Mounting Bracket too big

I have replaced a couple ceiling light fixtures with ceiling fan/light combos in bedrooms where the light was basically in the center of the room. This was fairly straight forward and for me required replacing the electrical box that the light fixture was using with a heavier duty fan mounting box which you should make sure you use (that way the fan/light combo won't fall on your head later on -- literally). As far as the size of fan you can put there depends on whether the fan mounting electrical box can be mounted in the "exact" position of your original ceiling light fixture. I say this because the new box MUST be anchored to the ceiling joist structure in some way as a ceiling fan (usually) weighs more than a light fixture and tends to vibrate lending to more stress on the electrical box it's mounted to. Have someone who is an electrician or at the very least has a clear understanding of the importance of proper electrical work do the work or at least clearly explain what you need in your specific situation.

It is generally accepted that you should have at least 18" of space between a wall and the tip of your fan blade. In order to do this with the 32" figure you gave, ideally you should have a (32" - 18") x 2 = 28" fan. A fan in the 28" to 30" range is probably about as big as you should go in this area. You could technically place a 60" fan in that location and leave only about 2" of space between the fan blade and the wall, but that's asking for trouble and should NOT be done in my opinion. The smaller the fan, the less air you will be able to move, therefore you need to balance size, air flow requirements, and the restrictions of your particular location with what you can put there.

Do a quick internet search on "what size ceiling fan do I need" for more information on this topic.

Turn the power off, to be safe i recommend turning it off at the breaker box, there should be a list on the onside of the panel door showing what switches operate what. or you can simply leave the wall switch that operates the fan in the off position if you're sure nobody will turn it on. If fan has a light remove the glass bowl over the bulbs, should be three screws it the top of the glass fixture, loosen them with your fingers, if they are to tighttry pushing up on the bowl from the bottom to relieve pressure off the finger screw. Remove light bulbs then unbolt each fan blade, once the blades are off remove the motor cover should be one small screw at top of the cover close to the ceiling, once the screw or screws are removed if the cover does not come down you may need toturn it using both hands, it only needs to turn a little bit and no need to be gentle. With the motor cover off the mounting bracket should be easy to spot. Some brackets only have one srcew on one end and a tad that slides into a slot on the upper bracket, by removing the one screw this will allow the motor assembly to swing down but still be attached to the bracket for support. Whith the motor hanging the wiring in the fixture box in the ceiling should be visible, pull the wires out of the box so ythat the wire nuts are accessible. there will bee three wires coming from the fan, one screwed directly to the box or bracket, loosen the screw with a screwdriver and pull the wire from the box, the other two wires attached to wires with wire nuts, one at a time remove the nuts by twisting them off with your fingers, pull the wires apart and twist the wire nut back onto the wires coming from the box in the ceiling, the fan should now be disconnected. romove the motor from the brack by turning it 90? and sliding the tab out of the slot in the upper bracket. remove the upper bracket piece from the fixture box. Now that you have done this installing a new light fixture should bea breeze for you.
the video shows a different easier type of fan removal. There are numerous types of fans and how they are mounted, i hope this helps you

Call 1-888-830-1326

Flush mount fans are made for Flat ceilings. They are also a waste of money! You won't get any airflow,

mcdevito75 here, Hopefully your ceiling fan will go where there has been an already light fixture, if so, that light fixture shoud be mounted to the ceiling beam, and your new fan will be mounted the same way. If by chance your new ceiling fan is being mounted where nothing was ever mounted you"ll have to make sure the ceiling fan will mount to a beam, they are every 16 inches apart. This way you:"ll know that vibration from the fan won"t hurt anything.

Can you describe the mounting bracket for this fan?
If it is a ball mount, then there is a groove in the ball that connects to a tab in the mounting bracket. if the tab is gone or the ball is not sitting down in the bracket so that it is secure , then that is the problem. You may be able to find a replacement brachet in a home depot type store .

Please Vote !!

Absolutely change out to a bracket and box rated for a ceiling fan. Even if your fan does not exceed 15 lbs a non fan rated bracket and box is not made to endure the vibrations and other motions created by a ceiling fan

I’m happy to assist further over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/jerry_612d8419f8984578

I just uninstalled my 29 year old Encon flush mount fan light. The number on the base is E101004. It was a lighted base. The mount bracket is built into the base. It is the 4 prong and hook style the allows the motor to hang suspended while wiring and then swings up. There is a glass ring that is sandwiched between the base plate and decorative bottom.
It's the only usable part besides the 4 glass light covers. You can save this from the land fill if you haven't purchased a replacement fan.

Buy a drill and drill bit and make a hole in the bracket where needed. To make installation easier, use a larger that needed drill bit and add washer to screw, won't look as professional but you are not a professional anyway. Who goes around looking at ceiling fan mounts anyway???

Should have screws close to the ceiling on cover, then if it's a ball and socket you lift up and out through the cutout on the socket bracket, or a flushmount you find the screw that attaches to the bracket and lower down. then just take off wire nuts and install new fixture. Hope this helps.