wiring a ceiling fan with light when all wires are black

Turn the switch on and move dimmer switches to the full on position. Make sure that the other switch terminal is connected to the second black wire of the three-wire cable.Īt the fixture box, be sure that the three wires are separated from each other and are clear of everything else, then turn the power back on. Keep the black wire of the two-wire cable connected to a switch terminal, but disconnect it from the three-wire cable’s black wire, which you should then cap off with a wire nut.

At the switch box, leave the whites spliced together. First shut off the power at the breaker or fuse and verify that it’s off by testing. Given this arrangement, here’s how to wire the new light fixture. Wired this way, the wall switch controls the light, and a pull chain on the fixture controls the fan. The two white wires in the switch box should be spliced together. The other black wire from the three-wire cable connects to the other switch terminal, to power the light. The black wire of the two-wire cable supplies power coming in, and it should attach to one of the switch terminals, and also to one black wire of the three-wire cable, to power the fan. The cable’s white wire connects to the fixture’s white wire.Īt the switch box, there should be two cables: one with two wires (one black and one white), and one with three wires (two black and one white). In your case, one of the black wires from the cable is connected to the fixture’s black wire, which goes to the light the other black wire is connected to the fixture’s blue wire, which goes to the fan. The cable going to the fan/light fixture is called a three-wire cable, and it usually has one red wire and one black-instead of two black wires-to prevent confusion. What’s the best way to wire the new light?Ī: Cliff Popejoy, a licensed electrician from Sacramento, Calif., responds. The light fixture I want to install has only two wires, one white and one black. The cable from the switch box to the ceiling box has three wires-two identical blacks and a white-with one of the blacks connected to a mysterious blue wire from the fan.

Q: I want to replace a ceiling fan/light with a regular light fixture. Tim Healey When changing a fan/light to a light fixture, cap off the unused wire at both ends.

Wiring a ceiling fan with light when all wires are black