Electrical question (ceiling fan)

[colleyvillesooner]

Installng a new ceiling fan. Old fan wiring was grounded out of the ceiling onto the downrod. New ceiling fan has ground wire on mountig bracket, and on downrod.

Instructions say to connect ground from fan to ground from ceiling, then ground from downrod to ground from bracket.

Problem is, the only three wires coming out of the fan motor assembly are black blue and white. These are the hot fan, hot lght and common wire. How do I proceed?

[Sooner_Havok]

Installng a new ceiling fan. Old fan wiring was grounded out of the ceiling onto the downrod. New ceiling fan has ground wire on mountig bracket, and on downrod.

Instructions say to connect ground from fan to ground from ceiling, then ground from downrod to ground from bracket.

Problem is, the only three wires coming out of the fan motor assembly are black blue and white. These are the hot fan, hot lght and common wire. How do I proceed?

Ok, paint the white one green. It is now the ground.

Really I have no clue.

[colleyvillesooner]

Can I just tie all three together?

[Sooner_Havok]

Can I just tie all three together?

Well, the light and the fan should use the same power source, unless you have a separate light and fan switch.

[walkoffsooner]

just wire ground from ceiling to wire on bracket yea put all 3 together

[walkoffsooner]

all it does if hot is touching metal on fan it gives it a place to flow to and open breaker. If no ground to metal it will stay hot till someone touches it,then go down leg to ground and hopefully open breaker,

[Sooner_Havok]

all it does if hot is touching metal on fan it gives it a place to flow to and open breaker. If no ground to metal it will stay hot till someone touches it,then go down leg to ground and hopefully open breaker,

That sounds reassuring.

[ChickSoonerFan]

How do I proceed?


Call an electrician, pay him to install the fan.


:)

[Sooner_Havok]

Call an electrician, pay him to install the fan.


:)

Such a woman answer.

[CrimsonandCreamForever]

Turn the water off if you're wiring it in your shower. YWIA.

[salth2o]

I just put up a new ceiling fan last night and I had a bare wire coming out of the ceiling that was my ground. I connected the green wires from the down rod and the bracket to the wire from the ceiling in a single connection.

There was no ground coming from my fan motor assembly either, just black, blue, and white.

Mine is working like a charm.

[Boarder]

Do you have four wires in the ceiling? A green (or bare copper), white, black, and either black or red?

If so, you should have a green attached to the bracket and one to the downrod, right? Hook the bare (or green) from the ceiling to the green from the bracket like it says. Then hook the green from the downrod to the bracket. You're basically grounding the fan casing. Then hook white to white. The other two in the ceiling, one will be light, one fan. Hook the blue (on fan motor) to the light hot and the black (on the fan motor) to the fan hot.

[salth2o]

Like boarder said...hook white to white.

I hooked my blue and black wires together to a single hot so they will work from the wall or with a chain.

[colleyvillesooner]

I hooked it up like that and no go.

I think I may be having issues with the switch. The old fan was hooked up to a a switch that had a picture of a fan with an off, low, med, and high setting on the switch. Problem was it didn't work like that. Had to turn it to high and that was the only way the fan would come on, on high at that.

There was also a dimmer next to it for the lights in the room as the fan had no light kit.

So now the wire that was lose in the light kit cap is still no attached to anything.

I hate this crap. :D

[colleyvillesooner]

Do you have four wires in the ceiling? A green (or bare copper), white, black, and either black or red?

If so, you should have a green attached to the bracket and one to the downrod, right? Hook the bare (or green) from the ceiling to the green from the bracket like it says. Then hook the green from the downrod to the bracket. You're basically grounding the fan casing. Then hook white to white. The other two in the ceiling, one will be light, one fan. Hook the blue (on fan motor) to the light hot and the black (on the fan motor) to the fan hot.

Yes four wires. Green, black white and gray (which I am assuming is the blue wire in this scenario.

This fan has remote (no chains) so the black from the fan goes to the black on the transmitter. Same with the whites. Then the black blue and white from the transmitter ( a seperate 3 wires on the other side of the transmitter) connect to the black blue and white from the fan motor. This is how I hooked it up, with the green from the ceiling tied together with the mounting grind and the downrod ground and capped them together. The mounting and the downrod grounds are connected to screws. This did not make the fan work.

[salth2o]

Sorry colley, I can offer no further suggestions to you and your electrical issues. With that tricky wall switch I am in way over my head.

I would consult a professional...really I would keep connecting stuff until it worked or burned the house down, but I AM NOT suggesting you take that route. :)

[Boarder]

What brand of fan is this? And you say the ceiling (house) has a green, black, white, and gray, right?

