Heavy chandelier install

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jjhoward

Senior Member
Location
Northern NJ
Occupation
Owner TJ Electric
Considering bidding on installing a 90 lb chandelier in a 2 story foyer.
This is the weight that will be installed.
The only things on this chandelier that will go on it after the install are little shades and candelabra bulbs (15 of them).

I have installed chandeliers before off of a scaffold but nothing this heavy.
Any suggestions?
I can get the proper hardware in the ceiling to support the weight. I just don't know about getting 90 lbs up to the 17 ft high ceiling from standing on the scaffold?

Thank you.
 

John120/240

Senior Member
Location
Olathe, Kansas
Install a light lift. The manufacture escapes me. A small electric boat winch

type of contraption is what it is. We would install a single pole switch in a

closet for control. Or get your crew of four, one in the attic & three on the

scaffold & use the Armstrong method.
 

jjhoward

Senior Member
Location
Northern NJ
Occupation
Owner TJ Electric
The customer is not interested in the additional cost of the chandelier lift.

The scaffolding certainly won't have 3 guys on it, maybe 2.

I am thinking maybe a line from the chandelier up into the attic that is supporting this thing?

Shouldn't a chandelier this weight have a line in addition to the chain?
 

stevebea

Senior Member
Location
Southeastern PA
Considering bidding on installing a 90 lb chandelier in a 2 story foyer.
This is the weight that will be installed.
The only things on this chandelier that will go on it after the install are little shades and candelabra bulbs (15 of them).

I have installed chandeliers before off of a scaffold but nothing this heavy.
Any suggestions?
I can get the proper hardware in the ceiling to support the weight. I just don't know about getting 90 lbs up to the 17 ft high ceiling from standing on the scaffold?

Thank you.

The last time I installed a chandelier of this size I used a scissors lift. I chained deep strut on both of the lifts top rails so that the strut extended out in front of the lift by about 5 ft. and then bolted a cross piece of strut between them and put an 3/8" eyebolt in the middle to hang the light on. Yes, I know this is not a lifts intended use but it worked for me.:happyno:
 

John120/240

Senior Member
Location
Olathe, Kansas
Yes, probably a thin piece of aircraft cable (wire rope) from the joist/rafter

in the attic to the top of the fixture. On a fixture of this weight the wire rope
would come already connected to the fixture. By the way nice dog.
 

jjhoward

Senior Member
Location
Northern NJ
Occupation
Owner TJ Electric
I like the sound of using the scissor lift.

I guess I need to check to see what kind of space there is (or isn't) in the attic above the site for the fixture.

Assuming there is space up there, I will still need to get that 90 lbs off of the floor to get the cable up into the attic.

Is there some sort of brake or ratchet I can put on a pulley for my helper in the attic??

The dog: that is my female golden, always making faces :)
 

Dennis Alwon

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
Check with the manufacturer. I have had to run 2x4 bracing across the joists to attach the fixture rods to. If you don't have access after the install you will be in trouble. The box cannot support 90 lbs so independent support is required.
 

goldstar

Senior Member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
The customer is not interested in the additional cost of the chandelier lift.
He may not be interested in add'l costs but what kind of box are you going to install that will hold the 90lbs ?

The scaffolding certainly won't have 3 guys on it, maybe 2.
By the time you're done getting and erecting the scaffold, paying someone else to help you hang this 90 lb fixture and then dismantling the scaffold you might as well spend the $700.00 on the Alladdin lift and you can do the whole job yourself. Besides, once you have it up, how is your customer going to clean the chandelier ?

I am thinking maybe a line from the chandelier up into the attic that is supporting this thing?

Shouldn't a chandelier this weight have a line in addition to the chain?
I once had an installation like this in an 8000 sq ft house. The guy had the $$ but was cheap as hell. He was also an engineer. So he designed his own winch with a crank installed in the attic. It was so brilliant that he has to have his wife stay down in the foyer to yell up and tell him when the chandelier is low enough so he can stop cranking down. Anyway, I had to design a cord and plug connection in a junction box in the attic so that if the chandelier should drop the power would be disconnected.

Good luck with this.
 

rodneee

Senior Member
Considering bidding on installing a 90 lb chandelier in a 2 story foyer.
This is the weight that will be installed.
The only things on this chandelier that will go on it after the install are little shades and candelabra bulbs (15 of them).

I have installed chandeliers before off of a scaffold but nothing this heavy.
Any suggestions?
I can get the proper hardware in the ceiling to support the weight. I just don't know about getting 90 lbs up to the 17 ft high ceiling from standing on the scaffold?

Thank you.

(qty 2) 2X10s nailed together placed on top accross the joist and nailed down...(qty 1) 2X4 nailed underneath for non weight bearing box mount...heavy duty all thread with lock nuts and washers drilled through...(qty 2) 14 foot ladders and (qty 3) men...$850...nobody gets hurt...PRICELESS...
 

hurk27

Senior Member
No lift?
Ask them how they intend to replace lamps.

lamps don't weigh 90#

once hung the light will be about 12'-10' off the floor, so just a 10' step ladder is all that would be needed.

Installed a Harley Davision motor cycle light once that weighed over 150#
Used a pulley centered over the box opening, it had an eye bolt in the middle of the box, that went up through a 4x4 we mounted across several attic joist, I had a Green Lee hand crank wire pulling wench that had a small eye on the end of the cable, after anchoring the wench in the attic, and routing the cable through the pulley and a knock out in the box we partially opened, it was long enough to reach all the way down to the floor, the wench had a 1k# capacity so it was no problem pulling up the light, the only problem was climbing up in the attic to run it up and then back down and up a 16' ladder to attach the light chain to the eye hook, and run the safety cable through the box into the atttic then back up into the attic to finish attaching the safety cable around another 4x4 and removing the wench out of the attic, I hope I never see another light like that one.
 

jjhoward

Senior Member
Location
Northern NJ
Occupation
Owner TJ Electric
Hurk72 - I think that is essentially how we are planning to do this light.
Hand wench in the attic, ladders (maybe a scaffold) in the foyer.
Fasten the hand wench in the attic (1200 lb rating)
Install the lumber on the joists.
Install the ceiling box
Use the wench to lift the light into position
Secure threaded bar through the lumber and through the box.
Attach chain
Get safety cable into the attic through the box.
Wire the chandelier.
Get our wench, get our $s and get home!
 

jjhoward

Senior Member
Location
Northern NJ
Occupation
Owner TJ Electric
RE: the lift.
Their reasoning for no lift here is that they already have a large, high chandelier in their great room that needs someone with a large ladder to change their bulbs.
So...change the bulbs in the one in the foyer too.

I am trying to sell them 2 lifts, one for the foyer and one for the great room :)
 

jjhoward

Senior Member
Location
Northern NJ
Occupation
Owner TJ Electric
Alright...winch.

Many large pitchers of beer...how much do they weigh?
 

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Article 90.1

Senior Member
Rent a sheetrock lift, chain the chandelier to it and crank it up off the floor and right in to place. I've done 90# elk antler fixtures this way by myself with no problems... except for the damn antlers poking me in the ribs!
 

220/221

Senior Member
Location
AZ
The last one I did over 100 pounds was a beast. The crate was a 6' cube. The hardest part was 4 guys carrying it, crated, into the back yard across two 6' block fences and over the pool equipment.

IMAG0251.jpg


The hardware included an eyebolt kind of attachment that the chain attached to. I ran some mule tape thru the opening, wrapped it once or twice and kept tension while two guys lifted it from 8' ladders.

IMAG0253.jpg
 
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