Ceiling fan wiring on one switch
Two cables in the switch box and one 2-wire cable up to the fan box.
- Black: hot
- White: neutral
- Bare: ground
- Wire nut
How to tell this is your box
With one switch, the fan and the light come on together; the fan's own pull chains choose speed and light.
Watch for this. Never put a fan motor on a light dimmer. Use a switch, or a control made for fans.
The job, in order
- Switch box: the black from the panel and the black up to the fan on the two switch screws; whites joined; grounds pigtailed.
- Fan box: the black from the switch joins both the fan's black and the light kit's blue lead.
- White to white, ground to the fan's green lead and the mounting bracket.
Every connection, box by box
Read from the same circuit the drawing is made from. A simulator checked it in every switch position: the fan and light run exactly when they should, nothing shorts, and every device is grounded.
At the panel
- The black wire to the switch goes to the breaker.
- The white wire to the switch goes to the neutral bar.
- The bare copper wire to the switch goes to the ground bar.
In the switch box
- The black wire from the panel goes to one brass screw.
- The black wire to the fan goes to the other brass screw.
- The white wire from the panel and the white wire to the fan join under one wire nut.
- The bare copper wire from the panel and the bare copper wire to the fan join under one wire nut with a ground pigtail to the green ground screw.
In the fan box
- The black wire from the switch joins short pigtails under one wire nut: one to the fan's black lead, one to the light kit's blue lead.
- The white wire from the switch goes to the fan's white lead.
- The bare copper wire from the switch goes to the fan's green lead.
Parts for this box
-
Every job
Klein Tools NCVT3P voltage tester The non-contact tester for proving every wire in the box is dead before you touch it. About $24.98 as of October 22, 2026 Check the current price -
Every job
Ideal Twister wire nuts, 100 bag The tan connectors that fit two to four 14 or 12 AWG wires. About $12.99 as of October 22, 2026 Check the current price
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