Have been commissioned to remove ceiling fan and install a ceiling light
(she no longer wants fan) so anyway took fan down and there are 4
wires..........what is the red wire for? I am thinking black and white and
ground are all that is needed for a light and to just tape red wire and not
connect. any advise appreciated.

On 9/21/2013 2:27 PM, wrote:
Have been commissioned to remove ceiling fan and install a ceiling light
(she no longer wants fan) so anyway took fan down and there are 4
wires..........what is the red wire for? I am thinking black and white and
ground are all that is needed for a light and to just tape red wire and not
connect. any advise appreciated.


Correct. Though, don't rely solely on tape for the red wire, use a wire
nut, then tape around it.

On Sat, 21 Sep 2013 14:48:38 -0400, Meanie
wrote:

On 9/21/2013 2:27 PM, wrote:
Have been commissioned to remove ceiling fan and install a ceiling light
(she no longer wants fan) so anyway took fan down and there are 4
wires..........what is the red wire for? I am thinking black and white and
ground are all that is needed for a light and to just tape red wire and not
connect. any advise appreciated.


Correct. Though, don't rely solely on tape for the red wire, use a wire
nut, then tape around it.

Would it matter if the fan is switched and the fan light is also
switched (two wall switches) ?

Sample:

http://fibromyalgiascotland.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-fb-autoconnect/dual-switch-ceiling-fan-wiring-i0.jpg

wrote:
Have been commissioned to remove ceiling fan and install a ceiling light
(she no longer wants fan) so anyway took fan down and there are 4
wires..........what is the red wire for? I am thinking black and white and
ground are all that is needed for a light and to just tape red wire and not
connect. any advise appreciated.

I think it would be quite irresponsible to just tape a wire like that
while hoping and guessing. It would probably even make you civilly
liable for damages if you are being paid. Suggest you figure it out or
call someonewho can. You have a voltmeter, right? Careful.

On Sat, 21 Sep 2013 18:27:23 GMT, wrote:

Have been commissioned to remove ceiling fan and install a ceiling light
(she no longer wants fan) so anyway took fan down and there are 4
wires..........what is the red wire for? I am thinking black and white and
ground are all that is needed for a light and to just tape red wire and not
connect. any advise appreciated.

Actually, if I were wiring it, the red would be for the light.
It is pretty easy to make sure with a tester. The wire you want to
hook the light will toggle on and off with the switch.

The black would be hot all the time. The red would be switched.

On Saturday, September 21, 2013 3:49:12 PM UTC-4, Metspitzer wrote:
On Sat, 21 Sep 2013 18:27:23 GMT, wrote:



Have been commissioned to remove ceiling fan and install a ceiling light

(she no longer wants fan) so anyway took fan down and there are 4

wires..........what is the red wire for? I am thinking black and white and

ground are all that is needed for a light and to just tape red wire and not

connect. any advise appreciated.



Actually, if I were wiring it, the red would be for the light.

It is pretty easy to make sure with a tester. The wire you want to

hook the light will toggle on and off with the switch.



The black would be hot all the time. The red would be switched.

Maybe..... It depends. If it's a typical fan/light, with
a wall switch to control it, then the black would not be hot
all the time. One wire goes to fan motor, one wire goes to
the light. Neither is hot all the time. He needs to figure out
which wire goes on/off with the light switch. Then put a wire
nut on the other one.

On 9/21/2013 2:27 PM, wrote:
Have been commissioned to remove ceiling fan and install a ceiling light
(she no longer wants fan) so anyway took fan down and there are 4
wires..........what is the red wire for? I am thinking black and white and
ground are all that is needed for a light and to just tape red wire and not
connect. any advise appreciated.
Your typical light-fan would have two switches. One for the fan and one
for the light. Locate the switches, find which switch controls the red
wire, and which switch controls the black wire, decide which switch/wire
you want to use for your light. Either disconnect the other switch or
leave it in place and use electric tape or wire nut on non used wire in
ceiling box, and hang your light fixture and connect to neutral, ground,
and whichever hot leg you've decided upon.

