IS this electric box suitable to support a light ceiling fan

Hi everyone! The fan is only 17 pounds. I don't have attic access, but this is what the box looks like from below. There are 2 machine screws in the top - Also, can you tell me what kind of screws to use to attach it? There were drywall screws in there previously, which would be too wobbly.

Thanks in advance for your help!!

Jenny<img src="https://i.imgur.com/66KJW4D.jpg" width="4032" height="3024"/>

 

The 2 screws in the picture are not what's holding the box to the joist. They are to secure the wires that enter the box. The box will probably hold the fan but I can't see if it's fan rated.

 

Donato, thanks for your fast response! That leads me to my next question - the red wire was wrapped around one of those screws. It is copper inside. Is that the ground wire? Or should I just put it back where it was and not attach anything to the green ground in the fan fixture?

Thanks again!

 

Welcome to the forums.

That is not a fan rated box. It's called a nail-on metal gem box. I can see the bracket that is attached to the box in the top of your picture. It could be held to the joist with screws, roofing nails or cable staples. Basically anything went. It would need to be removed and replaced with a fan rated box. With a fan.... it's not just the weight when selecting a box.... it's the movement that causes the problems that static fixtures are not subject to.

Since you are against a joist you can use a box like shown below. It will screw directly to the joist. If you have a three wire cable there..... there should be a bare ground wire. The red should not be used as a ground wire. It should be capped off.

 

thanks pete - very helpful, I can't see how the box is connected - but impressed you can. Looks like this project just got a lot bigger.. Guess I need to cut through the sheet rock to remove the box and install a new one?

And there is no ground wire, but maybe because they are wrapped in metal conduit.

 

Normally, a red wire is not a ground. Black & red are usually hot wires. Green is a ground. You should have a tester to determine what's hot. The hot wire usually gets connected to a black wire & a blue wire in the fan itself. One is for the fan & the other is for the light assembly.

 

I reposted the box in my post. This is what you have. If you look between the box and the sheetrock you can see the metal bracket. I have a red arrow pointing towards the bracket. You would take a large screwdriver, push it up thru that side and twist and pry the box off the joist. Not always easy to do.

 

this is very helpful - i will give it a shot. i am still concerned by the lack of a ground wire, though I understand sometimes wires housed in a metal conduit don't have them. so assuming i get the new box installed, what do i do with the green ground wire that is included with the fan? should I try to remove it? or wrap it around a screw in the box?

thanks SO much!!

 

Unless the wiring is very old.... the ground may have been cut or broken off. It will be easier to tell when the box is out. If you do try to remove the box....... push up on the opposite side of the box from the bracket so that when you pry.... the box won't crack the sheetrock.

 

Just to be clear that isn't even normally a box used for lights . It is a switch and receptacle box that uses 6-32 fixture mounting screws. A light box is usually round or octagon and uses 8-32 screws and fan boxes uses 10-24 mounting
screws.

 

thanks ray - this is also very helpful and disappointing. these are in the ceiling all over my house..

do you have any insight on the lack of grounding wire? i keep reading that with the metal conduits, it's not required, but puzzled what to do with the ground wire included in the fan.

 

Coil the ground wire up in the box and leave disconnected. It is not needed for operation.

 

@ ray2047 or PJmax (or any other moderator) This topic seems to come up a lot I think there should be a "Sticky" or "pinned" post about this very topic

 

What about exactly.... ceiling fan installations ?

The biggest problem is each needs to be assessed on a case by case basis.

 

No about people asking "is this ceiling box OK or suitable for a ceiling fan"

 

It has its merits. Would you like to try writing a post about it?