# Fan installation on a box beam?



## JohnJ65 (May 8, 2008)

I have a project coming up where the customer wants a ceiling fan installed on a box beam in a vaulted ceiling of their bedroom. 

What I was planning on doing was installing a Wiremold fan box to the bottom of the box beam after fishing the cable through the beam from the adjacent attic space. 

What I thought existed was a large Wiremold box which could accommodate the cover plate of the fan which is 6-3/4" wide. What I'm finding are boxes that are only 5-1/2" wide. 

Does anyone know of a larger fan rated box for this situation or a better way of doing this project?

Thank you, John.


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## joebanana (Dec 21, 2010)

I don't believe wire mold boxes are rated for ceiling fans. I'd use a 3/0 pancake, maybe.


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## Bird dog (Oct 27, 2015)

They are rated for 50lbs...

https://www.legrand.us/wiremold/rac...-small-raceway/5738af-solid-base-fan-box.aspx


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

joebanana said:


> I don't believe wire mold boxes are rated for ceiling fans. I'd use a 3/0 pancake, maybe.


Wiremold has a fan rated surface pancake box. I'd use that and let the damn fan hang over the edge. I dislike those fat base fans anyhow, do not like it when handed one to hang. What I wish is that wire mold would make a fan rated and damp rated fan box so I can keep Mr. Anal Electrical Inspector in Enchanted Lakes happy with me mounting one at an exterior covered 2nd floor deck. They have a fan rated surface pancake box, and they have a damp rated surface pancake box. But not the combo of the two.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

The box doesn't have to be fan rated if you attach the fan bracket to framing. Is there framing inside of that beam that you can drive some long screws thru the fan bracket into?

If so, use one of these Arlington MB8 boxes:

http://www.aifittings.com/catalog/fan-fixture-boxes/8-inch-mounting-block/MB8


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

As for Wiremold, they do have fan rated round surface mounted boxes, but they are the smaller ones. They also make larger round boxes that would work with a large fan canopy, but they are not rated for fans. lol

I hate Wiremold. Most of their products have 2 totally different model numbers, it's so hard finding what you want. They just suck and I avoid them at all costs.


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

Wiremold does makes a fan box V5738AF and a 6-3/8" box V57389 but after the nice things I said about them their web site doesn't appear to have a CAD drawing so you could see if the fan box base would work with the 6-3/8" tin.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

splatz said:


> Wiremold does makes a fan box V5738AF and a 6-3/8" box V57389 but after the nice things I said about them their web site doesn't appear to have a CAD drawing so you could see if the fan box base would work with the 6-3/8" tin.


They will not work together.


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## JohnJ65 (May 8, 2008)

I did not think to look at the Arlington catalog for a solution to this, thank you. 

Arlington does make a damp/weatherproof fan box in white and bronze that work well on outdoor fans on gazebos and porches. They are PVC and can take a cover up to 7" in diameter. Arlington #'s FBC4225W-1 and FBC4225BR-1 if they were not so damm ugly I would use one of those but I will look at Arlington's other solutions. 

John


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

The Arlington box that I posted is perfect for a fan. It is 8" in diameter which means there will only be around 1/2" sticking out around the fan canopy, it will blend right in. It's also pretty low profile. The picture that i posted shows a very small pendant light, which makes the Arlington box look bigger than it really is.


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## JohnJ65 (May 8, 2008)

HackWork said:


> The Arlington box that I posted is perfect for a fan. It is 8" in diameter which means there will only be around 1/2" sticking out around the fan canopy, it will blend right in. It's also pretty low profile. The picture that i posted shows a very small pendant light, which makes the Arlington box look bigger than it really is.


I already ordered one! Thank you.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

JohnJ65 said:


> I already ordered one! Thank you.


Order 3, I always keep 2 on my truck. They really come in handy in many different situations.


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## JoeSparky (Mar 25, 2010)

If there is plenty of lumber in the beam, just drill a 3 1/2 pancake box into the beam and attach the fan bracket both to the 8/32 box screws and to the beam with long wood screws. Code does not require fan to be installed on a fan rated box if it is supported independently of the box.


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## WorksOutOfaVan (Jun 20, 2017)

I like it when the fan base is larger than the beam so I can run my wiring down into it from a piece of wood mould. (Single family home)


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

WorksOutOfaVan said:


> I like it when the fan base is larger than the beam so I can run my wiring down into it from a piece of wood mould. (Single family home)
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


It's me and you here , they have no idea how good we got it with that stuff, although I can remember when an 8 FT two wire redwood was only $4.50 a stick at City Mill or HPM and they were the high price guys......... Not now you can't. It's almost that much a foot now.


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## WorksOutOfaVan (Jun 20, 2017)

macmikeman said:


> It's me and you here , they have no idea how good we got it with that stuff, although I can remember when an 8 FT two wire redwood was only $4.50 a stick at City Mill or HPM and they were the high price guys......... Not now you can't. It's almost that much a foot now.




I like that usually between the two choices of unpainted brown and primer white you don't really need to worry much about finishing. Plus they're high up anyway

Back to the wire mold boxes, it sucks when the box studs don't match the fan bracket holes. Not sure who to point the finger at when that happens.


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