Lighting, Light Fixtures, Ceiling and Exhaust Fans - Trying to wire ceiling fans with lights
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skilift30
05-18-08, 03:08 PM
I have a little wiring experience, but not too much. I have two ceiling fans and both have a light.
The whole house is completely rewired. At the ceiling junction boxes for both fans the wiring is the same.
Ceiling:
1. casing with a white, black, and bare wires which come from the wall switch (with one switch on it).
2. second casing with white, black, red, and bare wires, which are hot.
fan 1 (with light):
1. white, black, blue, and green wires.
fan 2 (with light):
1. white, black, and green wires.
I am trying fan 1 first, everything I try does not work and I have been blowing the fuse switch in the basement. The red wire is confusing me. I'm thinking either the fan is bad and blowing the fuse, or I am wiring it wrong. Can someone please help, the directions that came with the fan are worthless. I would like the wall switch to turn the light on and off.
The whole house is completely rewired. At the ceiling junction boxes for both fans the wiring is the same.
Ceiling:
1. casing with a white, black, and bare wires which come from the wall switch (with one switch on it).
2. second casing with white, black, red, and bare wires, which are hot.
fan 1 (with light):
1. white, black, blue, and green wires.
fan 2 (with light):
1. white, black, and green wires.
I am trying fan 1 first, everything I try does not work and I have been blowing the fuse switch in the basement. The red wire is confusing me. I'm thinking either the fan is bad and blowing the fuse, or I am wiring it wrong. Can someone please help, the directions that came with the fan are worthless. I would like the wall switch to turn the light on and off.
joed
05-18-08, 03:15 PM
You need to determine if the b/w/bare wire is hot always.
You need to tell us all the wires in the switch box. We need to determine if the power feed is in the fan or if the b/w/bare is a power feed to something else on the circuit.
The fan wiring is
black is fan hot
blue is light hot
white is fan and light neutral.
You need to tell us all the wires in the switch box. We need to determine if the power feed is in the fan or if the b/w/bare is a power feed to something else on the circuit.
The fan wiring is
black is fan hot
blue is light hot
white is fan and light neutral.
skilift30
05-18-08, 05:27 PM
Thanks...
The b/w/bare are always hot. So, there is an error in my first post which I will correct below in red italic:
Ceiling:
1. casing with a white, black, and bare wires are always hot.
2. second casing with white, black, red, and bare wires, which are NOT hot.
Switch Box:
There is black/white/red/bare. The b/r connected on top, the w connected on bottom of switch. Bare connected to switch also. These wires are NOT hot.
I test all wires with lamp.
The b/w/bare are always hot. So, there is an error in my first post which I will correct below in red italic:
Ceiling:
1. casing with a white, black, and bare wires are always hot.
2. second casing with white, black, red, and bare wires, which are NOT hot.
Switch Box:
There is black/white/red/bare. The b/r connected on top, the w connected on bottom of switch. Bare connected to switch also. These wires are NOT hot.
I test all wires with lamp.
joed
05-18-08, 05:59 PM
All three wires are connected to one switch. Is there more than one switch controlling the ceiling?
Normally you would have two switches. One for the fan and one for the light. Connect the white to both switches and connect the red to one switch and the black to the other switch.
At the fan connect the black for the BW cable to the white from the BWR cable.
Connect the red to the fan blue
Connect the other black the the fan black.
Connect the power feed white to the fan white.
The switch with the red wire will control the light. The switch with the black wire will control the fan.
Normally you would have two switches. One for the fan and one for the light. Connect the white to both switches and connect the red to one switch and the black to the other switch.
At the fan connect the black for the BW cable to the white from the BWR cable.
Connect the red to the fan blue
Connect the other black the the fan black.
Connect the power feed white to the fan white.
The switch with the red wire will control the light. The switch with the black wire will control the fan.
skilift30
05-18-08, 06:05 PM
Unfortunately, there is only one switch. Should I add another switch? If I keep the one switch, how would that wiring work?
joed
05-18-08, 06:21 PM
If you want one switch to control fan and light then cap the white at both ends and connect both the fan black and blue to the red. Connect black to black instead of white to black in the ceiling and connect black and red to the two screws on the switch.
skilift30
05-20-08, 10:54 AM
Joed,
After reading over your advice, it seemed silly to not try the two switch method. I wired it exactly as you said, and I think I understand it, but I got an unexpected result. Both switches do the same thing. They turn on both the fan and the light at the same time. Could the switch be bad? Could the fan/light fixture not be made for two switches?
At the switch, I bunny hopped the hot white wire from one switch to the second. Is this OK?
I'm thinking there is a wiring issue in the fan/light fixture. The light was an optional add-on. I'm thinking the fan blue and black wires are connected together inside the fan housing and that wire is being connected to the light. What do you think.
After reading over your advice, it seemed silly to not try the two switch method. I wired it exactly as you said, and I think I understand it, but I got an unexpected result. Both switches do the same thing. They turn on both the fan and the light at the same time. Could the switch be bad? Could the fan/light fixture not be made for two switches?
At the switch, I bunny hopped the hot white wire from one switch to the second. Is this OK?
I'm thinking there is a wiring issue in the fan/light fixture. The light was an optional add-on. I'm thinking the fan blue and black wires are connected together inside the fan housing and that wire is being connected to the light. What do you think.
joed
05-20-08, 12:22 PM
Tell me exactly how you connected the wires to the switches. Did you use two separate switches or one of those two switches on one devices?
skilift30
05-20-08, 04:45 PM
I did use a 2 switch in one device. Is that bad?
In the ceiling, I connected the black from the always hot bwg to the white on the bwrg. The bwrg goes to the switch, and I connected the white on one side of each switch, bunny hopping from one connection to the next, and the black and red on the other side.
From the ceiling I connected the black from the bwrg to the black on the fan/light, and the red from the bwrg to the blue on the fan/light. Finally, I connected the white from the fan/light to the white of the bwg in the ceiling. Whew.
In the ceiling, I connected the black from the always hot bwg to the white on the bwrg. The bwrg goes to the switch, and I connected the white on one side of each switch, bunny hopping from one connection to the next, and the black and red on the other side.
From the ceiling I connected the black from the bwrg to the black on the fan/light, and the red from the bwrg to the blue on the fan/light. Finally, I connected the white from the fan/light to the white of the bwg in the ceiling. Whew.
joed
05-20-08, 06:09 PM
I don't know why you 'bunny hopped' anything. Those two in one switches have one connection on one side that connects to both switches. White goes to the double screw on one side and the black and red go to the single screws on the other side.
skilift30
05-20-08, 07:29 PM
I figured it out, Joed, thanks for your help. I wired the two switches in one device all wrong. I found wiring instructions for it and looked at another one in the house that was already wired. Everything is working as it should. Thanks!!!!!