# replace ceiling fan with ceiling light



## pglc (Jun 8, 2009)

Replaced ceiling fan and light kit with a ceiling fixture. The fan had a black, white and red wire. The new light has black and white only. The light is controlled from two switches one at the top of the stairs and one at the bottom. I connected the black and white wires and capped the red wire. the light doesn't work where does the red wire attach?


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

The two hot wires, the red and black, energized the fan and the light.
Are both these hot? Did you check them with a tester? How was the fan and light turned on? Was there one switch for the light and the fan turned on with the fan pull chain? 
Did you write down which color wire was attached to the light(usually a blue wire in the fan)? 
At the switch, which color wire goes to the fan(from the switch)?
I find it good practice to understand what wire is doing what before I just disconnect a muli wire device. Usually I would make a diagram and label it. This way you can re construct the original set up to figure out the solution to the puzzle.
Just slapping wires together is not the way to work with electricity. You really need to understand the path of the currents flow.
Ron


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## pglc (Jun 8, 2009)

Ron6519 said:


> The two hot wires, the red and black, energized the fan and the light.
> Are both these hot? Did you check them with a tester? How was the fan and light turned on? Was there one switch for the light and the fan turned on with the fan pull chain?
> Did you write down which color wire was attached to the light(usually a blue wire in the fan)?
> At the switch, which color wire goes to the fan(from the switch)?
> ...


Ron, I thought this was going to be a simple task of taking the fan down install a new light fixture. I haven't checked the power yet that's on today's list of things to do. Here is the wire set up: 

the old fan had a light kit, black wire, white wire, red wire. The electrical box in the ceiling has two black wires tied together that the black wire from the fan was attached, two white wires tied together that the white wire from the fan was attached and a red wire that attached the red wire to the fan. The new light only has two wires black and white. The interesting part of the red wire from the old fan had a tag that read " to the light"


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

With the 3 way switch set up, the wiring can be tricky. Each switch has a "common" screw which is a different color from the other 2 screws. On one switch the common screw has the incoming power, The other common goes straight to the light. Check the two switches and see which one has the incoming power. The other switch will go to the light. Check to see what color the wire is and make sure that wire is attached to the light.
Did you move any of the wires attached to either switch?
Do you know where the capped red wire goes?
Ron.


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## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

Connect the light to the red and white and cap the black. The blacks are unswitched power so the fan will always work. The red should be switched power that was used for the light.

Don't mess the other wires in the box or you could have a problem with the three way switches.


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## pglc (Jun 8, 2009)

joed said:


> Connect the light to the red and white and cap the black. The blacks are unswitched power so the fan will always work. The red should be switched power that was used for the light.
> 
> Don't mess the other wires in the box or you could have a problem with the three way switches.


Joe here's what 2 responses I got from others.

I believe wiring is 

Red to light black

2 whites to light white

2 blacks nutted together




If you wire it as advised one of your wall switches will not longer work. That red is a runnier that connects the power between the switches. For all intent and purpose you treat it like another black, wire nut 2 blacks and a red all to the light fixture black.
__________________


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## pglc (Jun 8, 2009)

With the wires connected, 2 black, red and light black the fixture stays on all the time. switches have no control. With the 2 black capped and the red to the fixture black at least one switch controls the light. The second maybe bad, i don't feel any resistance when the switch is moved on or off.


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## pglc (Jun 8, 2009)

joed said:


> Connect the light to the red and white and cap the black. The blacks are unswitched power so the fan will always work. The red should be switched power that was used for the light.
> 
> Don't mess the other wires in the box or you could have a problem with the three way switches.


Joe did you mean to say connect the red, light black and the white wires?


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

pglc said:


> With the wires connected, 2 black, red and light black the fixture stays on all the time. switches have no control. With the 2 black capped and the red to the fixture black at least one switch controls the light. The second maybe bad, i don't feel any resistance when the switch is moved on or off.


You need to remove all the possible variables out of the equation or you'll be chasing your tail on this forever. Make sure the switches are working properly, then deal with the light box wiring.
Ron


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## woodnthings (Jun 8, 2009)

*If this was me here's what I'd do*

Make a test light from a 110v bulb and 2 alligator clips. Either get an outdoor string lamp or make one up with short leads about 6". Hook one clamp(white) to the white wire(s) and one to the red wire. Turn on the switches in both locations and see if the test light goes on and off from both locations. If it does...you're done! If not, Hook one lead of the test lamp on the red wire and the other on the black wire(s) Try the switches..if it works from both locations, you're done. If not,..try the yellow pages!:laughing: bill


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## pglc (Jun 8, 2009)

Ron6519 said:


> With the 3 way switch set up, the wiring can be tricky. Each switch has a "common" screw which is a different color from the other 2 screws. On one switch the common screw has the incoming power, The other common goes straight to the light. Check the two switches and see which one has the incoming power. The other switch will go to the light. Check to see what color the wire is and make sure that wire is attached to the light.
> Did you move any of the wires attached to either switch?
> Do you know where the capped goes?
> Ron.


 The final install is the red wire goes to the light black white. The two blacks are capped and the whites are capped...it works


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## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

pglc said:


> Joe did you mean to say connect the red, light black and the white wires?


The light has two wires black and white. You currently have it connected to the ceiling black and white. You should connect it to the red and white. Move the light black wire from the ceiling black wire to the ceiling red wire. Leave the light white connected to the ceiling white.


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