Electrical

Wick2269

I am installing a ceiling fan to an existing switch. I used 12/2 cable and tied. Black and black white from fan to black and white to white from ceiling fan and obviously grounded the fan.
My existing switch box had two sets of wires coming in. One set w/ blk, white, ground and the other the same w/ a red wire. They were wired to the switch red @ top right, blk from same set to bottom right and the blk from the other set to bottom right pushed in. All whites and grounds were capped.
I put new fan wire white w/ other whites and blk to top right of switch. Flipped power on, switch does not work, fan and light work fine w/ chains. What the problem is?
Limited knowledge, red wire traveler wire and the switch is in the middle of the circuit? How to fix?
Steve

jklingel

Sounds like a 3-way switch. (OK. TYPICALLY...edited due to comments below from people more learned than me....)The red wire is added so you can run one appliance from two locations. Where is the other switch? The four-wire cable goes between the two 3-way switches. The first 3-way switch (closest to distrib panel) toggle betweens "juice goes to red wire" and "juice goes to black wire." The second switch will then connect the appliance to the hot wire, or not. Etc. That will make more sense if you google 3-way switch and see how the two switches come into play; basically, they interrupt the juice from the distribution panel to the appliance (like a light) and give it two different paths to take to get to the appliance (or not). Dist panel to 3-way, 3-way to 3-way, 3-way to appliance (light). Does that make sense?

clashley

Need some more information about this. It sounds like you are describing a three-way switch, which can be configured in a few different ways. The first thing you need to determine is where the power enters the setup (either at the fan box, the switch you worked on, or another switch).

How many wires are in the ceiling junction box where you mounted the fan? It's possible that the power enters the setup at that point. It's possible to hookup the fan to the incoming hot line, which would bypass the wall switches completely (the fan would still work, but only with the pull chains, and it would not matter what position the switches were in).

gregzoll

Actually the red can be a feeder for another light fixture that may be on a Switch loop, or for a outlet.

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Wick2269

Power is coming into the only switch box in that room. I installed the junction box in the ceiling and ran wire to existing switch. I believe the other pre-existing wires are from adjacent hallway and bedroom switches. Based on two replies, sounds like I have the wrong switch. Believe it is a single pole switch! Help?

Wick2269

Yes that makes sense and I think it is for an outlet.

joed

The red wire is the switched wire. Is there a red wire in the fan box? If there is then connect it to the black/white wire. The switch will control the light and the fan will work off the pull chains.

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jklingel

Grab you VOA meter and see who is hot when. That is far better than everyone guessing from afar.

Ron6519

What do you mean by, "I used 12/2 cable..."?
Did you add wires to the circuit already there?
Did you add this fan where there was no fixture before?
Before you started, what did the switch operate?

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Wick2269

12 gauge wire two wire(blk and wht), yes added to circuit, no fixture before and worked an outlet.

joed

Move the new black the same connections as the red wire on the switch. The switch will now control the new fan and whatever the red is connected to.

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Wick2269

Best advice, grabbed a $15 tester, both red and black from three wire were both hot, rewired accordingly, done! Appreciate everyone's input!