Steaks vs. The Ceiling Fans

For all of you who don't know, the title of this blog is a direct reference to our currently favorite show, Chuck (http://chucktv.net/ is the best fan site). We are huge fans, and are ecstatic that NBC renewed it for 2010 after a much publicized Save Chuck campaign in which yours truly participated. The show is hilarious in that it clearly doesn't take itself seriously, makes fun of Best Buy, spies, and yet tosses in a little bit of drama and action to make a light hearted show anyone can watch. Anyway, all of the show's episode titles are in the form of "Chuck vs. the ____" and so the title of this blog is in honor of this hilarious show.

Last August, it was too hot in the house, specifically the kids' rooms. Steve and I purchased Hunter ceiling fans from the Gnome Despot. Steve pulled it out of the box and realized that to wire it so that we could have the light off and the fan on, the fan off and the light on, both on, or both off, we'd have to run a whole other set of electrical wires to the junction boxes in each room. Talk about a motivation killer, so the ceilings fans just sat.

We had a few scorching hot days earlier in April, so I decided that it was time to make this happen. We'd have to find a way. In talking with a friend about it, he suggested to use a Hunter brand remote control that is compatible with the ceiling fans we bought. The remote would do all of the controlling and no extra electrical runs would be needed! PERFECT. Another run to the Gnome Despot resulted in the purchase of two Hunter remote controls.

On Good Friday, Steve went up into the attic - a place he despises since he despises insulation - and found that the supports holding the junction boxes in the ceiling for the overhead lights aren't strong enough to hold ceiling fans. No project is as easy as it seems on paper. In talking with my friend again, he suggested a ceiling fan supports instead of building something out of wood. Oh SWEET! Back to Gnome Despot and acquired two ceiling fan supports for existing construction.

Finally, it's project weekend. I promised Steve that I would do all of the attic work i.e. install the new supports and associated junction boxes. But first, I had to take the light fixture down in DJ's room (with the circuit off for his room), and then unscrew the junction box.

Then I went up into the attic, pulled back the insulation, and discovered that the metal junction box support was nailed into the joists. Ok, I got a claw hammer and started pulling but because the roof line was so low at that location I was lying down while doing this. I was getting nowhere. I called down to Steve to get me something that could give me more leverage. He hands me a tool to start prying the bar and the nails from the joist via hammering. Needless to say, I was making a lot of noise doing this, and DJ noted this with a comment of "Mommy noise?"

After 10 minutes of doing more damage to the joist than the support bar, I come back downstairs. Steve decides he's going to brave the insulation and up he goes. We hear a whole lot of banging for the next 20 minutes ("Daddy noise?") and then silence. "Are you ok up there?" In response to my question I hear a clanging as a metal part comes flying from the attic access.

There it was, the support bar, looking like it had been mauled by an animal, ripped - not cut - on one side, and 3" long nails that held it in place. There were 3 per side, and Steve managed to only get one side out. Luckily, the new support we were installing grips above that spot. Then Steve emerges from the attic, completely soaked from sweat from head to toe, itching from the insulation. He was not a happy camper, but he brute forced the old support to do his will.

I went back up into the attic to install the new junction box (requires a support bracket from above the bar), Steve screwed the junction box in from below, and voila, the hardest part was done for DJ's room. Now it's time for Elektra's room. I make sure the breaker was off, and took down the light fixture. Holy mess of wires, Batman. There were 3 sets of wires terminating in that box. UGH.

I call George. He tells me to label them, and he'll call me when he has time to come over i.e. after he was done making his upside down tomato planters with 5 gallon buckets, lawn fabric, and a little ingenuity. Unfortunately, at this point, it was also time for the kids' naps so the project got put on hold for a few hours.

While the kids were sleeping, Steve wired the ceiling fans to the remote control receivers so that they would be ready to go. Elektra woke up early, so I went into her room and labeled the wires. Then I took down the box, went up into the attic, and started hammering out the old support bracket (DJ was awake before I started that!). Luckily, this was located more towards the center of the house, so I could sit on my hands and knees. And, knowing what to expect now, I really whomped on this thing to get it loose. Like Steve, I only managed to get one side out and ripped the other side. I installed the new support, Steve helped me install the new junction box from below, and voila... done with attic work. Yaaaaay! Wow it was hot up there, and it wasn't even that hot up there...

Meanwhile, Grandmom had come over and was watching the kids while Steve finished installing the rest of DJ's fan and remote control switch to his wall. This also gave us the opportunity to install the junction box in Elektra's room. Thanks Grandmom!

George's ears must've been burning because he called right then to ask if I still wanted him to come over. I said yes so that I didn't do something stupid and manage to burn the house down. George came over, looked at the rat's nest, and started working based on my labels. I must've explained something wrong to him because he kept shorting out the circuit. After more discussions, we finally figured out what I was trying to say and George mounted the ceiling fan. Steve didn't finish the job because Elektra was already in bed and sleeping.

That was just Saturday. Whew. On Sunday, I went to Gnome Despot (again!) to get the right batteries for the remote control, extra light bulbs, and a few other things. Meanwhile, Steve finished installing the ceiling fan in the afternoon. However, when he turned on the light via the remote, the fan started. When he started the fan, the light turned on. Uuuuuuuuuuuh... By the time we could test that, it was nearly Elektra's bed time again, so that was left to Monday to complete.

On Monday, Steve takes down the ceiling fan for the millionth time, and confirms that he had, in fact, wired it correctly. Following the wires, he discovers that the manufacturer had reversed the light and fan wires in the remote receiver. So Steve switches them, and FINALLY we have a properly working ceiling fan in both children's rooms. They are so nice...

Now to install one in the living room... oh wait, we really have to run wire because there's no fixture in there now. Calling the professionals for this one...