I noticed that there's a round cap in the middle of the fan.
Can I take the cap off, get a light fixture from my local Home Depot, and install it there?
Best Answer
Short answer: Yes, but don't.
Longer answer: You probably could lash up a light fixture there (although you would need to add a wire to those already running through the stationary shaft). The problem is that unless you use a kit made by the fan manufacturer, you are going to end up with something that you do not want hanging over the head of anyone you care about.
I was an electrical engineer for 45 years and I wouldn't do it, not without a design review committee and an extensive test program. You should install only standard equipment in your home using only approved methods.
It's not so much a matter of design and function as of testing and experience. The lighting fixtures, junction boxes, outlets, switches, etc. approved for sale in your local hardware outlet represent the cumulative experience of hundreds of thousands of skilled professionals cleaning up after millions of accidents, so that you won't have to.
It should be a counterclockwise twist off, by the ring it appears & just 1/4" not anything like a 1/4-turn. Sometimes they're really tight though. You want to twist in a sudden jerking motion rather than a slow torqueing like a light bulb.
If grip is an issue you can do pretty well with 2 short pieces of duct tape or any wide tape to use as handles...press-on one-half & let the other half hang down & then do your jerk action.
If the box has a bracket that securely attaches it to a framing member, then the box can support a ceiling fan up to 35 lbs. If the box is not securely attached to a framing member, it cannot support a ceiling fan. According to NEC, ceiling boxes are supposed to be installed so that they can support a 50 lbs fixture (that's a light fixture, not a ceiling fan). However, this is not always the case, especially where the boxes are installed by those unaware of the code requirements, or before it was a requirement.
If the box is designed for supporting a ceiling fan, it will be marked with the amount of weight it can support, up to 70 lbs. A ceiling fan weighing more than 70 lbs., has to be supported by other means.
Best Answer
Short answer: Yes, but don't.
Longer answer: You probably could lash up a light fixture there (although you would need to add a wire to those already running through the stationary shaft). The problem is that unless you use a kit made by the fan manufacturer, you are going to end up with something that you do not want hanging over the head of anyone you care about.
I was an electrical engineer for 45 years and I wouldn't do it, not without a design review committee and an extensive test program. You should install only standard equipment in your home using only approved methods.
It's not so much a matter of design and function as of testing and experience. The lighting fixtures, junction boxes, outlets, switches, etc. approved for sale in your local hardware outlet represent the cumulative experience of hundreds of thousands of skilled professionals cleaning up after millions of accidents, so that you won't have to.