How to Install a Ceiling Fan with a Light

When we moved into our new home, one of the first projects we needed to tackle is installing ceiling fans. I’d never installed one before, and they made me super nervous (as does any electrical project). But, after tackling 6 in the last 2 months, I feel pretty confident I can easily install the rest! And, if you get the right fan, it’s something any beginner DIYer can tackle in their home! So today, I’m going to show you how to install a ceiling fan with a light.

• Active Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Cost: Cost of Fan (plus any tools you don’t have)
• Help Needed?: This is definitely easier with a friend, but you can do it solo (I’ve done 2 solo and 4 with help, and help is definitely quicker and easier)
• Difficulty Level: Advanced beginner (comfortable with basic electrical work)

So Many Ceiling Fans

Here’s a downside into moving into new construction: they install ceiling fan mounts but not the fans itself. So, we moved into our house knowing we would have to install 9 ceiling fans. Nine! I had never installed a ceiling fan before, just watch my dad struggle to replace my ceiling fan in my condo for 2 hours. So, I was a little worried about what we were getting ourselves into.

Ceiling Fans? Really? Where’s the Pretty Light Fixture?

Listen. I get it. Ceiling fans are ugly. I think they’re super ugly, at least, and would much more a pretty hanging light fixture.

Here’s the big BUT: we moved to South Carolina, where it’s 90+ degrees for several months of the year. So, in order to be comfortable in our house and not go bankrupt from our electric bill, we decided to go with ceiling fans in the bedrooms, the outdoor porches, and the family room.

Sometimes comfort wins out over beauty, at least in our house. And, I’m ok with that.

Choosing the Right Ceiling Fan

After now installing 4 different ceiling fan models in our house, I can confidently say, not all ceiling fans are created equally when it comes to installation.

When it comes down to the wiring, all ceiling fans models I’ve encountered are the exact same. So, don’t worry about that. But, the install of the rest of it can vary hugely!

Case in point: it took us 20 minutes to install the ceiling fan with a light in the master bedroom (the first one Steve or I had ever installed). It took me and my dad 30 minutes to install the one in the living room (no light) and me solo 30 minutes to install the ones in our guest room and loft (light). And, it took me 45 minutes to install the one on our screened porch (no light).

I know 45 minutes doesn’t sound that long, but when you’re installing 8, that adds up quickly!

Easy-to-Install Fans

Some fans come labeled as “Easy to install” or “quick install”. All the ones I’ve installed say that on the box. But, obviously, not all “easy to install” fans are created equally.

My advice: pick the fan you want for your room. If you’re between 2 choices, choose the easy to install one. And, if you’re really open to suggestions, get the Hunter Channing fan.

We have 2 of the Hunter Channing 54 in LED Easy Install Fans in our home now, and they no joke, took 20 minutes to install. The instructions are super easy to follow (lots of pictures), and the install itself is much easier than the other 3 fans I’ve installed in the last 2 months.

Ok, enough chat about ceiling fans. Let’s get to the install!

Note About Electrical Work: If you are uncomfortable doing electrical work, stop! Call a licensed electrician and have them complete the project! There’s no shame in calling the experts for potentially dangerous work. I call them in whenever something makes me uncomfortable.

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Supplies Needed

No power tools needed for this one! But, you’ll need a few electrical-specific tools, so make sure you grab them if you don’t have them already.

• Ceiling fan
• Screwdriver
• Step stool
• Electric voltage tester
• Electric wire stripper/cutter
• Black electric tape (some fans use it, some don’t–follow your instructions here)

Let’s get started!

Step 1: Prep All Your Supplies & Turn Off the Power

The first thing I do when installing a ceiling fan with a light is to open the box and get rid of all the wrappings. Every ceiling fan I’ve ever bought comes wrapped in more plastic, styrofoam, and tissue paper than any other product I’ve bought.

For me, all that wrapping just makes the project one step harder. So, I unwrap everything before I start and put all the trash aside. That way I can easily find the pieces when I need them.

Check the Power

Next, I make sure the power is off. There’s no shame in turning the whole house power off if you don’t know what fuse your light is on. I always turned the whole house power off in my first few lighting projects to make me feel safer.

If your light is controlled by one switch, you can also turn that switch in the off position to cut the power to the light.

Afterwards, I ALWAYS check the wires with the voltage detector several times before I touch them. Sometimes the switch doesn’t cut all the power to the wires, or the fusebox isn’t labelled properly. You don’t want to hurt yourself by assuming you’re safe.

TEST EVERYTHING!

If you haven’t used a voltage detector before, it’s the easiest thing ever.

