# Old work fan boxes for mobile home



## A Little Short (Nov 11, 2010)

3xdad said:


> What type of old work fan boxes are you guys using on these houses that have 2X2 scissor trusses with glued on wallboard (sometimes the glue is all over the sides of the 2X2)?
> 
> Thanks.


Saddle box or fan pancake box.

Better yet.....mobile home = RUN!!!:laughing:


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## 3xdad (Jan 25, 2011)

:laughing:
Gotta hang 5 fans.
The b-rooms may have fan boxes, but i'm planning for worst case. i know at least one location will need a fan box and don't want to change location (use existing hole).

i've used this in the past.










Hated it, and the spikes aren't gonna hit the 2X2 truss.

i guess if i have to, i can blank off the existing box and fish to a saddle box.

Thanks


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## bobelectric (Feb 24, 2007)

It was maybe Larry the cable guy said he put in 4 ceiling fans in his mom's trailer and when he turned them on the trailer flew away.


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## jw0445 (Oct 9, 2009)

I try to hit the truss with a saddle fan box. Existing light boxes are probably just cut into the drywall ceiling with an old work box. Blank off existing box and call it a day.


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## daveEM (Nov 18, 2012)

I'd turn the job down.


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## 3xdad (Jan 25, 2011)

daveEM said:


> I'd turn the job down.


Gotta wire a two bay garage and enclosed porch there also. It'l be alright.

i'm at $200/fan.


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## McClary’s Electrical (Feb 21, 2009)

Nah. I'd pass


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## dielectricunion (Nov 29, 2012)

3xdad said:


> daveEM said:
> 
> 
> > I'd turn the job down.
> ...


My boss takes jobs working on trailers as well. Some of these places are so horrible that A) I don't understand how he collects a fair rate from these people, and B) If so, why are they investing $ into improving a structure that is generally doomed from day 1?


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## papaotis (Jun 8, 2013)

how old is it? is it drywall or stapled on fiberboard? is there clearance to the roof? is the wiring already there?


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## 3xdad (Jan 25, 2011)

papaotis said:


> how old is it? is it drywall or stapled on fiberboard? is there clearance to the roof? is the wiring already there?


Note sure how old it is, maybe 90's. It's drywall, scissor truss and wiring is there.:thumbsup:

No fishing except to move over a little then blank off existing.


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## papaotis (Jun 8, 2013)

if you are going to have to move the hole to close to the joist put a 2x4 up through the hole to long enough to straddle two joist and use saddle bow with spacer. put 3" screws up through drywall and joist into new 2x4. note, predrill joist to prevent splitting! i dont trust 2x2 trusses


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## A Little Short (Nov 11, 2010)

papaotis said:


> if you are going to have to move the hole to close to the joist put a 2x4 up through the hole to long enough to straddle two joist and use saddle bow with spacer. put 3" screws up through drywall and joist into new 2x4. note, predrill joist to prevent splitting! i dont trust 2x2 trusses



:no:
You ain't getting no 2x4, long enough to span joists, up through a 4" (probably less) hole and into the area above the ceiling in a mobile home. Unless it has a more of a pitched roof than most.


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## papaotis (Jun 8, 2013)

im assuming that the response 'scissor truss' means its a pitched roof


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## A Little Short (Nov 11, 2010)

papaotis said:


> im assuming that the response 'scissor truss' means its a pitched roof


There is some pitch to them but there is (usually) not very much room between the ceiling and the top/roof of the mobile home.

They do have scissor trusses but they aren't very tall. I looked at a "gutted" single wide mobile home a guy wanted to rewire and there was very little room from the bottom to the top of the trusses. Certainly not enough room to put a 2x4 in that would be long enough to span the joists.

Have you actually done one, adding a 2x4 up through the hole for the box?
Maybe I'm wrong, so if you have, I guess the one you did had more room than what I have seen.


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## Celtic (Nov 19, 2007)

Send a rod through the roof...nut, fish plate, tar/silicone/pray.
:jester:


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## A Little Short (Nov 11, 2010)

Celtic said:


> Send a rod through the roof...nut, fish plate, tar/silicone/pray.
> :jester:


:thumbsup::laughing:


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## papaotis (Jun 8, 2013)

yes i have, shorty, but it was a doublewide, still only a foot high at the peak


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## BuzzKill (Oct 27, 2008)

I could not imagine working in a mobile home.


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## papaotis (Jun 8, 2013)

it usually sucks!


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## A Little Short (Nov 11, 2010)

papaotis said:


> yes i have, shorty, but it was a doublewide, still only a foot high at the peak


Well I'll take your word on it. I was just trying to imagine, from the one I saw, how you could get a 16" 2x4 up through a round hole for a ceiling box without it hitting the roof/top. If it hit the roof/top before you had enough of the 2x4 through the hole, you wouldn't be able to lay it down to get it all the way in.

A double wide might be a different story. But you would almost have to be at the highest point of the roof or trusses for it to work.


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## papaotis (Jun 8, 2013)

24" on the one i did. and yes, it took some manuevering! spellcheck tells me that aint right, but oh, well:whistling2:


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