Ceiling fan switches

Dec 26, 2008 5 Replies
C

I recently bought a couple of ceiling fans from HD for my family room (see

formatting link
and wired them in parallel. Didn't realize until I came to hook up the switch that it is only rated for 1.5A, and the fans have a 107W max consumption each, so putting them both on one of the switches is a bit of a stretch. I've found some heavier duty (eg 4A or 5A) switches online but now am a bit nervous that they may not work with this kind of fan. I always thought fan switches were nothing more than variable voltage controllers that could be operated at anywhere between zero and full power. Now I'm not so sure.



Help someone....can I hook up any heavy duty switch to the fans?



TIA



Cub


Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
M

I'm confused. What kind of switch are we talking about? A regular light switch on the wall or a pull chain switch?

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
R

I'm confused. What kind of switch are we talking about? A regular light switch on the wall or a pull chain switch?

Speed controller

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
R

formatting link
> and wired them in parallel. Didn't realize until I came to hook up

Go to grainger.com and look up industrial paddle fans, then click on accessories. You'll find similar and higher amperage controls that should work

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
S

A typical wall switch should be good for about 15 amps. That's approximately 1,650 watts.

Recommendation: Don't put ceiling fans on a dimmer. Dimmers are designed for light bulbs--incandescent light bulbs. They do funny things to the waveform that's delivered to the fan, and the motor doesn't like it. The motors can burn out. I've seen many clients' fans on dimmers, and the fans hum like mad.

If you want to vary the speed from the switch, get a switch that's designed for the job. They use a remote that sends a signal to an add-on box that's hidden in the fan's junction box. Some of them have the remote built into the wall switch, some have a hand-held remote. If you want to control both with one device, buy two controllers, tune them to the same code, and save the other remote as a spare.

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
C

Talking about a wall switch. Essentially I am asking whether any "fan switch" with the right current capacity will work with any fan. I did find one with variable speeds that handles 2A loads that will be enough for me. But just concerned that different fans need different switches.

Thanks

Cub

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required