Ceiling Fan wiring

[dacflyer]

i think the light dimmers are controlled by a triac, and the motor speed control is controlled by a SCR.
have not torn into a fan control yet. but i do know dimmers are triac controlled.

[Robert Reed]

Dac
My point exactly. I do not want a light dimmer control-only capacitive type with the proper values. Will checkout HD and see. Even if values were wrong, it's easy to clip out caps in the fan (since it will always be on high speed set with pull chain) and wire them in to the new wall mount assembly. The switch in that unit will work OK.
PS- all AC "universal" motors work with only triacs, induction motors will not.

[dacflyer]

my old wall mount fan control was variable. and rated at 5 amps
the new ones at HD or Lowes are 3 position OFF - LO - MED - HI and rated at only 1.5 amps
never know, they might have caps in them already. because when i played with one, i never heard it make that singing noise that most dimmers or fan controllers make.
maybe get one, open it and see...
better yet, i'll call LEVINGTON and ask their tech... stay tuned............

[Robert Reed]

If the control was variable, it has to be a phase chopping device-i.e. a run of the mill light dimmer. Stay away from this for your ceiling fan.
The 3 or 4 step capacitor switch is the only way to go. The current research I have done shows no fans drawing even one amp so power is not an issue. The four that I have torn down were very similar in power draw : Hi- <50 watt, Mid - 25 watt, Lo- 10 watt. These fans were all within 10% of those rating and all had 52" blade span.

[dacflyer]

ok, according to the so called tech at LEVINGTON they said the 3 position fan switch they sell is
non-solidstate he says it used capacitors, so hey, you might have what you need already made up for you... you could try it,, and if it does not work, take it back.. but he said defiantly it was not solidstate....

[Dean Huster]

All the fans I've seen (and since I do handyman stuff for a living now, I seen lots of them) have three-wire caps -- dual caps. Running wiring through ceiling and walls for the cap only is pure nuts. First of all, it has to be Romex to be "legal" for 120v use. Second, it would be weird and unknown wiring for any electrician to come across if the house were later sold (I know, you're going to be living there until you die 75 years from now) and cause lots of unnecessary cursing from him and bills for the new owners. And when at least two inexpensive commercial solutions are available, "doing yout own thing" is just foolhardy.

I used to do my own stuff like that -- spend hours and hours and dollars and dollars to do something that I could buy from a store for 1/4 the cost and install in 15 minutes. Back then, it was the tinkerer and DIYer in me. Now, I find lots better things to do with my time.

I despise insurance companies, especially home insurance companies. They look for all sorts of things do deny a policy or force an expensive rider: animals, old wiring, pools, etc. I especially "love" the pool thing. We're on a 10-acre tract and if we have an ABOVE-GROUND pool even where I can remove a ladder to deny access, I have to have a fence around it. Do you know how may farm ponds are around me whose owner have to insurance problems at all? That's the same thinking that will force auto insurers to require air bags and seat belts on motorcycles. Heeeey .... that's not a bad idea!

[Robert Reed]

"All the fans I've seen (and since I do handyman stuff for a living now, I seen lots of them) have three-wire caps -- dual caps. Running wiring through ceiling and walls for the cap only is pure nuts. First of all, it has to be Romex to be "legal" for 120v use. Second, it would be weird and unknown wiring for any electrician to come across if the house were later sold"

Dean
I don't think you understood my prior postings. As the fan is installed, it has an on-off wall switch which supplys power thru romex to the fan. The new speed control with its internal caps go into the same single gang box. Still fed by the original incoming romex and still powering the fan with the same outgoing romex. No danger and no violation of code. All the electricians in our area know exactly what they are looking at and in fact install their wall speed controls the same way. How else would you do it?
As to rework involved, if you can get the exact switch to match your fan then the job is as simple as changing a receptacle. If the values do not match, then only 15-20 minutes of extra work is required and it is quite simple to do.

[Robert Reed]

Well picked up a fan speed control at HD today. Tore it apart and checked it out. To my amazement it's caps were the exact value I needed. Must be the standard value of many brands. Popped it in the wall and case closed

[MrAl]

Hi Robert,

Happy to hear you've found a simple solution for a change. It's nice isnt it?

How much did it cost BTW ?

[Robert Reed]

MrAl
About $13, but you still have to supply your own standard wall switch plate.
For $3 in parts(DP four position rotary switch and knob) one could save $10 by merely transposing the fan capacitors to the wall box. However at present , time does not permit. I have 3 more fans to install this winter so I may build up the controls myself when more time is available.

[dacflyer]

told ya so heehee.....

[frhrwa]

AL wiring was such a failure, i have heard of many houses catching fire or almost catching fire.
multi-strand AL wire it ok, its the single strand wire that is not good... i have seen wires had scorched the paper on fiberglass etc.

i had my insurance cancel on me because i had installed solar panels on my house, i asked my insurance about an increase on my policy, but their understanding was that i was making holes in my roof for skylights.. they did not understand, so i had them come out and have a look, they came out and instantly canceled me policy
their claim was that i had a dangerous dog,, ( cuddly german shepherd ) i had him over 8 yrs and they knew about it. because they seen him and made notes about it way back when i sign on..
IMOP i think they just did not want to add my panels into my policy, and used that excuse to drop me.
i got new insurance 2 days later......and cheaper and no clauses about dogs, or solar panels..lol

I'd say your insurance company was pretty cheesy.. they were looking for an excuse!.. you need to post which company it was so we can stay clear of such policies...
as to the ceiling fan, I've been using the wirelss from Lowes .. I believe they are Hunter, but...... for some dumb reason, the one in my bedroom waits until I get good and asleep, then the light comes on full bright.. and usually around 2AM and 5AM.. changed the unit out, stilll does it.. doesn't do it in any other location just MY room .. figures.. I've been checking the wiring because if you turn off the wall switch, which is the main control to the fixture and wireless control, then turn it on, the light comes on, but that happens at all the locations? so, maybe a loose neutral? but then, why 2AM and 5AM? I'm in the middle of 10acres, and the next closest house is 200' farther inside his property line, so interference or another remote shouldn't be doing it to me, and I'm sure he isn't sitting up at 2AM.. maybe 5AM since he's a fireman... so, something is coming down the power line around that time is the only thing I can think of.. any way, back to controls, other than my problem, haven't heard anyone else having that problem, so I'd lean towards getting one of these... separating the light from the fan at the unit is pretty straight forward. and you can hook up to your wall switch with the 14/2 most likely already there..