On Sat, 21 Sep 2013 13:01:57 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote:

On Saturday, September 21, 2013 3:49:12 PM UTC-4, Metspitzer wrote:
On Sat, 21 Sep 2013 18:27:23 GMT, wrote:



Have been commissioned to remove ceiling fan and install a ceiling light

(she no longer wants fan) so anyway took fan down and there are 4

wires..........what is the red wire for? I am thinking black and white and

ground are all that is needed for a light and to just tape red wire and not

connect. any advise appreciated.



Actually, if I were wiring it, the red would be for the light.

It is pretty easy to make sure with a tester. The wire you want to

hook the light will toggle on and off with the switch.



The black would be hot all the time. The red would be switched.

Maybe..... It depends. If it's a typical fan/light, with

Yes, I agree. Maybe.

Some ceiling fans have the switch for the fan mounted on the fan. The
fan needs to be hot all the time in that case. It takes a voltage
tester or trial and error to find out.

a wall switch to control it, then the black would not be hot
all the time. One wire goes to fan motor, one wire goes to
the light. Neither is hot all the time. He needs to figure out
which wire goes on/off with the light switch. Then put a wire
nut on the other one.

On 9/21/2013 2:57 PM, Oren wrote:
On Sat, 21 Sep 2013 14:48:38 -0400, Meanie
wrote:

On 9/21/2013 2:27 PM, wrote:
Have been commissioned to remove ceiling fan and install a ceiling light
(she no longer wants fan) so anyway took fan down and there are 4
wires..........what is the red wire for? I am thinking black and white and
ground are all that is needed for a light and to just tape red wire and not
connect. any advise appreciated.


Correct. Though, don't rely solely on tape for the red wire, use a wire
nut, then tape around it.

Would it matter if the fan is switched and the fan light is also
switched (two wall switches) ?

Sample:

http://fibromyalgiascotland.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-fb-autoconnect/dual-switch-ceiling-fan-wiring-i0.jpg


No, except he'd have an extra switch on the wall looking pretty or ugly,
depending on his outlook.

On 9/21/2013 4:14 PM, RBM wrote:
On 9/21/2013 2:27 PM, wrote:
Have been commissioned to remove ceiling fan and install a ceiling light
(she no longer wants fan) so anyway took fan down and there are 4
wires..........what is the red wire for? I am thinking black and
white and
ground are all that is needed for a light and to just tape red wire
and not
connect. any advise appreciated.
Your typical light-fan would have two switches. One for the fan and one
for the light. Locate the switches, find which switch controls the red
wire, and which switch controls the black wire, decide which switch/wire
you want to use for your light. Either disconnect the other switch or
leave it in place and use electric tape or wire nut on non used wire in
ceiling box, and hang your light fixture and connect to neutral, ground,
and whichever hot leg you've decided upon.

I have three ceiling fans in my home and all are controlled by one
switch. I believe that is the typical set-up but I've been wrong before.
If two switches, then he does need to find which switch powers the light
then disable the other.

Capping a wire and tucking back into a box is not a fire hazard
providing it's nutted securely and taped. Otherwise, if one wants to
pull wires from the box, walls, etc. to feel more secure, it's their
home, go for it.

On Sat, 21 Sep 2013 17:44:26 -0400, Meanie
wrote:

On 9/21/2013 2:57 PM, Oren wrote:
On Sat, 21 Sep 2013 14:48:38 -0400, Meanie
wrote:

On 9/21/2013 2:27 PM, wrote:
Have been commissioned to remove ceiling fan and install a ceiling light
(she no longer wants fan) so anyway took fan down and there are 4
wires..........what is the red wire for? I am thinking black and white and
ground are all that is needed for a light and to just tape red wire and not
connect. any advise appreciated.


Correct. Though, don't rely solely on tape for the red wire, use a wire
nut, then tape around it.

Would it matter if the fan is switched and the fan light is also
switched (two wall switches) ?

Sample:

http://fibromyalgiascotland.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-fb-autoconnect/dual-switch-ceiling-fan-wiring-i0.jpg


No, except he'd have an extra switch on the wall looking pretty or ugly,
depending on his outlook.

