When there is nothing solid to fix to
In a house you can add a noggin between the joists and screw a fan bracket to it. In many apartments you can't. The plasterboard is hung on light metal furring channel that is only designed to carry the weight of the plasterboard, and the plasterboard itself is friable. There is no timber to fix to, and the load has to go to the concrete above.
FanSpan is a hanger kit that carries the fan from the slab, through the ceiling, so none of the weight sits on the plasterboard or its framing.
How it works
- Cut a standard downlight-size hole at the fan position.
- Using a long 8 or 10 mm masonry drill, drill up into the slab through that same hole.
- Fix to the slab and hang the threaded rods through the void.
- Set the height with the nuts, lock the fan mount with the nyloc nuts, then hang the fan.
Because the hole is the same one you would cut for a downlight, the plasterboard stays neat and there is no large opening to patch.
What's in the kit
- Top plate for the void, your choice of flat or U (pick at checkout)
- Threaded rods, supplied in 1 m lengths. Cut them to suit your void.
- Nuts and washers, with nyloc nuts for the bottom
- Mild steel, zinc painted
Not included: the fan, and the concrete anchors. Choose anchors to suit your slab and your drill size.
Adjustable for your void
Ceiling voids vary. The rods are cut to length and adjusted on the nuts, so one kit suits a range of gaps between the plasterboard and the slab. It was first built for an apartment job with 150 mm between the plasterboard and the concrete.
Designed to hang a Big Ass Fans fan
FanSpan is designed to work with the mount on Big Ass Fans ceiling fans. We are not affiliated with Big Ass Fans. The brand name and logo are theirs and are shown only to say which fan the kit is made for. The fan is sold separately.
Made by an electrician
The design came from a working electrician who made the first sets for a job with three fans in an apartment with plasterboard under a concrete roof, and wanted something better than improvising on site.
Before you buy
- It is a trade product and not a certified or load-rated assembly. You are responsible for deciding whether it is suitable for your ceiling, your fan and your fixings.
- Installation should be by a licensed electrician or other qualified tradesperson.
- Not sure about your ceiling build-up? Reply to your order email and ask before you install.
Postage within Australia included.