Thursday, July 17th, 2008
Need Electrical Wiring 101 Help!
Hey guys - In our new house, I decided to install a ceiling fan in our bedroom. The switch for the existing light had 2 switches. So, I wired the fan for a dual switch setup. I had everything ready to go, but the light on the fan didn't work. The fan worked using the switch that the light had previously been hooked up to. So I opened up the switch box, and the second switch was not wired at all. So, I am asking for the super do-it-yourselfers in the Humzoo community to hook me up! I apologize for the crappy pictures, but hopefully there is enough there to see what's going on.
I see where there is a black wire coming out of the far left conduit into the working switch (the fan), then another black wire from the switch to the cap with the other black wires. The red wire was hooked up to the light in the fan, and I assume it is to hook into the top screw of the other switch, but I don't know which of the other black wires (if any) I can take to hook into that switch.
So, are there any electricians out there that can figure it out? I'd like to get some advice before I electrocute myself.
Need Electrical Wiring 101 Help!
Hey guys - In our new house, I decided to install a ceiling fan in our bedroom. The switch for the existing light had 2 switches. So, I wired the fan for a dual switch setup. I had everything ready to go, but the light on the fan didn't work. The fan worked using the switch that the light had previously been hooked up to. So I opened up the switch box, and the second switch was not wired at all. So, I am asking for the super do-it-yourselfers in the Humzoo community to hook me up! I apologize for the crappy pictures, but hopefully there is enough there to see what's going on.
I see where there is a black wire coming out of the far left conduit into the working switch (the fan), then another black wire from the switch to the cap with the other black wires. The red wire was hooked up to the light in the fan, and I assume it is to hook into the top screw of the other switch, but I don't know which of the other black wires (if any) I can take to hook into that switch.
So, are there any electricians out there that can figure it out? I'd like to get some advice before I electrocute myself.
Looks like the wire on the right is the power(test it before you touch it! Turn off the breaker!). You need to disconnect that black wire from the fan switch, and junction it together with two jumpers(black wires about 8 inches long stripped on either end) with a wire nut.
Connect one of the jumpers back to the switch on the left(make a hook in the ends so it will fit around the screws), and one to the right on the brass screw(leave the red wire in place).
It's hard to explain this stuff without seeing it, so call an electrician as a default if you can't sort out what's what, but I think this will work for you.
Be careful, Dude!
P.S. Does the fan have a remote??
Oh, and no remote. Should I go ahead and buy one from Lowes while I'm messing with it?