Ceiling fan wiring.

Currently undertaking a bedroom make-over and my wife wanted a ceiling fan/light over the bed. I have bought a Westinghouse fan/light and also, because of the difficulty of using the 'chain pull' switches on the fan because it's over the bed, I also bought a Westinghouse wall switch to control fan speed and the light. This wall unit has a rotary control for the fan and a simple switch for the light.

The instructions with the wall unit show that there are three connections on the back of the switch - mains in, and then a wire to the fan and a wire to the light.

When I look at the connection block on the fan ceiling bracket ,it has a simple choc-block with just live/neutral/earth. There are no separate connections for the fan and the light. There are two wires coming out of the unit-side of the choc-block, however, - one orange and one brown. I am assuming that one of these wires goes to the fan and one to the light and that I will have to separate them in order to wire the unit up for use with the wall switch. I don't know which is which, however, and there is nothing in either of the instruction leaflets that came with the fan and the wall switch to indicate which is which.

I suppose the simplest option would be to separate the wires and make a guess as to which goes to the fan and which to the light. I have a 50/50 chance of getting it right and if I'm wrong I can simply swap over the wires in the back of the wall switch.

I'd rather get it right first time, however. Can anyone tell me which of the two wires (orange or brown) goes to the fan and which to the light?

Uno-Hoo!

Reply to
Uno-Hoo!
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If you don't have one, buy a cheap test meter (c 2.50GBP often at Maplin and at market stalls). Before fitting the unit to the ceiling put a lamp in it and put the tester on the ohms setting with one probe on the live and and the other on the orange wire. If operating the motor switch on the unit changes the reading - the orange is the motor wire. Alternatively, if operating the lamp switch - the orange is the lamp wire. If taking the lamp out changes the reading - it is the lamp wire. Repeat for the brown wire as a test if you believe in Murphy's Law.

Such a meter is invaluable for all sorts of things, like testing lamps and fuses and the probes are even ideal for poking the reset buttons that come on all sorts of electronic gizmos these days.. The thing also works quite well as a damp detector for walls and a "done" detector for meringue and brownies (although different readings apply).

Reply to
Palindrome

Sorry to reply to my own message... but it also makes a convincing lie detector for use on kids/grandchildren/nephews/etc. A bit more techy than the "purple tongue" test..

Reply to
Palindrome

I went for the 50/50 attempt - and got it wrong. The light switch turned on the fan! Only a two minute job to swap the wires over, however, and now it works fine.

Uno-Hoo!

Reply to
Uno-Hoo!

Never mind, it comes to all of us one day, that beds are for other things than trampolining... ;)

Reply to
Palindrome

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