[colleyvillesooner]

Yeah, I'm on a limited time crunch before the Mrs host a baby shower at the house this weekend. Wires hanging all over the place
are probably not what she had in mind for decorations. :D

[olevetonahill]

Post pics of the Fan wiring the wires from the ceiling and the switch .
Make it a lot easier to help.

[colleyvillesooner]

What brand of fan is this? And you say the ceiling (house) has a green, black, white, and gray, right?


Harbor breeze from Lowes. Yes, coming out of the ceiling are a black, white, gray and green. The green was grounded to the downrod on the old one, the black to black, the white to white, and the gray was capped off by itself. With no light kit, I figured that for the light hot.

Transmitter that goes up under the cover with the wires has a black and white on one side, and a blue, black and white on the other. The booksays for the B&W from the ceiling to go to the two side on the transmitter, and the B&W&B from the transmitter hook up to the same coming out of the motor.

[olevetonahill]

Yes four wires. Green, black white and gray (which I am assuming is the blue wire in this scenario.

This fan has remote (no chains) so the black from the fan goes to the black on the transmitter. Same with the whites. Then the black blue and white from the transmitter ( a seperate 3 wires on the other side of the transmitter) connect to the black blue and white from the fan motor. This is how I hooked it up, with the green from the ceiling tied together with the mounting grind and the downrod ground and capped them together. The mounting and the downrod grounds are connected to screws. This did not make the fan work.

The transmiter and the the rmote need to snyced together
Thers # on em I just put one up .
Sounds like thats the Prob cause Mine wouldnt work either till I took the Transmiter and changed the Codes on it

When all else Fails get the Instructions out of the trash and read em .

[colleyvillesooner]

I did that. There are four switches, and I left them all up (on) on both.

[Boarder]

ok, It's a switching thing. In the ceiling, either the black or gray will be hot when you flip the switch on the wall. I'm assuming you don't have a multitester so you'll have to trial and error it. The wiring from receiver to fan is right, so don't worry there. In the ceiling box, the white goes to white, no prob there. The black from the receiver box should go to either black or gray, whichever gets hot when the wall switch is flipped. If it doesn't work either way, do you have to set any pin switches for the remote? Does the remote have batteries? You check all that? The wiring is pretty straightforward.

[Boarder]

Oh, and DON'T wire the fan motor to the dimmer switch. Bad.

[olevetonahill]

I did that. There are four switches, and I left them all up (on) on both.

That was what I did wrong
I left em all in Position
Ya need to set em the same like

1,2 3 4 On the transmiter and
1,2,3,4 on the remote b
make sure the Fan is set on High
should work

[Boarder]

You could actually take the wall switch out, wire the hots together, and put a blockoff plate on it.

You're gonna get shocked. I can see this coming. :D

[colleyvillesooner]

ok, It's a switching thing. In the ceiling, either the black or gray will be hot when you flip the switch on the wall. I'm assuming you don't have a multitester so you'll have to trial and error it. The wiring from receiver to fan is right, so don't worry there. In the ceiling box, the white goes to white, no prob there. The black from the receiver box should go to either black or gray, whichever gets hot when the wall switch is flipped. If it doesn't work either way, do you have to set any pin switches for the remote? Does the remote have batteries? You check all that? The wiring is pretty straightforward.


Okay I'll try this tomorrow. Whichever one doesn't work, do i just cap it off? What is it for?

Yes to batteries. I am assuming I can just leave all four pins up (on). I'll report back tomorrow with results.

Thanks all!

[olevetonahill]

Boarder I think yer right in its the way he has the remote and stuf #ered and It do take a battery

[Boarder]

Yes, just cap it off. It's for if you have a fan and light kit. They have two separate hots and the dimmer would have been for the light. The remote thing simplifies that.

Note to self, if replacing a no-light fan with a lighted one, use the remote so I don't have to fish a wire or control with chains.

[colleyvillesooner]

Oh, and DON'T wire the fan motor to the dimmer switch. Bad.


What happens? The power is back on in the room but all the wires
are connected and capped off safely.

[Fraggle145]

You can get a multitester for cheap.

[Boarder]

Boarder I think yer right in its the way he has the remote and stuf #ered and It do take a battery
This is one of the few times a multitester sure is handy!

[olevetonahill]

Okay I'll try this tomorrow. Whichever one doesn't work, do i just cap it off? What is it for?

Yes to batteries. I am assuming I can just leave all four pins up (on). I'll report back tomorrow with results.

Thanks all!

