Install Ceiling Fan Without Electrical Box

Do not rely on a wall switch to protect you from electrical shock.

Install ceiling fan without electrical box.

Cut along the line with a drywall saw. Inspect your current electrical box to ensure your project won t involve installing a ceiling fan box. The electrical box or junction box is a code requirement that was established to prevent fires and other electrical accidents. Hold a 1 2 inch thick pancake box against the ceiling centered on a joist and trace around it with a pencil.

Installing a ceiling fan chandelier or other heavy light fixture in an existing ceiling requires the right junction box j box. If the box has a cable clamp remove the locknut. Pry out the box s mounting nails and pull the box down from the ceiling. Turn off electrical power to the fan at the electrical panel and use an appropriate testing device to ensure no power is present at the light fixture before you begin work.

The box shown has a slot that the cable slides through. Feed the electrical cable coming from the ceiling through the knockout hole in the pancake box. Keep in mind what makes a ceiling fan electrical box different from a traditional light fixture box is the bracing. Once you ve found the proper location mark it and cut a hole.

Pry the tab and pull the cable out. How to install a ceiling fan mounting bracket family handyman updated. Attach new electrical box. If you re wondering how you install a light fixture without an electrical box the short answer is that you don t.

20 2019 the family handyman senior editor gary wentz will show you how to remove an old light and install a ceiling fan mounting bracket so you can properly install a new ceiling fan. It can be made of metal or plastic it s usually round and it attaches to a ceiling. Ceiling fan boxes must include bracing that attaches to the ceiling joists to support the greater weight and vibration that comes with a ceiling fan installation. Disconnect the cable from the box.