My MBR has three (3) switches that operate the fan and/or fan light.
Two (2) after the hallway (light and/or fan) entry and one (1) beside
the bed for the light.

It could get pretty ugly. Maybe the OP can speak to a "wall switch"?

If he has a red wire, isn't that indicative of one or more wall
switches?

On 9/21/2013 5:50 PM, Meanie wrote:
On 9/21/2013 4:14 PM, RBM wrote:
On 9/21/2013 2:27 PM, wrote:
Have been commissioned to remove ceiling fan and install a ceiling
light
(she no longer wants fan) so anyway took fan down and there are 4
wires..........what is the red wire for? I am thinking black and
white and
ground are all that is needed for a light and to just tape red wire
and not
connect. any advise appreciated.
Your typical light-fan would have two switches. One for the fan and one
for the light. Locate the switches, find which switch controls the red
wire, and which switch controls the black wire, decide which switch/wire
you want to use for your light. Either disconnect the other switch or
leave it in place and use electric tape or wire nut on non used wire in
ceiling box, and hang your light fixture and connect to neutral, ground,
and whichever hot leg you've decided upon.

I have three ceiling fans in my home and all are controlled by one
switch. I believe that is the typical set-up but I've been wrong
before. If two switches, then he does need to find which switch powers
the light then disable the other.

Capping a wire and tucking back into a box is not a fire hazard
providing it's nutted securely and taped. Otherwise, if one wants to
pull wires from the box, walls, etc. to feel more secure, it's their
home, go for it.
That may be a typical setup if a fan was installed at a location that
was intended for a light fixture. When the installation was intended for
a fan, it is typical for a professional, to install a three wire cable
from the switch location to facilitate both a fan and a light, as well
as a fan support box. Since the OP mentions a three wire cable, it was
most likely an installation intended for a separately switched fan and
light. FYI either electric tape or a wire nut will suffice to insulate a
live unused conductor

The OP is guilty of not providing the information anyone else here needs to make an coherent & intelligent answer. We need to know if there was one switch for the lights and/or one switch for the fan, and was any switch involved with a three-way switching system presumably that would be for the light, but we cannot make any assumptions.

OP - Come clean with the information we need!!!!

On 9/21/2013 5:58 PM, Oren wrote:
On Sat, 21 Sep 2013 17:44:26 -0400, Meanie
wrote:

On 9/21/2013 2:57 PM, Oren wrote:
On Sat, 21 Sep 2013 14:48:38 -0400, Meanie
wrote:

On 9/21/2013 2:27 PM, wrote:
Have been commissioned to remove ceiling fan and install a ceiling light
(she no longer wants fan) so anyway took fan down and there are 4
wires..........what is the red wire for? I am thinking black and white and
ground are all that is needed for a light and to just tape red wire and not
connect. any advise appreciated.

Correct. Though, don't rely solely on tape for the red wire, use a wire
nut, then tape around it.
Would it matter if the fan is switched and the fan light is also
switched (two wall switches) ?

Sample:

http://fibromyalgiascotland.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-fb-autoconnect/dual-switch-ceiling-fan-wiring-i0.jpg

No, except he'd have an extra switch on the wall looking pretty or ugly,
depending on his outlook.
My MBR has three (3) switches that operate the fan and/or fan light.
Two (2) after the hallway (light and/or fan) entry and one (1) beside
the bed for the light.

It could get pretty ugly. Maybe the OP can speak to a "wall switch"?

If he has a red wire, isn't that indicative of one or more wall
switches?
A single three wire cable at the ceiling is indicative of a two switch
setup, however there are plenty of single devices made for controlling a
fan and light separately, so there may not be a two gang switch box.