Leave the wire In the cielin that was capped Off capped off .
then Set the pins on the remote like I showed .
Make sure Fan is On high and wall switch is on . then use the remote to turn on an off

[Boarder]

What happens? The power is back on in the room but all the wires
are connected and capped off safely.
If you hook the fan motor to the dimmer switch, the fan will try to come on with lower voltage than it needs. That's why you'll notice fan switches turn on high in the first slot. That's so when you turn it on, the fan has full juice to get it moving. If you use a regular dimmer, it will be trying to draw too much which could burn up the switch, motor, etc. Just say no.

[colleyvillesooner]

I may have been un clear before. The dimmer part of the wall plate controlls the overhead lights in the room.

[olevetonahill]

The Capped wire is Prolly Like Boarder said For the Dimmer switch
Leave it capped off ya dont need it .

Use the remote and yer fine

[Sooner_Havok]

You dead yet?

[colleyvillesooner]

Ok will do. Thanks again.

[Boarder]

I may have been un clear before. The dimmer part of the wall plate controlls the overhead lights in the room.
Oh, I see. There may be another switch or the gray one could be a constant hot for the fan motor. Hard to say. If it doesn't work, go get a multitester. All you really need for simple stuff is one like this:

http://images.lowes.com/product/converted/032076/032076016968md.jpg
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=76034-1781-GET-213A&lpage=none

$2.33 at Lowes, where you probably got the fan.

[olevetonahill]

Like I said I just put one up a Month or so ago .
It to was dead untill I changed the Code or Pin settins On the remote and the Transmiter
worked Fine after that

Just be sure the Fan is set on High when ya do this and all should work ok for ya

[colleyvillesooner]

You dead yet?


**** no. I quit messing with it an hour ago. Watched the end of the MNF game to make sure I one my fantasy league game and am now in bed posting from the iPhone.

Sidenote, sure is nice now that the little guy sleeps in his own room. Makes all this possible. :D

[Boarder]

Like I said I just put one up a Month or so ago .
It to was dead untill I changed the Code or Pin settins On the remote and the Transmiter
worked Fine after that

Just be sure the Fan is set on High when ya do this and all should work ok for ya

You got actual wires running in the shack? Impressive!

[olevetonahill]

You got actual wires running in the shack? Impressive!

Heh when I 1st built out here it was gonna cost me way over 10k to get electric. I almost Didnt wire it up .
Glad I did

Hell I just installed an electric On demand water heater :D

[colleyvillesooner]

Oh, I see. There may be another switch or the gray one could be a constant hot for the fan motor. Hard to say. If it doesn't work, go get a multitester. All you really need for simple stuff is one like this:

http://images.lowes.com/product/converted/032076/032076016968md.jpg
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=76034-1781-GET-213A&lpage=none

$2.33 at Lowes, where you probably got the fan.

how do I use that to solve my problem? Test the black and gray to see which one is hot. Sorry for being such a noob.

[Boarder]

how do I use that to solve my problem? Test the black and gray to see which one is hot. Sorry for being such a noob.
Yes, touch the black wire on the multitester to the green (bracket, etc,) and the red to the end of the black or gray wire. If the gray was capped, leave it capped, like OV said. It's more than likely a pin problem anyway.

This is why they have "GET AN ELECTRICIAN" in big letters at the top of the instruction page. hehe

[Fraggle145]

how do I use that to solve my problem? Test the black and gray to see which one is hot. Sorry for being such a noob.

http://www.google.com/search?q=using+a+multitester&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

[Fraggle145]

You can also get the really cheap ones that just light up if the wire is hot.

[olevetonahill]

Its really kinda hard to screw up a ceiling Fan and Light

The rmote control causes ya some grief thos .
Set those pins and you should be fine .

[Sooner_Havok]

**** no. I quit messing with it an hour ago. Watched the end of the MNF game to make sure I one my fantasy league game and am now in bed posting from the iPhone.

Sidenote, sure is nice now that the little guy sleeps in his own room. Makes all this possible. :D

Well then, you haven't messed anything up terribly. :D

[colleyvillesooner]

Well, tried multiple things, but can't get it working. Gonna have to call in a professional. This is the second time I've had them come out when something I try to do myself goes awry due to something funky with the wiring in this house.

I'm giving my self a solid B on this one. I've come along way from this board helping fix my washing machine 5 years ago.

[colleyvillesooner]

Well, thanks to the electrician it's working. He said if j would have hooked it up the same way as the old one, it would have burnt it out pretty quickly. That's why the last one stopped functioning properly. Now all I have to do is replace the two swich on the wall with a one switch dimmer for the lights not on the fan.

Thanks for everyones help. I'll be back ith more " help me
so I don't kill myself " questions soon. :D

[salth2o]

Glad you got it up and running. What did he have to do to make it work?