Hi, looking for some advice here. I would like to replace my ceiling
light fixture with a ceiling fan w/light. Is there anything I should
be aware of as far as power is concerned? Will I need to upgrade my
electrical since I'm replacing lights with two motors? I don't want to
keep resetting my circuit breakers. I don't know much about electrical
systems so any advice would be helpful. I think the fans would both be
on a 20 amp circuit. Thanks.

wrote:
Hi, looking for some advice here. I would like to replace my ceiling
light fixture with a ceiling fan w/light. Is there anything I should
be aware of as far as power is concerned? Will I need to upgrade my
electrical since I'm replacing lights with two motors? I don't want to
keep resetting my circuit breakers. I don't know much about electrical
systems so any advice would be helpful. I think the fans would both be
on a 20 amp circuit. Thanks.

If your light is on a switch, you can cut the switch off to kill power
to the 120 volt circuit, however, keep in mind that many ceiling boxes
are also junction boxes and have other live circuits in them that go to
other places. If you are not experienced in electrical methods, it
would be better and safer for you to cut off the main power switch to
do the wiring, since some ceiling boxes have a number of wires in tight
proximity. You do not want to be tugging and pulling on live circuits,
unless you are an electrician. Do it during the day, so you can have
light from a window. Also, keep in mind that you must adequately
support a ceiling fan, since it weighs more than a light fixture,
normally. A normal light support is designed to support approx. 12
lbs, if installed properly. Remember the fan also has vibration and
movement so all the locking parts must be installed properly to make it
safe from falling. You will not normally ever have to upgrade
electrical circuits for ceiling fans, since they do not pull many amps.
If you have a number of them on a single circuit along with other
motors and it over amps your circuit breaker will trip. Only then
would I worry about upgrading. You probably are ok there. If you are
not an extremely handy person, I would recommend someone who installs
fans for a living to do it so that your family will have the maximum
safety. Doing it yourself is good for some jobs, but, unless you are
fairly knowledgable about ceiling fan installation, I would recommend
an expert. It may cost you a whole lot less in the long run. I hope
this helps.