On Tuesday, August 21, 2012 4:58:19 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Aug 21, 4:02*pm, teabird wrote:

On Tuesday, August 21, 2012 10:29:30 AM UTC-4, wrote:

On Aug 21, 6:21*am, teabird wrote:



On Monday, August 20, 2012 5:50:02 PM UTC-4, RBM wrote:



On 8/20/2012 5:14 PM, teabird wrote:



Hello,



I want to replace a ceiling light fixture with a ceiling fan and have a question about the wiring. *The light is controlled by 2 3-way switches, meaning I can turn on the light from 2 sides of the room. *The fan has a blue wire that powers the lights, and a black wire that I assume powers the fan, a green wire is the ground and *1* white wire.



I can install the fan and hook up the lights to the existing 3-way circuit, but I'll need to run another conductor for the fan. *No problem, there is an outlet below where I want to put the variable controller for the fan. *But when I get to the fan, I'll have to connect the white wires together to complete the circuit.



Question: *isn't there a possible hazard if the two circuits are different (the one for the fan and the one for the lights), is there a possibility that I'd energize one circuit from the other through the common neutral in the fan box?



Thanks,



Teabird



It's not a good idea to do what you're suggesting. If you're going to



hard wire the fan, the 3 wires should come from the switch. Depending



upon the make and model fan, and how the 3 way system is wired, you may



be able to operate the lights from the existing 3 way system, and the



fan by a pull chain. It's also possible to get a remote control kit for



the fan, instead of using the wall switches. Depending upon the 3 way



wiring, it may be possible to operate the fan from one of the switches,



and the light, from the other. You could also spend a pile of $$$ and



get a Casablanca fan with "intellitouch" controls.



Make sure that the ceiling box is strong enough for fan support as well.



If I wire the fan and light together, they will operate together when I throw the switch. *I'm looking for a way to operate them separately.



The fan housing does not have a slot or a string for a separate fan switch, and I'm trying to understand a way to hard-wire it.



Even with a remote control unit, it still needs to be powered.



Perhaps the fan I have can't be wired to operate separately, then so be it.



Teabird- Hide quoted text -



- Show quoted text -



It can be wired to operate separately. *The only issue



is the way you proposed the fan and the fan light



would be on different circuits. *Since the fan/light has



only one neutral, you would be cross connecting



neutrals which is a code violation.



As RBM suggested, I'd look in the switch box for either



of the two controlling switches. *Find the hot there that



runs the light and use that as the source to run up to the



fan. * I'd run a hot, neutral and light wire to the new



fan switch location, then go from there to the fan.



The other option suggested was to possibly use a



remote to control the fan, and leave the light on the



3 way switch. *As long as the hot to the remote



receiver comes off the 3 way switch hot, that is OK



too. * The remotes come with a wall mounting bracket



so if you want to have it serve as a wall switch type



arrangement, you can just leave it in the holder.



Thanks for the code information, that was what I thought. *I think it would be easier for me (because of the layout of the house and switch boxes) to tap the outlet and run another line, rather than find the hot from the panel behind a switch and then have to fish another line. *Of course, if it's indeed a different circuit, I won't do that.



Thanks again, and to Unknown for his answer as well.



Teabird- Hide quoted text -



- Show quoted text -



What makes it so much easier to tap into the

outlet and run that line to the fan, as opposed

to tapping into one of the 3 way switch boxes

that serve the light?

What is going to control the fan? A wall switch?

Pull chain? Remote?

The hard part is fishing the new wire into the back of the switch box. It's much easier to cut a new opening in the wall halfway up to accept a blue box for the controller, that way I have easier access to fish/force the new wires into the back of the box. And at the top, I'll need to drill through the top plate, then send the wire down. It'll be easier to have the fresh cut hole to reach through.

Tea