I took down a ceiling fan and put up a new chandelier, but I can't turn off the the thing using the switch ... and my finger prints are slowly fading because I burn them every time I "turn off" the fan :) It is a dial switch and I'm wondering if I need to change it, or re-wire the chandelier.
Here is a picture of the wiring:
Thanks, Brent
Did you check to see if that unused red wire is the one that is switched?
Sorry, yes I forgot to mention that I tried to disconnect the chandelier wire from the black wire and connected it to the red wire, but it didn't turn on at all.
Brent
Let's start with a question. How many wires of what colors are coming into the box in the ceiling? It looks like three black and three white as well as one red and a ground. How many cables are coming into that box? How many wires of what colors are coming from the new fixture? (they look all white plus a possible ground).
Next go to the box with the fan switch. What do you have there? How many cables and what color wires in each cable?
Are you aware of other fixtures or outlets that are directly connected to either of these boxes?
Are you trying to use the fan speed control switch to control the lights?
yes, it certainly looks from this picture like there are too many blacks and whites tied together to make the kind of cuircut you are describing. Were these all wirenuted together like this in the beginning?
How may switches c> > I took down a ceiling fan and put up a new chandelier, but I can't
The dimmer was used to dim and turn off 3 lights that were connected to the ceiling fan. The speed of the fan was controled by hanging chains from the fan. I'd like to be able to use the dimmer on the new chandelier. Here is a pick of the the light switch / dimmer.
Thanks, Brent
----- Original Message ----- From: "mwlogs" Newsgroups: alt.home.repair Sent: February 12, 2004 8:44 PM Subject: Re: Need help with new chandelier
The dimmer was used to dim and turn off 3 lights that were connected to the ceiling fan. The speed of the fan was controled by hanging chains from the fan. I'd like to be able to use the dimmer on the new chandelier. Here is a pick of the the light switch / dimmer.
Thanks, Brent
----- Original Message ----- From: "mwlogs" Newsgroups: alt.home.repair Sent: February 12, 2004 8:44 PM Subject: Re: Need help with new chandelier
The dimmer was used to dim and turn off 3 lights that were connected to the ceiling fan. The speed of the fan was controled by hanging chains from the fan. I'd like to be able to use the dimmer on the new chandelier. Here is a pick of the the light switch / dimmer.
Thanks, Brent
----- Original Message ----- From: "mwlogs" Newsgroups: alt.home.repair Sent: February 12, 2004 8:44 PM Subject: Re: Need help with new chandelier
The dimmer was used to dim and turn off 3 lights that were connected to the ceiling fan. The speed of the fan was controled by hanging chains from the fan. I'd like to be able to use the dimmer on the new chandelier. Here is a pick of the the light switch / dimmer.
Thanks, Brent
----- Original Message ----- From: "mwlogs" Newsgroups: alt.home.repair Sent: February 12, 2004 8:44 PM Subject: Re: Need help with new chandelier
OK, it looks like the red wire that is capped off in the ceiling box must have been attached to the lights on the fan.
It also looks like the black that is that same three-conductor cable (with the red & white) is always hot, since it's wrapped in the same wirenut as the blacks that connect to the toggle switch and then loops to the dimmer. The toggle switch appears to be a 3-way, although it doesn't appear there are enough wires to feed a 3-way. It doesn't look like it control either the lights or the fan. Does it control something else, perhaps wall outlets?
It's hard to see what's in the back of the switch box, and to make out the wire colors for sure since they sprayed everything white, but it looks like there is a wire nut in the back that might tie several whites together? Also, it appears there is a 2-conductor comming in from the top left of the box, and a 3-conductor on the top right. Is there another cable entering from the bottom that can't be seen?
There also appear to be no grounds in the switch picture, are they just hidden and paint covered?
Looking at the ceiling box and comparing it with the switch box, there seems to be a LOT of wires in the ceiling box. And since nothing seems to turn the newly installed light off or on, I'm betting the hot is coming into the ceiling box first and passing thru down to the switchbox where it switched the lights with the dimmer and the fan or something else with the toggle.
If you are up to a quick test, pull the light wire out of the wire nut with all the blacks and connect it to the red wire, see if the dimmer then controls the lights.
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