Install Outdoor Fans, step by step

Truth: Sherry was oddly into fan hunting and the idea of adding two new fans to keep our freshly-opened sunroom cool (and to create a pleasant mosquito-warding-off current while we are out there relaxing), but I was NOT excited about said fans.

We in fact have quite a bit of practice removing fans (I submit to you Exhibits A, B and C) – and simply look at how glad it made me.

Generally we have had 7.5 to 8′ ceilings in most rooms with them, and being 6′ tall, I have consistently felt like they were low-hanging oversized pinwheels that were one inch shy of giving me a haircut – although we are suckers for function, so we have consistently kept a few around wherever they were especially useful (we kept them in the sunroom and den of our first house, and the sunroom and guest room of our second house). In other words, a few got to stick around, but we are not truly in the practice of adding to our total-house-fan-number, if you know what I mean.

This is in fact the first time we are increasing our count, by going from one out here to two thanks to this wiring that we had done after we ripped out the ceiling. We knew two fans would more efficiently cool the space (and make mosquitoes say “ain’t nobody got time for that”) and thanks to the freshly lofted ceilings we hoped the fans would not feel too low-hanging or heavy. But the thought of installing new fans STILL was not something that my brain could get excited about. So it settled on assuming the task would be difficult and the results would be underwhelming. Excellent attitude, self.

After looking everywhere from craigslist and thrift stores (it was hard to find two of the same kind secondhand) to more obvious places like Lowe’s and Home Depot, we settled on this model from Home Depot (which we found to have a better fan selection in general, by the way).

They were $119 each, plus a $10 downrod that we had to add to each of them since our ceiling is lofted. You may be surprised that we did not buy white fans, but with so much lightness in the ceiling area already we thought something dark would add some pleasant contrast and play off the dark floors (once they are tiled).

Beyond simply looks, we also had to be sure to buy something that was safe for use outdoors and that could be installed on an angled ceiling.

They are not shown here on the box, but we also checked with the store associate to make sure it was compatible with light kits (check) and remote controls (double check) in case we hoped to add either of those things down the line (we are right now planning to add sconces on the columns around the room for softer eye-level lighting instead).

Before diving into installing each one – a task I was certain would involve a few missteps and plenty of upper body strain – we made sure the power was off, both at the breaker and the light switch. And then Sherry still insisted on triple-checking things with our little live current tester (sometimes outdoor wiring can be tricky – for example in our first house a few outdoor things got power from a shed way back in the woods).

Before I go further, I should be clear that Hunter does not know us from Adam and certainly is not in cahoots with us or this post. So the gushing I am about to do about their instructions is purely because, having dealt with plenty of sub-par instruction books in my day, it makes me downright joyful when I encounter a manual that is well done and straightforward to follow (like the one for our Nest thermostats). For example, this manual included a section for double-checking that your ceilings are not too angled for the fan to be compatible. They even marked the corner of the page so you could fold it down and hold it against your ceiling to check the angle and be sure. So plain. So smart. Perhaps this install would not be so bad after all?

Another little ingenious touch: the hardware was separated into distinct bags and labeled by step with a unique symbol that the manual referenced whenever it was time for that particular batch of parts to be used.

Obviously you will want to consult the installation instructions for your fan since they can vary, but for anyone else who is tackling a fan installation, we hoped to cover the general process for you – especially since it was something we had never done before (and I was convinced would suck). Our first task was to assemble and install the mounting bracket to the fixture box. This is in short what secures the fan to the fixture box, which needs to be braced properly for the weight of a fan. The good news was that the electricians took care of that bracing step for us when they brought in the two fixture boxes, so we simply needed to secure the top of the fan to our already braced box.

I also liked how the instructions gave you a thumbs up at the end of each step. Nothing like a big confidence boost from a little hand icon.

The next part was in fact what I was most anxious about – adding the downrod. This was where we had to modify the parts included with the fan (i.e. sub out that nubby rod with the longer one) so that ours would drop down from the ceiling a bit. For some reason I assumed this would be the point I’d screw up.

But once again, the instructions made it error proof. In short we simply took out a couple of screws and stuff from the rod they included…

…and reattached them to our new one.

Oh, and if you are wondering how we knew what sized downrod to buy: Home Depot had a guide on display along with all of the differently sized rods. Our ceiling was a little over 9ft at that point, so we got the 12″ rod.

The fan had tons of extra wire, so it was simply a matter of threading it up through the longer rod.

Then I attached the rod to the fan (it twisted in and got held in place by a screw) and I clipped most of the excess wire off.

Even this part – where I expected to be exhausted by meager upper body strength while holding the heavy fan up for hours minutes to get it in place – was no big deal at all. The little ball at the top of the rod slid into the mounting bracket with virtually no effort and within seconds my arms were free. Seriously, it was a motion that took ten seconds tops. Well, except for the brought in time that was required to pose for this picture (it took me a few tries to nail the “focused, but not too strained” look that I am sporting).

With the mounting bracket doing the work of holding the fan up, it did not strain me at all to connect the wires (and the instructions were quite clear about what color went where).

And then while I screwed the canopy in place…

… Sherry got the fan blades prepped by adding rubber washers and screwing them into each of the five metal arms.

Then up those went, at last making this fan look like a fan.

Last but not least was installing the cap at the base which is where a light kit could go eventually, if we ever decide we want one (hence all of the wires that get tucked away in there).

As much as we hoped to sit back and celebrate our first-fan-ever-installed victory, there was the minor detail of getting the second one up. The first one took us a bit longer because of instruction reading and photo taking, but I still think we got both fans up in about 90 minutes. Zero missteps. Minimal arm strain.

And, here comes the real shocker, we ENJOY them. I did not know my heart had such a strong capacity for loving fans, but I could not stop smiling once they went up. Perhaps it was knowing that it marked the end of working above my head for a while? Or perhaps it was simply how wrapped up they made the room look (assuming you kinda held your hand over the lower half of this photo). But seriously, picture them with the dark slate-like floors that we are putting in. Not bad, eh?

I think they are simply one of those “moments” in Hands-on that truly hit home how far a room has come. From this…

…to now this.

We are also relieved that our instinct to go dark with the fans was one that were truly glad with. Sunny spaces like this can typically use some contrast, and these fans are at last giving the light blue ceiling and all of that white trim a little pow, if you know what I mean.

Now, if only we had wrapped up this project about a month ago when their cooling action was in fact still needed. Oh well, at least it gives us something to look forward to for next year.

New truth: I am crazy excited to have our fans installed in the sunroom.

Secondary truth: I have no idea why the ceiling looks so light/not-blue in these photos (see the first picture of this post for a more accurate color depiction). Or simply ignore the ceiling and keep oogling the fans.