9 replies to this topic

[PTZ]

The ceiling fan, with light, has a receiver for remote function. I matched the code between the remote and receiver. This appears to be the only way to operate the ceiling fan and light as there are no switches, hanging or otherwise. The reversal switch is the exception.

On side A of the receiver, there are 3 wires: black, white, & blue. These three connect to wires coming from the ceiling fan. On side B: black and white. These two connect to the wires coming out from the receptacle. However, I have a black, red and white wire coming out from the receptacle in the ceiling. That leaves an extra wire as the ceiling fan only asks for two to be connected to the receiver

I've connected B black to receptacle black and B white to receptacle white. After turning the main back on, I tried using the remote to power the fan and light. While the remote light came on, the ceiling fan and it's light did not. There appears to be no power on the ceiling fan. I checked the circuit breaker and it was not tripped. I have shutdown the breakers to that receptacle.

Should I have connected the receptacle red wire to B black?

To give you an idea of how my house may be wired:

Looking at a different model ceiling fan in the house, generic model Model 513SG, it has a blue, black and white wire coming from the unit. black to black, white to white and blue to red.

Attached Files

•  wire.jpg   39.3K   38 downloads

[appl.tech.29501]

That's what I'm thinking...was there no instructions indicating the placement of the red wire? Schematic?

Sorry, I was thinking the schematic you posted was for the other fan you were talking about (GE) so it looks to me even though I don't see it that the red wire is an antenna?

[PTZ]

Sorry the schematic is for the new fan. The red wire comes from the ceiling receptacle. The receiver only has two wires to connect to the receptacle, black and white. I have red caped off. Do you think I should try connecting the red wire to it? I would think both the red and black would be hot and it wouldn't matter either way as long as the switch is on.

[PTZ]

Sorry to make clearer: Red to receiver black and cap off the receptacle black wire

[kdog]

[user=63593]PTZ[/user] wrote:

 I would think both the red and black would be hot

Why not just measure the wires and be sure? Unusual to have Red and Black in a ceiling receptacle, wonder what's up with that

[RegUS_PatOff]

Does (did) the Ceiling Fan have a separate Wall Switch for the Light ? (Red) ?

 

[madbrad]

The ceiling box has 2 lives and you want to connect to the one that has power, if only one does.
I have that exact setup in 6 rooms in my house. I asked for it. There are 2 switches on the wall. One controlling the red and one controlling the black. I use this setup to control fan and light separately, without having to go pulling on chains. This was in 1998 and remotes and factory supplied controllers were for the rich.

The white is neutral. You connect the white to the white and that won't change.
Your instructions tell you to connect to black because they assume that's what's in the ceiling box. The colour, red or black, is irrelevant. You use whichever one is good. You need to know where the other end of each of those wires is and how they're getting 120V. Since they presumably are in the same cable then they must be together at the other end. Is it in the switch box on the wall? With your wireless remote, do you intend to leave the wall swich on at all times? I assume there is a wall switch. You need to test which of the 2 wires in the ceiling has 120V when you want it to. Try both wires each with the switch on AND off. Why the black one doesn't have 120V could be a simple matter of flicking a switch. Or maybe the black is not connected to anything in the switch box and the red is getting power from the switch. So you can just do the swap(after your tests show the red has power) to red and see what happens, or pull out the switch on the wall to see what's up.

[kdog]

It would make sense then, that the hot wire that is switched by the wall switch be connected to the lights, and the wire that is always hot be connected to the fan input - that way, you can operate your fan whenever, and still be able to switch the light on and off

[madbrad]

[user=637]kdog[/user] wrote:

It would make sense then, that the hot wire that is switched by the wall switch be connected to the lights, and the wire that is always hot be connected to the fan input - that way, you can operate your fan whenever, and still be able to switch the light on and off

Having constantly hot power on the fan however is useful only if you have wireless remote control. Otherwise you would need to go pulling chains to operate it, defeating the purpose of having 2 hots. That's why I have 2 switches. Without wireless remote, you would want both the fan and light to be controoled by a wall switch. For the fan I replace the plain switch with a silent 3 speed fan knob. You leave the fan(at the fan) at HIGH for that. If that wiring is more than a few years old, they probably didn't bank on wireless remote. That's not to say you need 2 gangs to have 2 switches. They sell duplex switches for one gang, and they even sell combo light and fan controllers for one gang.

Let me digress a bit.

Normally one power source goes to the switch box, then you can split it into as many switches as you want(ganging the box up to whatever is needed during construction) with each switched hot going to whatever needs it. Or just one, doesn't matter. However it is also permissible to have the power go to the ceiling box first, then have a switchleg going to the switch. Although the leg is a romex of a black and white, that white is not neutral. The switch only interrupts the hot so you must consider the white black making it a 2 blacks cable. So there should be black tape on the white of a switchleg. I mention this just in case he has power coming to the ceiling box first. This has nothing to do with the extra wire though, just a heads up in case. In fact if there's a 3 wire romex there I doubt it is done that way. There had better not be 2 circuits in that box.

 

[PTZ]

Sorry guys for not getting back. The ceiling box is controlled by oddly placed wall switch on the other side of the room. I just forgot about it and didn't look further for it until after connecting the red wire instead of the black. Thanks for the help.