Is this circuit acceptable?
Power to a double switch. 3-wire cable from the switch to a ceiling fan and a separate light fixture.
The black of the 3-wire is connected to the top switch and supplies the fan. The red is connected to the bottom switch and at the fan box is connected to a 2-wire that goes from the fan to the light.
thanks for the replies the box is rated for fan
is a double 3-way switch made?
Yes and the ground (bare wire) and neutral (white) are shared by both.
Colbyt
Yes, electrically it is fine but code is more often concerned with the physical installation than it is with the circuit itself (since wrong wiring usually results in no light or blown breakers, it is usually obvious)
In addition to the box load rated (up to 40 lbs after that you need to bolt to a rafter). You need the proper wire gague for the breaker, proper routing and stapling of the wire between the box and switch (which covers a lot depending on where the wire goes) etc. And if any wires are aluminum, there are additional concerns.
Where does the "3-way" come into play? If you're planning two switches for each device (fan and light) you need a more complicated wiring scheme than you described.
If you're only having one switch location, you just need a double switch, not a "double 3-way switch".
-Tim
thanks for the everyone's input... mission accomplished.
from the original single-pole circuit supplying the fan and light, I added the light onto a nearby 3-way circuit with the other lights. then installed another fan, connected it to the first, and converted the original circuit to 3-way.
I was trying to avoid ganging another switch for aesthetic reasons, thus the double 3-way switch question. out of curiosity, is a double 3-way switch even made? you'd think it'd be easy enough to make, would need 7 screws
homi
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