On Jul 20, 12:54 am, "Tomes" wrote:
"Tomes" ...



"krw" ...
Tomes...
"krw" ...
...

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.

Take a Dremmel tool to the nail heads if they can't be pulled from
inside the box.

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.

Yes, or one can just put some 1x's behind the wallboard patch.

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.

Which might be hard to come by several years later.

Thanks guys. Yep, this is the type of fixture I am talking about.
Getting the nails out was my big concern here. Using the dremel or a
thin
bladed say to cut the nails is what I will try. It ought to just drop
down then - or actually slide sideways first to disconnect the duct.
Hmmm - I might need to cut a bit for the duct flange? Bummer that
then.

Shouldn't have to. You should be able to just turn it in the ceiling
cavity and pull it through. If I hadn't had to move the electric
line I might have gotten away without cutting sheetrock, though as I
said I had to cut a 6"x6" hole by the wall anyway.

Cool, thanks. We will see how this goes this weekend.
Tomes

OK folks, I thought that I would close this story as I finished the job
today and it turned out to be easy once I knew the trick. Maybe someone
else can use this experience. I replaced the old box with the new box and
the ceiling never knew anything happened.

Getting the old box out entailed using a hacksaw that had a pistol grip
(something I picked up in a garage sale long ago and finally had the
perfect use for). It enabled that thin blade to get up between the box
and the wall that it was nailed onto. I sawed off the 4 nails which were
on the tabs outside of the box (and unapproachable any other way) that
way. Box got loose.

Then just moving it around up there was all it took to remove the duct and
the wires. Then it angled out of the hole. Installing the new box was
then easy enough, as it too angled up into the hole with no new cutting
required. It came with holes in the sidewall of the box so a couple of
screws through those holes is now holding it in place really well.

Light looks good up there now, brighter and the fan sucks better too. The
ceiling is unmolested. All is well in that part of the world.
Tomes- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

But why would you install a ceiling fan on the floor? (^_^)