Customer Reviews for Westinghouse 15.5 cu. in. Retrofit Ceiling Fan Saf-T-Brace

I was a little skeptical because I only had beams that were 1 3/4" tall but it gripped really tight and made my kitchen fan real easy to install.

The saf-t-brace, for me was the perfect product. I installed it in our utility room where there had been a small fixture with not even an elec. box in ceiling. I NEVER had to go into the attic and after watching the video on this listing, I had it installed so tightly that I honestly could've done a pull up from it in about 15 minutes. I did, however, use a channel-lok pliers to turn the bar a couple times past my ability to do it (I'm average hand and arm strength). That thing was TIGHT TIGHT TIGHT. New fan went up perfectly.

easy to use good product good price right size for the job

Previously, I posted about this product not being useable on sloped ceilings because the mounting screw posts are diagonal to the slope of the ceiling instead of at 90 degrees to the slope, preventing the fan's down rod from hanging straight because the mounting ball, with its anti-torsion groove misaligned, can't rotate in line with the slope of the ceiling. Westinghouse contacted me, asked to see a copy of my receipt. I thought, "How nice, they are going to compensate me for the billable time I lost due to their faulty design". Instead, they came back and said the product I bought was Home Depot's brand, not theirs, and asked me to change my review to make that clear. Checking on Westinghouse Lighting website, I see pictures of their version with exactly the same design flaw as the Home Depot brand, so no, my review still stands with one more star removed for trying to weasel out of their error.

Old house has 24" centered ceiling joists. This part spawned the distance in good form to hang fan.

Was using this where a light fixture was mounted but the box for the light fixture wouldn't have supported the weight of the fan I purchased. To remove the old electrical box I had to go up into the attic anyway and there was no way I would have gotten the existing wiring through this setup without going up there as well. Other than that, it's built very sturdy and I don't doubt it will support most any fan, it was very easy to install and the electrical box it comes with is designed for this usage where the electrical box that was existing was fine for lighting but not as good as this one for mounting a ceiling fan.

We're big fans of these saf-t-brace retrofit braces and have installed a total of 5 in our home: 3 for ceiling fans and 2 for heavier chandeliers we didn't feel comfortable hanging without extra support, all retrofits. These braces are very easy and effective. Use the plastic cover over the box to trace your hole. Cut out the hole and insert the brace through the hole. Twist with your hand to until both sides claw into the studs, then continue your fan or light installation as normal. Takes about 5 minutes to cut the hole and install the brace. We took off a star for 2 reasons: 1: its difficult to get it perfectly level and 2: you need to have a minimum of 16 inches between the sides of your studs, but many older homes (like ours) have less than 16. Here are 2 easy solutions: Leveling: Place a small magnetic level along the length of the rod to help you level it Narrow Studs: This metal is light enough to cut with a hacksaw. Unscrew the two sides from each other. Cut a few inches off the screw side and a few of the rod side, smooth the edges with sandpaper or a deburring tool, then screw them back together. Overall, highly recommended, as demonstrated by the fact that we've purchased 5 and had no problems

We ordered this for our new ceiling fans. The item was easy to install and worked as expected.

I installed a new ceiling fan/light with this device holding it in place. It was so easy I wasn't sure I had it right. I cut the hole and put the support through it and with a few turns it was done. I hung the electrical box and fan/light to this square bar and finished the wiring and I was through.

I have 16" O.C. Joists. This does not fit between. My joists are 3" wide joists, which leaves 13" between. Just a bit too long :(

I installed this yesterday, it was a little bit tricky but not too bad. Once in, at 24 inches, it's rock solid. No wobble at all in my ceiling fan. It is a quality product.

Not having to hammer a piece of wood and being able to do all the installation from below the ceiling is awesome! It is quite strong even when using it at 24" length. Felt like I could use it as a pull up bar.

Learned about this retro ceiling box on the Internet and was thrilled to find it at our local Home Depot. Simple to install and well designed. Perfect for the DIY for adding a light fixture. Loved it so much we are adding another using the Saf-T-Brace

I was very impressed with this product and highly recommend it. If youre replacing an existing ceiling fan with another one most likely you will find that you will need to replace the electrical junction box with a proper one because most houses are built with the cheapest product they can find and even then usually installed incorrectly

Attic is floored above where I wanted to replace a light fixture with a ceiling fan. Lazy girl did not want to rearrange attic and remove plywood. This brace not only allows that, it is easy to install and works great. May have to add another fan on lower level below bedroom floors now that I know how easy it is to use this brace! Highly recommend!

Was easy to install, work well with the fan I order to go with it

Very easy to install. Teeth bite into rafters and hold quickly. Good instructions. Seems very solid once in place. Hung fan and no noticeable problems.

Does the job! Works perfectly and furthermore...my ceiling fan went up level, with no need for balance weights. Does require you to go into the attic to screw in the stabilizing screws, but that makes it all the sturdier. Will buy 2 more for two more rooms.

The brace was relatively easy to install and was very strong. I had trouble remembering which way to rotate it and it was tricky attaching the metal electrical box since it was hard to see the connections, but overall a great product.

Had some electrical issues that caused me to call an electrician and of course as soon as he pulled the fans to trace wires he pointed out he could not rehang them on plastic boxes. I decided before I rehang them to get some retro for kits. I found this on Home Depot site and tried them out. Very slick and not that hard to get installed. Took a while to wrangle the short wires into the box, but once done had a fully code compliant ceiling fan for first time. This was not hard to install and has planting of access holes for wires considering a lot of retro fit setup may not have a lot of slack in the wires. Even if your existing box is right against a joist this product is far easier to work with than their comparable product designed for attaching to joist.

Easy to install at reasonable price. It comes in handy when you need this to upgrade your room

This cleaver piece of hardware is great. Saved alot of time spent in the attic affixing a brace to the joists. It takes some time to get it wide enough for the joists and making sure it gets a good connection, but it's well worth it compared to going in the attic. This brace has held up my Brookhurst fan for over a month now and is still sturdy.

The area where the fan was installed had a mountable cross bean that CDS utilized versus the T-Brace that I purchased. I need to return it, but not sure where the receipt is.

This is my second one I buy. I bought one last June and installed in the first room still in place. Decided to get another one for another room and this one went well too. Takes some time but easy to follow instructions and saves from having to get in to the attic.

The bracket worked as described. Easy to install. The only issue I had was that the box was missing all but the bar itself. The electrical mounting box, screws, instructions were missing, After looking the box over I could see that someone had opened it before and it must have been a return that had been shorted by the returnee. All retailers need to review returns to ensure all parts are included prior to returning to the shelf. This is not just an HD problem.

We chose to replace the standard light fixture in the living room with a ceiling fan. The old box wasn't rated for ceiling fans, and where it was, was not accessible through the attic. The hole happened to be right beside a ceiling joist, which made me nervous. I wasn't sure how it would hold up, or if it would hold up. We followed the directions and once it couldn't be tightened anymore, my boyfriend basically put all of his weight on it to make sure it would hold, and it did! I am so glad I did my research before we tried to just install it without this. I highly recommend this product!