OK…I am just finishing a demo/remodel on a spare bedroom on my house. I have do everything myself and now am finishing off the electric. I am pretty good with basic stuff, but now I want my ceiling fan to be controlled by 2 switches (one for light, one for fan).
I have Black/White going into the ceiling box from circuit.
My quesiton is this…What do I run to the switch box and then what do I run back to the ceiling box?
I have piped conduit in so pulling cable is easy.
I assume I need to send back a 3rd color from the switch box to the ceiling…right?
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Dark Magneto
Replies
You will need to run a red from the box to the switch.
black in to the box , tie it to the black to the switch, it is power leg there, pig tail it to two power leads for your two switches. One of the pig tails switches red, one switches the white. Put black tape each end of this white to show it is a hot here and not a neutral. The red switched line gets connected to the fan lead on the fan unit. The white switched line (with black tape on it ) gets connected to the light lead on the fan unit. Finally the white from the fan unit gets connected to the whit in your ceiling box from your circuit. If you want to save some space you can by a double switch then you don't have to expand the switch box and you won't have to pig tail the power lead in your switch box.
have a good day
Cliffy
red from the switc
Cliffy....so I should be safe to assume I would have a Black/White/Red going into the switch box from the ceiling box and that would cover me for cabling? I think this is what I can gather from your post.
Thanks!Dark Magneto
If you have power to the ceiling box, you can either run 14-3 romex (all enclosed in a single outer sheathing), or you can run 14-2 romex with an additional wire - of any color so long as it is insulated. If you're running conduit, you may not be using Romex, but pulling individual wires? Probably not.
In any case, you need to have three insulated wires from the ceiling to the switch box. One (the hot), will be tied to the black wire in the ceiling box and will go to one side of each of the switches. The other two wires will connect to the other side of the switches.
Yes , here we call it 14/3. It will also have a bare copper for grounding or bonding.
Cliify
In general you need to get the power to the switch box and then run three wires (plus ground) from there to the fan: Neutral, light, and fan.
Some fan controls require a neutral connection, not allowing you to do the standard switch leg trick. If the control you have does NOT require a neutral then you can run things on three wires like this:
Fan box:
Incomming hot (always on) to white (taped black) going to switches.
Incoming neutral to neutral connections on fan/light.
Black from light switch to light.
Red (or blue) from fan switch to fan.
White (taped black) connected to other terminals of fan/light switches.
(If you pull individual wires, or can get red/blue/black cable, use black in place of the white, and red and blue for the fan/light connections.)
But if you need a neutal in the switch box (because the fan control needs a neutral) you must run four wires (hot, neutral, and two switched lines) to the switches and wire "normally".