Rich Greenberg wrote:
In article . net,
Tomes wrote:
Folks,
It was easy for me to replace the ceiling fan/light in the upstairs
bathroom as I could attack if from the attic, where everything was right
there and open for me. I now would like to do the same with the ceiling
fan/light in the downstairs bathroom (1st floor), but my problem is that I

Why do you think you need to get the box out of the ceiling? You should
be able to just remove the screws holding it onto the box. This should
allow the fan/light to drop down enough that you can get to the wireing.
Disconnect it, remove, install new one in the reverse of removal.

Note he's talking about a bathroom fan/light unit. I would assume this
is the sort of fan that is *inside* the ceiling, not hanging down as you
seem to be thinking. The whole unit is an approximately 12" X 12" metal
box mounted behind the wallboard with a plastic or metal faceplate with
vent slots and a lens for the light.

I would start by cutting the wallboard around the old unit to get maybe
a 1/4" clearance all around. Make sure the power is off, then unscrew
the mounting screws or use a reciprocating saw to cut the nails holding
it to the rafters. Then pull it out. If the new unit is the same size
the new faceplate should cover the 1/4" gap around the edges. I did
this is an old bathroom once.

On the other hand, cutting out to the full width between rafters and
a few inches on either side gives you an easy patch job with the rafters
being available to attach the new wallboard to.

I've also replaced the guts of an old fan unit with the new one, but
it has to be the same make and model to work.

Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.