Additional Wall Switch to control light - DIY Chatroom

tiame · 07-03-2009, 08:47 PM

Please help!

I would like to add an additional switch to turn on/off the light for my fan/light combo. I have one switch presently that turns fan/light on at the same time. I want to get away from having to use the pull chains to control the fan and light.
The receptacle box has three sets of wires. Two of the wires are in the top two slots of the receptacle and the third is below lower left.
All three wire sets have black, white and ground.
Can an additional switch be added from this receptacle?
Attaching a diagram as it is set up presently.
Basic switch wiring I can do. This one has me stumped!

220/221 · 07-03-2009, 08:55 PM

Quote:

The receptacle box has three sets of wires

By receptacle, do you mean "switch"?

The odds are that you don't have an extra wire going from the switch to the fan. Sounds like you have power in, power out and one set going to the fan.

Installing a remote control is an option but it can be a pain to jamb the reciever into the fan canopy.

To hardwire for a fan/light you would need to install a 3 wire cable from the switch to the fan/light. If you were in Chicago, you could simply push another wire thru the conduit.

tiame · 07-03-2009, 10:09 PM

I'm sorry, by receptacle I mean "box". One electrical box holding three sets of wires.
Two are set in the top two punch outs in the box, the third is in the punch out bottom left.

220/221 · 07-03-2009, 10:48 PM

Sorry. You need to another wire or a remote.

Yoyizit · 07-03-2009, 11:21 PM

There are logic circuits that use a single wire to control different functions, just like motion detectors can be put in different modes depending on how long the power switch is on/off. The information as to what mode is desired is encoded into the on times and the off times, like Morse Code.
It's a serial data link. Having a separate line for each function could be thought of as a parallel data link and is usually how this would be accomplished.

Maybe someone makes a circuit like that for an application similar to this. If you don't change the fan/light settings very often this type of circuit might be feasible.

PaliBob · 07-03-2009, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yoyizit

Maybe someone makes a circuit like that for an application similar to this. If you don't change the fan/light settings very often this type of circuit might be feasible.

There are Remotes that will do that. 220/221 brought that up:

Quote:

Originally Posted by 220/221

Installing a remote control is an option but it can be a pain to jamb the receiver into the fan canopy.

There are even Remotes that operate with a Piezoelectric switch but they all need a receiver at the Fan.
The other Problem is that the fan speed will still have to be controlled with the Pull Chain. If there was another wire to the ceiling box, the fan speed could be adjusted in at least three increments with a Fan speed switch and if there is room in the switch box, a dimmer could also be added.

tiame · 07-04-2009, 01:54 AM

Thank you so much for all replies to my post. I appreciate your help. It seems the easiest thing for me to do at this point is use the pull chains.
Have a fun and safe 4th!