Project For Mom: Completed!

Mom usually prefers warm weather. She really doesn't like the cold. However, this summer was one of the hottest recorded in Hawaii. We'd bought her a floor fan a few years ago, but she hasn't used it much. She said it was too breezy. Sigh...

We've always talked about putting up a ceiling fan in her bedroom, but couldn't quite figure out the logistics. We'd put up two fans in her family room where she spends almost all her time. Her bedroom is only for nighttime sleeping. It used to be awfully dark so we did have a skylight installed which (believe it or not) made it almost too bright. Ah well.

Anyway, now we had to figure out how to install a ceiling fan with a light. She already has a wall light, but we figured it wasn't very bright and if we were going to the trouble, we may as well get a fan with LED lights also (just in case).

The room is small with a big beam on the ceiling so we had to find a smaller fan that would fit there. It was not easy to locate one that would work. After doing a lot of measuring and remeasuring, we figured we needed a 36" diameter fan. Eventually we found one at Lowes.

I'll be going into excruciating detail so please feel free to return tomorrow for a shorter post. I just want to post this for our own record.

We have stared at this room forever and finally came up with some options. There is a fascia (board) on the top right of the room which hid an enclosure filled with fluorescent tubes which didn't work. We took down the fascia and removed the tubes.

At first Art planned on Option #1 which would drag a wire across the bottom of the floor up the wall where he would put the fan switch and then down again and up the other wall to the enclosure where he could connect the wires to the fan.

OK....

So we went to the hardware store to buy a bunch of (not cheap) wooden covers to hide the wires.

But then...

After more thinking...

Art came up with Option #2.

Since that one switch at the entrance of the room used to control both the light on the wall on the left and the fluorescent lights in the enclosure on the right, could he split them and use the existing wire that was already installed going to the enclosure?

Back we went to the hardware store to return the wooden covers and buy some different supplies.

Before he could proceed with Option #2, Art had to make sure the wires could indeed be separated into two switches (one for the wall light, one for the fan/light). He called his high school buddy who happens to be a retired electrician with tools to indicate the circuitry. Happily, he confirmed that Art's Option #2 could work.

Back to the hardware store to buy the separate switch. We bought a switch that would look different from the wall light so mom wouldn't be confused.

The fan/light box was opened and instructions read.

We measured where the ceiling fan/light could be installed so it wouldn't hit the beam and still be somewhat centered. I hung a string where I thought it would be best and put the fan blades together.

Yes, it's true. I was helping.

Art then installed the fan and covered the wire to the enclosure where the wires could be run to the new switch.

(The dashed line shows where the original wiring was already installed when the house was built decades ago.)

The last step was to reinstall the fascia board to hide all the wiring.

We brought mom in to teach her how to use it and she was very pleased. Oh happy day!

Ummmm... would you believe the temperatures suddenly cooled down at night so she hasn't had to use it?

Sigh.... Ah well. We're ready for next summer.