Want to hang ceiling fan in covered patio..... ?????

[jonnyGURU]

We have a patio that is screened in that goes the entire length of the back of the house.

The roof and walls of this thing are only aluminum.

How do you reinforce this sucker to hang a ceiling fan?

There's no beams... No wood to speak of.

Help anyone? Do I install a brace on the outside? Make a beam inside? Ack!

 

[nateholtrop]

what you could do is get those screws that open up from | to a ___ ___
|
ya know?!

nate

 

[perry]

Just wait for the next hurricane to come and blow off that aluminum roof and then put a wooden one on w/ the insurance money.

 

[jonnyGURU]

nateholtrop: Great idea except for I don't think the aluminum will hold the weight.

I can literally stand on my tip toes and push the ceiling up a good 1/2 inch. Now picture a 20# ceiling fan pulling on it.

perry: Actually, I was thinking about putting studs across the top of the roof and put screws therough the aluminum into the wood. Then I think I'd nail down plywood and shingles and make a real roof for over (not to replace) the aluminum one. Then, I could attach the fan to the studs on the other side using long bolts and have a nicer looking roof, and have something I don't have to clean out every month (the damn thing fills with wet leaves).

Don't know how that would work or how to fabricate a room that way, though. Never done it or seen it so I don't know what the outcome would be.