# Separate Single Pole Switches for Ceiling Fan Light and Fan Only



## Pudge565 (Jan 27, 2008)

Here is a grand idea CALL AN ELECTRICIAN


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## Longtooth (Apr 28, 2007)

estatehomes said:


> I have a black, white and ground (2-wire) acting as a feed to the double gang switch box area.
> 
> I have a black, red, white, ground (3-wire) leading to the ceiling fan connection box from this double gang switch box area as aforementioned.
> 
> ...


Ground to ground with pigtail to the switches,
white to white only (neutral) 
Black is the hot lead for the switches, Red and Black are switch legs to the
blue wire (lght kit) and black wire (fan) respectively.


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## Stubbie (Jan 7, 2007)

As per longtooths description... to add.... ground pigtail to box if metal. Wire does not have to be 12 awg as shown can be 14 awg.


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## estatehomes (Jul 15, 2008)

Thanks for your help.

The diagram was great.

The diagram shows the black (hot) wire split into two (2) -- with one black (hot) pigtail going to the bottom of one (1) single-pole switch and the other black (hot) pigtail going to the other single-pole switch.

Does the black (hot) wire have to be installed on the bottom screw of the single-pole switch -- or can it be installed on the top screw -- or -- it doesn't matter what scew it's attached to?


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## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

Top or bottom doesn't matter. One can be top and the other bottom if you wish.


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## Termite (Apr 13, 2008)

Stubbie mentioned to ground to the box if the box is metal. I'll add that if the box is plastic, you must pigtail from the ground to the green screw on each switch. If your switches don't have a green screw, they're the wrong switch for a plastic box application.


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## philyd (Dec 19, 2010)

I have the same setting but the power source comes into the fixture box. How should this be wired


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## Speedy Petey (Feb 1, 2004)

philyd said:


> I have the same setting but the power source comes into the fixture box. How should this be wired











Drawing courtesy of Stubbie. :thumbsup:


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## philyd (Dec 19, 2010)

Thanks Speedy Petey. From the fixture box I have 2 - 14/2 wires going to the switch box. Does this create a problem or is there a way to make this work?


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## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

With two 14-2 wires both going from switch box to fixture box (instead of one 14-3) you connect the hot feed up at the fixture box to both white wires going down to the switch box. One black wire from the switch box connects to the fan hot lead and the other black wire from the switch box connects to the light hot lead (role of the red wire in the diagram above). Down at the switch box connect the two wires from the same cable to the same switch.


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## ddomingos (Jan 13, 2012)

*AllanJ*

AllanJ, can you re-explain what you just said to philyj? I have the exact same set up but can't follow your directions. I need you to explain each set up carefully to make sure I follow you. Dave
How'd you guys do with the snow storm?


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## TarheelTerp (Jan 6, 2009)

ddomingos said:


> I have the exact same set up but can't follow your directions.


With the second set of wires going to the fixture, (a HIGHLY) unusual arrangement btw, you use that BLACK wire as though it were the RED wire in the 3 wire set as is normally done. 
The additional white & ground) get tied in with the other white & ground wires.

Feed Black ---> Light Switch ---> Light
|---------------> Fan Switch -----> Fan

hth


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## ddomingos (Jan 13, 2012)

I'll hook up the spare white and ground. When you say HIGHLY unusual do you mean dangerous? It seems the previous homeowners had extra 14/2 and used it. Dave


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## psilva8 (Jan 12, 2012)

ddomingos said:


> AllanJ, can you re-explain what you just said to philyj? I have the exact same set up but can't follow your directions. I need you to explain each set up carefully to make sure I follow you. Dave
> How'd you guys do with the snow storm?


I didn't understand the connecting the hot wire to the 2 white wires but I'm not an electrician. What you can do with 2 (14-2) is:

At the double switch box, with power coming in, tie the hot wire with 2 pigtails each going to a switch. The 2 black wires leaving the switch box (two seperate 14-2), going to the fixture get connected to each switch. Tie all the neutrals together and the grounds together @ the switch box.

At the fixture 1 black gets tied to the blue and the other to the black for the fixture. Tie neutrals together, tie grounds together. 

Kind of stupid way to do it though.


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## ddomingos (Jan 13, 2012)

I hooked up the spare white and ground but can't activate the ceiling fixture.


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## psilva8 (Jan 12, 2012)

Can you explain exactly how everything is wired, from switch box to fixture? Also, make sure you turned the circuit back on after working on it :laughing:


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## NewHomeDIYGuy (Nov 23, 2011)

ddomingos said:


> I hooked up the spare white and ground but can't activate the ceiling fixture.


Which fixture doesn't work? Don't forget to pull the chain for the light/fan to make sure it's working. That happened to me when wiring up one of my ceiling fans and I thought I had a defective fan at first.. :laughing:

Regarding wiring up a ceiling fan and light. Easiest way is to just think about it, rather than just having someone tell you since it's such an easy setup. I'm of the opinion that you should never just blindly follow someone's instructions, as this always leads to trouble. The fan/light shares a common ground, and has 2 switched powered wires for the light and fan. So, the power for the light should connect to a switched power, and the power for the fan should connect to a switched power. Look at the wiring diagram, and connect the wires accordingly.


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## Jim Port (Sep 21, 2007)

psilva8 said:


> I didn't understand the connecting the hot wire to the 2 white wires but I'm not an electrician. What you can do with 2 (14-2) is:
> 
> At the double switch box, with power coming in, tie the hot wire with 2 pigtails each going to a switch. The 2 black wires leaving the switch box (two seperate 14-2), going to the fixture get connected to each switch. Tie all the neutrals together and the grounds together @ the switch box.
> 
> ...


Phiilyd said.


> I have the same setting but the power source comes into the fixture box. How should this be wired


I believe the question was about using two switch loops using 14-2 cable instead of a 14-3. The power comes into the fan box.

If that is the case the two whites going to the switches become the feeds to the switch. The two blacks would act as the black and the red from a 14-3 cable.


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## ddomingos (Jan 13, 2012)

Thank you to everyone for the help. I investigated some more and found that the switch was part of a switch loop connected to the receptacle near it. I replaced the receptacle (with the tab in place) and everything works great.


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