1. Turn it on.
2. Touch the voltage detector to the bare wire. If it stays green and doesn’t make a noise, there’s no electricity. If it turns red and beeps, it’s a live wire. STOP!
3. Repeat this process with every wire (even the ground wires)

Step 2: Prep Your Space (AKA Remove the Old Light Fixture/Ceiling Fan/Ceiling Fan Box Cover)

If you have an old light or ceiling fan where you’re putting this new one, you need to take that down before we get started. Since they’re all made differently, I’m not going to detail how to take down one here. Make sure you follow the instructions for that specific fixture.

If you have a ceiling fan box cover on, you can easily pop that off. Then you’ll need to unscrew the box screws to release this plastic strip (if you have one). You won’t need it for your ceiling fan. You can toss the plastic cover and strip away–you won’t need them again. BUT, hold on to those screws. We’ll use them in the next step.

Once your space is ready, make sure your ceiling wires are easily accessible. I had to pull mine down from inside the electrical box.

If the wires aren’t ready for install (at least 1 cm of bare wire exposed on each), do that now. It’ll much easier than when you’re trying to work around the fan.

How do you strip a wire?

Stripping a wire is pretty straight forward, but it can sometimes take a little practice to get it right. Luckily, you usually have extra wire length to work with, so it’s ok if you don’t get it right the first time.

I love using this wirestrippers/cutter because it’s the only tool you then need for electrical work.

1. Using your wirestrippers/cutter, cut the plastic covering off the wire, about 1cm down from the tip of the wire. You do this by only pressing down part of the way, so you’re scoring the plastic.
2. Once it’s scored on all sides, use the tip of the wirestripper to slowly pull the plastic off, leaving just the bare wire exposed. Sometimes I find it helpful to gently twist the wirestripper as I’m pulling it off.
3. Repeat for all the wires.

Trim & Strip Your Ceiling Fan Wires

This is also a great time to prep your ceiling fan wires. They often come super long, in case you’re installing your fan with a down rod (aka a metal rod between the fan and the ceiling that lowers the fan closer to the living space; usually used in rooms with super high ceilings).

The length you want to trim the to depends on the fan, but I would say a good rule of thumb if you aren’t using a down rod is 6-12 inches long. But, if you got a good fan, your instructions will tell you how long the wires should be trimmed to.

Step 3: Install Your Fan Support

Each ceiling fan support looks a little different, but they all serve the same purpose: to support the weight of the ceiling fan.

Using the screws in your electrical box and your screwdriver, screw the fan support into the electrical box. Make sure the screws are tight!

Step 4: Install Fan Motor

Once your ceiling fan support is in place, the next step in installing your ceiling fan with a light is to install the fan motor. For the 3 different fans I’ve installed in the last two months, this meant lifting the rod into the brace in the fan support and then screwing it into place. But, make sure to follow your fan’s instructions if it looks different.

If your fan has a down rod and down rod cover, you’ll install that now. Usually, it’s as easy as putting a few screws through the down rod cover, into the ceiling mount.

Step 5: Wiring

Now, this is the part that is the scariest if this is your first electrical project.

But, I have to tell you. It’s probably the easiest step in installing a ceiling fan with a light!

Electrical wiring is almost always the exact same from light to light, from fan to fan. The wire covers are almost universal, so that makes it easy to. There will always be a few exceptions–I’ve run into them–but they’re usually easy to figure out.

What wires go where?

Make sure to follow the instructions provided with your fan, but you usually match color to color. Here’s how my last few fans went:

• Ceiling copper to fan green to light green/yellow
• Ceiling white to fan white
• Ceiling black to fan black
• Ceiling red to fan blue

If you don’t have a light on your ceiling fan, you’ll probably have one less wire (usually the blue or black).

How to Connect the Wires

1. Holding the ceiling copper wire in one hand, wrap the matching wire from the fan around the copper part 2-3 times.
2. If your instructions say to, then apply a small piece of black electrical tape around the wires to keep them in place.
3. Then take your wire connector (they’re usually orange or yellow), and twist it over the newly joined wires 3-4 times. This will ensure the wires stay together.

If you don’t have at least 1 cm of bare wire exposed for both the fan and ceiling wires, you may have trouble connecting the two.

It’s also not safe to have more wire exposed than you need to. Then electricity is traveling over more space and can be dangerous. So, make sure you keep the amount of bare wire exposed to a minimum. I like to keep mine at about 1 cm for the ceiling wire and a little over 1 cm, but no more than 2 cm, for the ceiling fan wires.

That’s it! Now repeat the process for all the wires.

Step 6: Install Cover

If your fan has a cover over the motor to the ceiling, you’ll install that here.

This is a super easy step. Using your screwdriver and the included screws, attach the ceiling fan cover to the ceiling fan support. Mine had 4 screws, 2 each on opposite sides of the cover.

