are hidden under a trim ring. The trim ring either pops off or is rotated slightly, then slid down (it depends on the manufacturer of the fan) exposing screws.

The screws hold the canopy up to the mounting plate, these need to be loosened slightly but not completely removed as a small track is cut in the canopy which allows you to drop the canopy with screws in place (see picture below).

Once the canopy is dropped you will see the mounting plate. The screws that go through the mounting plate connect directly to the J box. If these screws are tight but the mounting plate is still wobbly you may have to replace, or reinforce the J box.

 

I hope this is helpful Jthomas4109, if you need any more help please don’t hesitate to ask!

-Blake