I’m not a big fan of ceiling fans. I especially don’t like them in our basement where the ceiling is already a bit low. A few months ago there was a post on Design Sponge about ceiling fans. I scrolled through the comments to see if I was alone in my ceiling fan dislike, and I was not. I was surprised to see people wondering how to cover up a ceiling fan, or paying an electrician $150 to remove it. That’s crazy. It’s really easy to take one down yourself.
First shut off the power at the breaker. Then remove the lightbulbs and shades. (That way if you drop the whole thing you won’t have broken glass to worry about! Don’t worry though, you probably won’t drop it.)
There should be a few screws near the ceiling that are holding the fan in place. Unscrew these. If possible have someone standing by to support the fan just in case the screws are the only things holding it up. The fan pictured had a hook to keep it up once the screws were removed. The fan I took down in our bedroom was only held up by the screws and would have crashed to the ground if I hadn’t caught it when the last screw came out. Be ready for either scenario!
Once the wires are exposed unscrew the orange things and disconnect the wires. There should be a black wire, a white wire, and possibly an extra ground wire (usually green). Screw the orange things back onto the single wires coming out of the ceiling, and lower the fan to the ground.
Now unscrew and remove the ceiling fan mounting plate, and your ceiling is ready for a nice new light fixture.
See? That wasn’t so bad, was it?
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Wow! I am impressed. One thing I would add – in the event the ceiling fan is high up and requires a ladder, having a helper is a must. Holding a fan motor while messing with the wires and wire nuts (orange thingies) on top a ladder can be a tough job and a fall off a ladder is bad news. I like the idea that you took off the lights and globes to reduce the weight. Very smart move. I have pulled the blades off on some jobs even though they are light weight. Can’t wait to see what you put up in place of the fan.
Oh yeah, I would be too scared and wobbly to do it at all if I had to be on a ladder. Standing on a chair is plenty high for me!
I hardwired a couple of these pendant lights to replace the fans. They look much better and don’t draw as much attention to the lower ceilings.
http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=120&f=4773
Oh lord, I don’t know if I could ever do that. Believe it or not, I’ve already almost been hit with a lighting fixture TWICE and I was on ground level. But one time a hunky guy moved me out of the way just in time, so that was… semi-romantic haha.
Well Kelly, I guess you could just have the hunky guy take it down for you! ; )
Haha. It was actually at church… guess the Lord was trying to tell me something *shakes head* lol
great diy! i’m attempting to be my own handywoman myself..