lexrex
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Post by lexrex on Apr 12, 2010 17:44:37 GMT -6
Scenario:
1 ceiling fan with light fixture. 1 light switch, 1 speed control on wall, 3rd toggle for outlet.
The fan wiring has a black for the fan, a black/white for the light, a common, and a ground. The wire from the ceiling is 14/3, common, black, red, ground. Fan switch has red to ceiling and takes black power from the outlet switch. The speed control takes power from wall and goes out to ceiling black.
I want the fan and light to work independently. I have the ceiling red wired to the light, the ceiling black wired to the black, common to common, ground to ground.
Nothing works. Wires are hot at switch and ceiling.
Discuss.
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Post by dicklaxt on Apr 12, 2010 19:38:03 GMT -6
Where is the light switch located,what control functions does the fan have,ie: multispeed,reversing etc..what is the toggle switch for and when you speak of outlet switch what is that?
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lexrex
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Post by lexrex on Apr 12, 2010 19:53:10 GMT -6
The fan is multispeed and reversing, the switch is located on the wall, the toggle switch is for the light only, and the outlet switch is wired to the top outlet receptacle along the wall. It's not really part of this equation.
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Post by TDHofstetter on Apr 12, 2010 20:33:36 GMT -6
Neutral (your "common") (white) is good at the ceiling? Checked? It's actually connected to neutral in the wall at the switch/speed control? It won't work without that.
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Post by dicklaxt on Apr 13, 2010 0:50:08 GMT -6
If your discription is dead on ,then converting that to a simple wiring diagram shows me that the "Black" wire from the speed control is a power/control lead wire combination and should splice into the "Black" wire at the fan.
The switch leg from the light switch should spilce into the "Red" wire at the light switch if it is a pigtail, if not, wire the "Red" wire direct to light switch and splice it to the "Black/White" at the ceiling fan housing.
The "White" (neutral/common) and "Ground" wires should wire direct from their source to the corresponding "White"(neutral/common) and "Ground" wires at the fan housing.
This should be a working system if source voltages(hots) are wired as you described and all components are functional.
Timmer or Triple Freak(or anyone knowledgable in this ) give me a buy in.This appears to be in line with how you say you have it wired so Tim may be right and you have lost your neutral somewhere or the so called hot at the wall is not hot or is being switched out with that phantom switch that you say is not in the equation.
WORK SAFE!!!!!!!USE ONLY ONE HAND WHERE YOU CAN<
dick
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Post by TDHofstetter on Apr 13, 2010 6:33:15 GMT -6
One more thing to add to the fray: Is this possibly an "intelligent" fan/light? If so... it's possible that it wants hot to power the thing and some sorta' digital signal crap on the second line to control it (light off/dimmer, fan direction/speed). So I gotta' ask...
Did this specific fan/light ever work in this location? Is the failure new?
Also... how about a remote? I've seen fan/light combos that refuse to run without a handheld remote.
Is this speed controller known to be compatible with this fan?
Does the fan do anything at all when the speed controller is turned on? Hum? Get "jerky", such that it doesn't turn smoothly? Or does it act exactly as if it wasn't wired at all?
How old is the fan? How old is the speed controller? Are the light bulbs known good?
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Post by dicklaxt on Apr 13, 2010 7:14:03 GMT -6
I thought about the same items but didn't think he would throw us a curve like that LOL
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Post by brburns on Apr 13, 2010 8:45:53 GMT -6
Or does the one switch power both fan and light, and the other hi/low speed selection?
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lexrex
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Post by lexrex on Apr 13, 2010 9:33:28 GMT -6
Brand new fan, no digital crap, no remote. Brand new house. I am guessing either the fan is bad or I did not pull the second common out of the ceiling and bond to the others. I am hoping the latter. Will check tonight!
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Joe Lyddon
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Post by Joe Lyddon on Apr 13, 2010 11:49:19 GMT -6
Do you have a Ohm meter?
Disconnect ALL from AC sources.
Connect Ohm meter across the various wires you're working with to see if there is any continuity. Like across the wires you are Switching... if you don't see the needle swing, you have an open circuit. etc...
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lexrex
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Posts: 822
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Post by lexrex on Apr 13, 2010 17:52:36 GMT -6
DOH! There IS an electronic switch! The fan motor is separate from the light fixture and the switch for the fan is located in the light fixture. When I was testing yesterday, I wanted to make sure the fan motor worked before completing the job and installing the light fixture. Today I hooked up the light portion just to test a bulb and voila.
All working now.
Who would have thought a 2 year old could be this happy!!!?? Colin has loved fans since he was born and finally has one of his own. He could not be happier. The joy in his voice is thanks enough for 10 fans. ;D
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Joe Lyddon
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Banned.
Sam Maloof & I Dec. 2, 2005
Posts: 2,507
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Post by Joe Lyddon on Apr 13, 2010 18:44:01 GMT -6
Sounds like you probably had a bad connection in your wiring before...
And you fixed it when installing it again. Yes?
Using WireNuts?
(plastic tabs with a wire coil in them to grab & hold wires together)
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lexrex
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Post by lexrex on Apr 13, 2010 18:51:47 GMT -6
Sounds like you probably had a bad connection in your wiring before... And you fixed it when installing it again. Yes? Using WireNuts? (plastic tabs with a wire coil in them to grab & hold wires together) No, there are two components, fan and light. The light has the switch for the fan, the power runs through to the light fixture is switched and goes BACK up to the fan. So my wires were live but not the right ones. Once I connected the fan harness to the light the fan got power. |
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