From: "Tomes" 
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Replacing Bathroom Ceiling Fan/light on bottom floor
Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2007 14:15:52 GMT
Bytes: 2937

"John A. Weeks III" ...
> Rich Greenberg:
>> Tomes :
>> >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
>> >don't have the handy attic to get at it from.  I took off the cover 
>> >from
>> >the existing light/fan, and I see the box, which is about the same 
>> >size as
>> >the hole cut in the wallboard ceiling.  I just do not see how I can 
>> >get
>> >the box out without ripping apart the ceiling.  I would really like to 
>> >be
>> >able to do this without messing with the ceiling wall if I can.
>>
>> 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.
>
> One issue to consider is if the box was reinforced for a ceiling
> fan.  If there was a fan there before, and it was installed up
> to code, then you should be good to go.  In that case, Rich's
> advice is a good as gold...you should be able to make the swap-
> a-roo without any cutting into the ceiling.
>

So the advice here is to just replace the guts inside the box and not use 
the new box that comes with the new assembly.  Hmmm.  I am thinking that 
the new stuff really wants to use the new box as it is already all put 
together and all.  I'll take another look at the stuff and consider this. 
Thanks for a thought that I had not considered yet.
Tomes