Hampton Bay ceiling fan,
‘Clarkston’ ceiling fan #CA65 754-470 Installation hints, tricks, notes.
This is not meant to be
inclusive of all the installation steps, nor as a substitution to the included
installation manual or safety instructions. Please read the instructions /
safety info included with your fan.
We recently purchased a couple of these
for some rental properties. Below are some ‘hints / FYI’ that may or may
not be readily apparent. None of them are what I would necessarily consider
‘deal breakers’ to base a purchasing decision on. A few of them are simply
aspects that typically ‘go with the territory’ of ‘low-end’ / ‘loss leader’
caliber / quality items.
Firstly be aware that it,
like many of the cheaper model ceiling fans, regardless of the manufacturer,
utilizes ‘small base’ / Candlelabra type light bulbs. The draw backs to those
are typically limited choice of bulbs, more difficult to source / find, shorter
lifespan, less economical (this is more important if you will be maintaining a
number of them, such as in an apartment complex, where YOU will be purchasing
the replacement bulbs, as opposed to a tenant or future purchaser).
We actually would have spent another $10-$20 to get the same style fan, with
‘standard’ bulb sockets, but that was the only choice the Home Depot we were at
had at the time (we specifically wanted ‘white’, with 3-4 lights, and
‘low-profile’ mounting.)
Like many ‘pre-packaged’ installation kits
included with products (not just fans), especially ‘lower end price range
products’, there is a minimum of hardware to mount it with. We realized that the
‘machine screws / bolts’ included were not long enough to reach thru the ceiling
material, so a trip to the hardware store ensued for a variety of #8-32 & #10-32
screws / bolts ranging in length .75” thru 2.5” in half inch increments.
Next the wires are
‘pre-stripped’ back a bit too short, and an additional 1/8” to 3/16” makes a big
difference in being able to get wire nuts on.
The Hampton Bay ‘Clarkston’
ceiling fan #CA65 / 754-470 included Wire Nuts…The included wire nuts are VERY
ENIMIC (too small / fragile / cheap) to really utilize, especially with 14g
Romex, standard ‘house wiring’, so bring / source some larger diameter, deeper
well wire nuts with metal threaded inserts. (so why do they include such
‘cheap’ wire nuts? Well, there probably is a situation where they will minimally
work so they’ve at least covered that base. So you say, “what could it cost to
‘upgrade’ a couple wire nuts at the mfg level? Two the Three Cents maybe”.
Probably, but if you are a mfg selling millions of units, it adds up. Ie; 5
million fans with ‘Three Cents’ more cost in them to upgrade something like the
two or three wirenuts = $150,000 as an example. Multiply that by ‘up-grading’ a
half dozen ‘little things’ like brackets / bolts etc, and all the sudden you are
talking about close to a million bucks or more. Most manufacturers make those
types of decisions on most products. GET OVER IT and bring some better wire nuts
and longer bolts to do the install)
Temporary ‘hanger hook’ hint; There is an ‘L-shaped’ metal post / rod that is
used to temporarily hang the fan motor on the mounting flange to support it
while you connect the wires. After accidently ‘un-hooking’ it while stripping
the wires back and having it drop (yes I luckily caught it both times), I took a
pair of Vise-Grips and locked onto the ‘L-shaped’ piece of metal to avoid that
issue. (in ‘hind-sight’ it’s best to strip back the wires the extra amount prior
to hauling the fan up to the top of the ladder)
Lastly, when installing any
ceiling fan, it’s handy to have something to hold the parts / tools near the top
of the ladder, otherwise you’ll be making many more trips up and down. I used a
piece of quarter round trim, and two, 1-gallon ice cream tubs. Worked great!
All in all, it seems a good
fan, especially for ‘lower-end’ installs. Hey, it’s less then fifty bucks, so
deal with it. Like most ‘lower-end price range products’ you are going to get
the ‘bare-bones’ quality / included accessories / performance. If you need ‘more
fan’, then ‘belly up to the bar’ and spend more. Hampton Bay makes a huge range
of fans spanning the price gamut.
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