Breaker Off

Breaker Off / Ceiling fans

Ceiling fan wiring with two switches

Two switches in one box, and a 3-wire cable (black, red, white) up to the fan.

The breaker is off: every wire is dead and safe to work on. Tap a switch in the drawing to flip it.

PanelSwitch box, two switchesFan boxSingle-pole switch + Single-pole switchCeiling fan with light14/2 NM-B14/3 NM-B BREAKER NEUTRAL BAR GROUND BARLINELOADLINELOADFANLIGHT
PanelSwitch box, two switchesFan boxSingle-pole switch + Single-pole switchCeiling fan with light14/2 NM-B14/3 NM-B BREAKER NEUTRAL BAR GROUND BARLINELOADLINELOADFANLIGHT

How to tell this is your box

Two switches need the 3-wire cable: black for the fan motor, red for the light kit.

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

  1. Switch box: the black from the panel splits with pigtails to one screw on each switch.
  2. The black to the fan goes on the fan switch; the red goes on the light switch.
  3. Fan box: black to the fan's black lead, red to the light kit's blue lead, white to white, grounds together.

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 joins short pigtails under one wire nut: one to one brass screw of the fan switch, one to one brass screw of the light switch.
  • The black wire to the fan goes to the other brass screw of the fan switch.
  • The red wire to the fan goes to the other brass screw of the light switch.
  • 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 of the fan switch and the green ground screw of the light switch.

In the fan box

  • The black wire from the switch goes to the fan's black lead.
  • The red wire from the switch goes 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

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Other boxes on this circuit