If you have a down rod, the down rod cover is installed here. You simply left the down rod cover up over the down rod and over the ceiling mount, and screw it into place (following your fan’s instructions).

Step 7: Assemble & Install the Fan Blades

Now’s when your fan is going to start looking like a fan. If your fan blades are reversible, make sure you install the blades with the right color facing the decorative side of the support, so the right color is facing down into your room.

I’ve installed two types of fan blades recently, so I’ll share how to install each:

Option 1: Push-on Blades

We had these on the Hunter Channing fan, and they’re awesome! Simply push the fan blade on to the fan support. No screws!

Option 2: Screw-on Blades

These are the more traditional fan blades. You screw the fan support on to the blade with 3 provided screws and your screwdriver. Mine also had rubber grommets to insert into the holes on the blade before you screwed the blade to the support. You just pushed those grommets in with your fingers, and I used my finger nails to pull them out on the other side.

Attach Fan Blades to Fan Motor

Note: If you’re doing this project solo, this is the hardest part of the fan install. Totally doable, just frustrating. If you need to take a break while attaching the blades, do it. I did a couple times.

Using your screwdriver and the provided screws, you will now screw each fan blade into the motor. There’s usually 2 screws for each blade. If there’s someone helping you, have them hold the motor in place, so it’s not spinning while you’re trying to screw the blades in.

Once you have your first blade in, you’ll probably notice that the motor is now leaning in one direction because of the weight of the blade. To make the rest of the install easier, install the second blade on the other side of the motor to balance out the weight. Then install the other blades in whatever order you want.

This step is super frustrating if you’re solo. Trying to screw the blades in, while the motor can spin in either direction is not an easy task. So, take your time with this. Take breaks. Wait until you have a friend who can spend 10 minutes holding the motor in place. Whatever works for you.

I found that the 2nd and 3rd ones were hardest for me. The 1st one wasn’t bad, and once you have 3 in, it’s easier to keep the fan from spinning with your elbows (or head lol) while installing the last blades.

Step 8: Install Light

Ok, now that the hardest step is done, it’s all downhill from here in installing your ceiling fan with a light!

Light Mount

If there’s a light mount, you install that first. It’s super easy–you’re just going to screw in a few screws!

First, take your screwdriver, and screw in 2 of the 3 screws into the fan base. Only screw them in about halfway.

Then you’ll lift the ceiling fan light mount onto those screws and twist it. Then screw in the third screw, and finish screwing in the first two.

Light Wiring

For all the fans I’ve installed, light wiring is super simple. All you have to do is plug the light wires into the fan motor. Just make sure the markings on each match up, like below. Easy peasy.

Attach the Light to the Light Mount

Last Step: attach the light fixture to the light mount. For my fan, that meant the same process as installing the mount. Screw in 2 screws halfway into the mount.

Then lift the light fixture onto those 2 screws, and twist it so the light stays up and sits on the screws. Then tighten the screws and install the 3rd screw.

Step 9: Install Bulbs/Light Covers

Now install the light covers. Simply twist the screws out with your fingers. Insert the light cover into place. Then tighten the screws again with your fingers to hold the cover in place.

Repeat for each light cover. Then screw in the light bulbs.

Step 10: Finishing Touches & Check Your Work

Last steps for installing my ceiling fans with lights were to install the pull chains for the fan and light. And, how awesome are these pull chains! They have a light picture and a fan picture on them, so you’re never confused about which chain you’re pulling!

Now’s the moment of truth! Check your work. Turn your breaker/house electricity/light switch on, and turn on your fan and light.

What if My Fan and Light Didn’t Turn On?

Your instructions should give you a few steps to troubleshoot this, but try these easy steps first:

• Check that you actually turned on the fan and light. Pull the pull chain for each one time.
• Make sure the right switch is flipped on.
• Make sure the right breaker is on.

If that didn’t fix it, the most likely culprit is the wiring either became disconnected, or the right wires aren’t matched together. That means you have to turn the electricity back off, and uninstall the fan to the wiring part and double check your work. (MAKE SURE YOU TURN OFF THE ELECTRICITY again before uninstalling anything).

Otherwise, you’ll need to call an electrician to have them troubleshoot the issue.

Ta Da!

You just installed a ceiling fan with a light! I hope you’re super proud of yourself!

This isn’t the easiest of projects you could have tackled, so go you!

Have Questions? Looking for More Electrical Projects?

Now that you know how to install a ceiling fan with a light, check out our how-to guides for Installing an Indoor Light Fixture, Installing Under Cabinet Lights, and Replacing an Outdoor Light Fixture.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post in the comments below! Or, you can always send a direct message to us at our Contact Us page.

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