# how to install ceiling fan and light/fan control switch on 3-way



## stickboy1375 (Apr 28, 2012)

DIYguy2000 said:


> We're installing a new ceiling fan and a new fan/light control switch and need some help with the wiring. Currently, there is a light on the ceiling with 2 switches on the wall (one is a switch, the other is a dimmer that dims the ceiling light).
> 
> I would appreciate any input or questions you have to help me get this ceiling fan and fan/light control switch installed. I've done 2 others now in our house, but they were off a single switch and didn't have the fan/light control, so this one is a little more complicated for me.
> 
> ...



You are looking at a 3way switch, best you can do without re wiring, is to just buy a 3-way dimmer for the fan light, and use the pull chain for the fan control.


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## DIYguy2000 (Nov 4, 2009)

stickboy1375 said:


> You are looking at a 3way switch, best you can do without re wiring, is to just buy a 3-way dimmer for the fan light, and use the pull chain for the fan control.


We were hoping to avoid having to use the pull chains. is there any way to wire it (without re-wiring all the boxes) to have it with a switch on one, and the fan/light control on the other (without using one of those remote switches)?

Thanks!


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## stickboy1375 (Apr 28, 2012)

DIYguy2000 said:


> We were hoping to avoid having to use the pull chains. is there any way to wire it (without re-wiring all the boxes) to have it with a switch on one, and the fan/light control on the other?
> 
> Thanks!


Only other option is to buy a remote kit for the fan.


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## DIYguy2000 (Nov 4, 2009)

stickboy1375 said:


> Only other option is to buy a remote kit for the fan.


sorry, just edited my last post to say "without using one of those remote switches"  

What would I have to rewire to make it work with the fan/light control?


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## stickboy1375 (Apr 28, 2012)

DIYguy2000 said:


> sorry, just edited my last post to say "without using one of those remote switches"
> 
> What would I have to rewire to make it work with the fan/light control?


You would need to pull a xx-3 wire from switch box that contains the xx-2 wire and xx-3 wire to the ceiling box... then remake the splice so the xx-2 wire is now 120 volts constant. As long as you have access from above, should be doable, try and get a wire from the switch box up to the light box, and we'll fill in the rest of the blanks.


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## DIYguy2000 (Nov 4, 2009)

Without pulling the new wires, can I use the current dimmer switch to control the lights and use the pull cord for the fan control, like you suggested in your first post? How would that be wired? Thanks.


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## DIYguy2000 (Nov 4, 2009)

stickboy1375 said:


> You would need to pull a xx-3 wire from switch box that contains the xx-2 wire and xx-3 wire to the ceiling box... then remake the splice so the xx-2 wire is now 120 volts constant. As long as you have access from above, should be doable, try and get a wire from the switch box up to the light box, and we'll fill in the rest of the blanks.


Ok, so I'm thinking about following this recommendation to pull 14-3 wire from the ceiling box to the first switch box. I'm guess I can also remove the old 2-wire at the same time since it is no longer needed? You said to remake the splice so the xx-2 wire is now 120V constant, maybe I'm missing something as I'm not sure what this step is for. Could you give a little more insight?

I've attached a wiring diagram what I "think" should work. Please let me know otherwise.

Thanks for your help so far!


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## stickboy1375 (Apr 28, 2012)

DIYguy2000 said:


> Ok, so I'm thinking about following this recommendation to pull 14-3 wire from the ceiling box to the first switch box. I'm guess I can also remove the old 2-wire at the same time since it is no longer needed? You said to remake the splice so the xx-2 wire is now 120V constant, maybe I'm missing something as I'm not sure what this step is for. Could you give a little more insight?
> 
> I've attached a wiring diagram what I "think" should work. Please let me know otherwise.
> 
> Thanks for your help so far!


Your diagram will work, my only suggestion is that if you want the 3 way to control the light from both locations, I recommend just cutting in a new box and either (a) making one box a 2 gang, or just cutting in a fan switch above the light switch... this way you can keep your existing 3way switches working.

This will only involve snaking a 2 wire down to the fan switch, you will of course have to ditch the existing switch you already have, but a better install if you ask me.


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## Oso954 (Jun 23, 2012)

How will DIYguy's diagram work ? 

I am seeing his green wires as ground wires. If that is correct, the switch is a single pole. If it is off, there is no power to the fan/light control (which also appears to be single pole).


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## stickboy1375 (Apr 28, 2012)

Oso954 said:


> How will DIYguy's diagram work ?
> 
> I am seeing his green wires as ground wires. If that is correct, the switch is a single pole. If it is off, there is no power to the fan/light control (which also appears to be single pole).


His diagram has some unusual desires, but it would work.


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## DIYguy2000 (Nov 4, 2009)

Thanks for the diagram stickboy.



Oso954 said:


> How will DIYguy's diagram work ?
> 
> I am seeing his green wires as ground wires. If that is correct, the switch is a single pole. If it is off, there is no power to the fan/light control (which also appears to be single pole).





stickboy1375 said:


> His diagram has some unusual desires, but it would work.


The reason I was thinking this way was our master bedroom has two doors into it. The first switch is next to the main door we use most of the time. The current dimmer switch (soon to be new fan/light control switch) is next to the door we don't use as often. The idea was to use the first switch as much as we can, and only use the fan/light control switch whenever we want to change the fan speed or dim the lights to prolong its life (i've heard of the small nobs on fan/light control switches breaking after lots of use). I don't think we necessarily need to keep the switches working as a 3-way, but I'll have to check with my wife on how she wants to operate the switches.

That being said, Oso's comment is correct, the switch would cut power to both the fan and light, but I'm starting to see the shortfalls of this setup. One slightly modified way of doing it would be to put the single pole switch onto the wire feeding power to the light only. That way the light will be controlled by the switch only for day to day on/off, while the fan will have to be controlled by the fan/light control switch, regardless if the first switch is on/off. That way we could keep the fan on during the day to keep air circulating without cutting power to it when we want to turn the light off. Turning off the fan would have to be at the fan/light control switch. any comments on this setup?

Also, rather than replacing the existing 2 wire with a new 3 wire from the ceiling box to the first switch, could I run a second 2 wire and only use one of the wires (black or white) as either my fan or light power source? do you still have to hookup the ground cable if doing this? or is this not allowed by code?


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