If you have a ceiling fan that needs a new light fixture attached to it, then this guide can help you complete the installation all by yourself.
Required Tools
There are only a few tools you’ll need:
- Electrical Tester
- A light kit whose attachment diameter matches the size of your fan’s housing assembly
- A Phillips head screwdriver
- A ladder or step stool
- Wire nuts
- Wire strippers (maybe optional)
Getting Ready
While there are some differences between specific models of fans, so long as there is a housing assembly with lighting wires (which should be visible after you unscrew the base plate, also known as the ‘end cap’), you will be able to affix the lighting kit onto the fan.
TIP: You will want to test the lighting kit and make sure it works before getting out the step ladder and screwdriver.
As a reminder, your ceiling fan might be different and electrical work should only be done by those licensed and experienced to do so. It can be dangerous. If you have any hesitation, call our experts to take care of it quickly, efficiently, and affordably; (301) 871-0477 for our Maryland area service, or (727) 422-0391 for Pinellas County, Florida.
The Steps
Once you have the materials assembled, the process could go like this.
- Disconnect the power supply to the fan, either through your breaker or fuse box.
- Test all wiring to ensure that the circuit is in fact off.
- Unless you want to complete the installation while standing on a ladder, detach the ceiling fan from the ceiling by unscrewing the unit from its canopy and loosen the assembly from its electrical wiring. Be sure to carefully note or take a picture of the current wiring to your fan, this will help ensure you reconnect them properly when reinstalling the fan.
- Remove the decorative end cap from the center of the fan. You may have to unscrew it, in which case be careful to keep track of the screws.
- With the lighting wires from the fan exposed, you should see one white wire and a colored wire (either blue, red, or black). If there is still insulation covering the ends of these wires and no removable safety caps, use the wire strippers to remove one to two inches of insulation from each wire to expose the ends.
- Connect the wires of the fan to those of the lighting kit (white to white, colored to colored) using the wire nuts.
- Place the wires back into the housing assembly as you screw on the lighting kit to the fan.
- Decide whether you want the lighting kit’s switch pull-strings to hang free or to go through the decorative cap you removed and fit the cap back on accordingly.
- Be sure the lighting wiring is attached at the top of your fan to the same wire your fan hot is connected to. Rewire the remaining wiring as it was originally installed and screw the fan back into its ceiling canopy if you removed it.
- Turn the power back on and test your handiwork.
TIP: Be careful to not cross the wires (since white is meant to be neutral while the other is the power supply), always be safe and don’t lose any screws!
But if you’d like some more hands-on help, then call up our expert family team here at M. R. Electricians, and either dial (301) 871-0477 for our Maryland area service, or (727) 422-0391 for Pinellas County, Florida.