On 09/21/2013 02:27 PM, wrote:
Have been commissioned to remove ceiling fan and install a ceiling light
(she no longer wants fan) so anyway took fan down and there are 4
wires..........what is the red wire for? I am thinking black and white and
ground are all that is needed for a light and to just tape red wire and not
connect. any advise appreciated.


red and black are your "hot" wires, figure out which one is controlled
by the switch and connect that to the light, cap the other one off with
an orange wire nut, et voila. I'm assuming you know what to do with
white (neutral) and bare or green (ground)

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

On 09/21/2013 04:14 PM, RBM wrote:
On 9/21/2013 2:27 PM, wrote:
Have been commissioned to remove ceiling fan and install a ceiling light
(she no longer wants fan) so anyway took fan down and there are 4
wires..........what is the red wire for? I am thinking black and
white and
ground are all that is needed for a light and to just tape red wire
and not
connect. any advise appreciated.
Your typical light-fan would have two switches. One for the fan and one
for the light. Locate the switches, find which switch controls the red
wire, and which switch controls the black wire, decide which switch/wire
you want to use for your light. Either disconnect the other switch or
leave it in place and use electric tape or wire nut on non used wire in
ceiling box, and hang your light fixture and connect to neutral, ground,
and whichever hot leg you've decided upon.

ORR... one of them is controlled by the wall switch and the other is
always hot, homeowner uses wall switch to control light and pull chain
for fan (I've seen that more often than not.)

I've also seen some electricians use the red for switched and others the
black. I personally would probably use the red but check.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

On Sat, 21 Sep 2013 18:27:23 GMT, wrote:

Have been commissioned to remove ceiling fan and install a ceiling light
(she no longer wants fan) so anyway took fan down and there are 4
wires..........what is the red wire for? I am thinking black and white and
ground are all that is needed for a light and to just tape red wire and not
connect. any advise appreciated.

Best to use a voltmeter to see for yourself if a wire is hot but
controlled by a switch, or hot all the time, or neutral, or ground.

You can check neutral and ground with an ohmmeter, but be sure to
check the same two locations first with a voltmeter, so if the
are hot, you won't burn out the ohmmeter.

Previous guy might have done something wrong.

I think the beautiful old house, complete with a back stairs, I lived
in in college had the wires to the porch light backwards, the switch
in the ground instead of the hot.

micky wrote:
On Sat, 21 Sep 2013 18:27:23 GMT, wrote:

Have been commissioned to remove ceiling fan and install a ceiling light
(she no longer wants fan) so anyway took fan down and there are 4
wires..........what is the red wire for? I am thinking black and white and
ground are all that is needed for a light and to just tape red wire and not
connect. any advise appreciated.

Best to use a voltmeter to see for yourself if a wire is hot but
controlled by a switch, or hot all the time, or neutral, or ground.

You can check neutral and ground with an ohmmeter, but be sure to
check the same two locations first with a voltmeter, so if the
are hot, you won't burn out the ohmmeter.

Previous guy might have done something wrong.

I think the beautiful old house, complete with a back stairs, I lived
in in college had the wires to the porch light backwards, the switch
in the ground instead of the hot.

The switch in the ground?

Do you mean the switch in the neutral?

I would find a switched ground to be... shocking.

But, overall, I remain neutral. This could be a
hot topic.



..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On 9/21/2013 11:14 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
micky wrote:

I think the beautiful old house, complete with a back stairs, I lived
in in college had the wires to the porch light backwards, the switch
in the ground instead of the hot.

The switch in the ground?

Do you mean the switch in the neutral?

On 09/22/2013 08:32 AM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
I would find a switched ground to be... shocking.

But, overall, I remain neutral. This could be a
hot topic.



.
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
.

On 9/21/2013 11:14 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
micky wrote:

I think the beautiful old house, complete with a back stairs, I lived
in in college had the wires to the porch light backwards, the switch
in the ground instead of the hot.

The switch in the ground?

Do you mean the switch in the neutral?


I once rented a house that had *carpet* in the big kitchen/dining room
area. yeah, dumb. So I rented a carpet cleaner and was happily
cleaning the carpet... in my bare feet, of course. Was starting to get
a little warm and humid, so I opened the sliding glass door and turned
on the ceiling fan (on pull chain) POW! 120 up my right arm.

Pulled it down & found that the wiring had been apparently hooked up
completely randomly by whoever put it in... @#$%@#$!!! Fortunately
landlord was cool about me fixing stuff once he figured out I knew what
I was doing & wouldn't screw up his stuff.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

Glad you lived to tell about it. Sounds dangerous.

