This is a stock picture I found online to give you an idea of what I'm talking about.



Had a new patio put in and this is how the contractor installed the fans (the box is mounted to a piece of wood). Outside of just looking like crap, it doesn't feel right having an exposed box like this in an outdoor environment.

What say ye, home improvement board gurus?

Boxes can be installed on a piece of wood, but connections do need to be made inside the box. If they're hanging out like that you have problems.

The connections are inside the box (conduit running into the box).

As long as they used a box rated for outdoor use they're doing it by the book as far as I know.

Do outdoor ceiling fans hung from a pergola work? Seems like trying to move the entire atmosphere would be futile.

would not have let them do that.... I installed the electrical when I built my pergola and the wiring/conduit is all on TOP of the structural lumber. REALLY have to look to even see it.

We have a roofed patio, not a pergola. I wouldn't imagine the fans would be of much benefit for a pergola.

quote:

---

Do outdoor ceiling fans hung from a pergola work? Seems like trying to move the entire atmosphere would be futile.

---

Our old place had one, and it moved enough air around to help keep mosquitoes from being able to land on people very easily. conduit mounted above the pergola FWIW, with wood around the box so it wasn't visible.

The one problem I see is the box mounted directly to the stud allows the canopy to catch water and possibly flow into the down rod. This would definitely create problems.

They should have mounted a flat block of wood to the stud and then mounted a "pan cake" box to the block. This would allow the canopy to sit flush against the wood and help keep rain out. You see this done in cathedral ceilings, some times called a "bird box".