I am installing a ceiling fan into a living room that had no previous ceiling fan/light. A switch next to the door controls the wall receptacle and another switch for the front porch light. I would like the receptacle to no longer be controlled by the switch, just be "always on," and I would like the wall switch to control the ceiling fan. I have wired the ceiling fan with 14/2 wire (one black and one white and one ground). I am now trying to get the wire from the basement to the outlet box.
In the outlet box there are 2 switches (one for the front porch and one for a wall receptacle). There are 3 sets of wires, one with 3 wires (red,black, and white) the other two only have black and white wires. All 3 whites are connected. All 4 blacks are connected, with a black wire going to both switches. The one with the red wire looks like it runs to the receptacle, its black wire is connected to the other blacks. On one set of wires, the black runs directly to the front porch switch, with another black wiring leaving that switch and connecting with the other blacks. The switch that controls the wall receptacle has a red wire connected to it and a black wire that is coming from the lot of black wires.
Where do I connect the ceiling fan wires? Is there a good way to get the wires from the basement into the box?

tkrussell

Connect the white from the fan to all the other whites in the switch box.

Disconnect the red from the switch that is now controlling the receptacle and connect that to the blacks also, this will provide constant power to the half of the receptacle that was once switched.

Connect the black from the fan to the switch where the red once was.

A good way? All depends on access to the bottom of the wall, you will need to drill up into the wall cavity, without hitting any cables that may be there.

Punch out a hole in the bottom of the switch box, may need to drill a small hole large enough for the cable, assuming this box is plastic.

Now you need to fish something up or down the wall. If there is insulation in the wall, expect some if this is an exterior wall, then only an electricians fish tape (snake) will work because it is a very stiff steel wire. Try shoving the fish tape up until the tape hits the box, with any luck the tape will hit exactly where the hole is and poke into the box. I do it all the time, but I know where to drill holes, how to bend the tape just right, and how to manuver the tape from below.

You can use a piece of nylon string and a weight, a nut, a piece of strong but small chain, or a fishing lead weight, something small to fit in the hole. Shove the snake up to to the weight, with the snake hook open and twist the snake trying to catch the weight or the string with the hook, this is where "fishing wires" comes from.

This can take a long time and a lot of patience, someone up at the box listening and directly the snake operator down below really helps, sometimes.
many a heated argument start and tempers fly because of losing patience and poor communications:

" Up a bit, no down, no damn it too far down, to the right , yes my right, no the other way, jesus, dont you yell at me, oh forget it do it yourself"

This is not a job for a husband and wife team.

ceilingfanrepair

Sorry, I thought TK was talking about something else for a second.

darpaman2002

Thanks again for your help. You made a complicated problem to me, seem so easy. The receptacle (top outlet) that was controlled by the light switch doesn't work anymore, but I really don't care since everything else is working just fine.