Actually, my parents house has carpet in the kitchen.
And, I've extracted that carpet, too. Years later,
needs it again. Powdered ultra Tide works well as
cleaning chemical.


..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On 9/22/2013 9:22 AM, Nate Nagel wrote:

I once rented a house that had *carpet* in the big kitchen/dining room
area. yeah, dumb. So I rented a carpet cleaner and was happily
cleaning the carpet... in my bare feet, of course. Was starting to get
a little warm and humid, so I opened the sliding glass door and turned
on the ceiling fan (on pull chain) POW! 120 up my right arm.

Pulled it down & found that the wiring had been apparently hooked up
completely randomly by whoever put it in... @#$%@#$!!! Fortunately
landlord was cool about me fixing stuff once he figured out I knew what
I was doing & wouldn't screw up his stuff.

nate

On 09/22/2013 08:45 AM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
Glad you lived to tell about it. Sounds dangerous.

Actually, my parents house has carpet in the kitchen.

When I bought this house, it had carpet in the bathroom. It was OK until
the toilet overflowed, and I could never get rid of the smell. I removed
the carpet and found a good vinyl floor under it.

[snip]

--
94 days until The winter celebration (Wed 25 Dec, 2013 12:00:00 AM for 1
day).

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.us

"I have noticed all my life that many people think they have religion
when they are troubled with dyspepsia." -- R.G. Ingersoll

On Sun, 22 Sep 2013 09:22:01 -0400, Nate Nagel
wrote:


I once rented a house that had *carpet* in the big kitchen/dining room
area. yeah, dumb. So I rented a carpet cleaner and was happily
cleaning the carpet... in my bare feet, of course. Was starting to get
a little warm and humid, so I opened the sliding glass door and turned
on the ceiling fan (on pull chain) POW! 120 up my right arm.

The moment I read this line, I looked up at the top to see if whoever
wrote it was one of our living posters or not.

Pulled it down & found that the wiring had been apparently hooked up
completely randomly by whoever put it in... @#$%@#$!!! Fortunately
landlord was cool about me fixing stuff once he figured out I knew what
I was doing & wouldn't screw up his stuff.

nate

On Sun, 22 Sep 2013 12:21:45 -0500, Mark Lloyd
wrote:

On 09/22/2013 08:45 AM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
Glad you lived to tell about it. Sounds dangerous.

Actually, my parents house has carpet in the kitchen.

When I bought this house, it had carpet in the bathroom. It was OK until
the toilet overflowed, and I could never get rid of the smell. I removed
the carpet and found a good vinyl floor under it.

I had a carpet remnant and trimmed it for my bathroom when I lived in
the 3BR, 3Bath apt. in Brooklyn. One of my roommates said it would
attract roaches, but it never did. He later turned out to be
annoying.

It would have been really nice if I hadn't been off by an inch on the
hole for the toilet.

The original floor was little black or white square tiles, and not
glazed, smooth but not that smooth. I liked the carpet, but never
thought to put carpet in the next place, here.

On Sun, 22 Sep 2013 03:14:10 +0000 (UTC), DerbyDad03
wrote:

micky wrote:
On Sat, 21 Sep 2013 18:27:23 GMT, wrote:

Have been commissioned to remove ceiling fan and install a ceiling light
(she no longer wants fan) so anyway took fan down and there are 4
wires..........what is the red wire for? I am thinking black and white and
ground are all that is needed for a light and to just tape red wire and not
connect. any advise appreciated.

Best to use a voltmeter to see for yourself if a wire is hot but
controlled by a switch, or hot all the time, or neutral, or ground.

You can check neutral and ground with an ohmmeter, but be sure to
check the same two locations first with a voltmeter, so if the
are hot, you won't burn out the ohmmeter.

Previous guy might have done something wrong.

I think the beautiful old house, complete with a back stairs, I lived
in in college had the wires to the porch light backwards, the switch
in the ground instead of the hot.

The switch in the ground?

Do you mean the switch in the neutral?

Probably that's what I mean. At the time, I'd never fiddled with
house wiring before and I thought of it as the ground.