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max103171
May 25, 2008, 07:02 AM
Hi, I am trying to connect a ceiling fan. The fan has one blue wire, one black wire and one white wire. The electrical box has two white wires and two black wires. The green is my ground. I want the light to work off my switch on the wall and the fan by pull chain. How do I connect these wires? I currently have blue to white (for light), white to white, and all three blacks together. The light is working off the switch, but the fan won't work when the light is on. If I turn the light off the fan will work. I hope that you can help me.
Thank You.

stanfortyman
May 25, 2008, 07:08 AM
How was the old fixture connected?

max103171
May 25, 2008, 07:12 AM
My husband took it down without checking the connections first.

stanfortyman
May 25, 2008, 07:20 AM
Oh boy. Classic mistake #2!

OK,
What are the wires in the switch box?
Does the switch control any other lights?
Does your husband have a tester or meter?

esquire1
May 25, 2008, 08:44 AM
Blue and black to black. White to whiite

stanfortyman
May 25, 2008, 09:34 AM
Blue and black to black. White to whiiteThat's nice. What do you base this on?? :confused:

I suspect there is a switch loop, OR there is more than one light connected to this switch.
If there is only one switch controlling one light, HOW do you explain the two sets of wires??

I like to know the facts before throwing out wiring patterns.

esquire1
May 25, 2008, 09:48 AM
The blk is power for the fan, the blue is power for the light, the white is common. I just installed 3 of these yesterday that is powered form the wall switch. They all work properly

stanfortyman
May 25, 2008, 12:17 PM
OK, but the poster has TWO sets of black and white in the ceiling.
Now what?

esquire1
May 25, 2008, 12:48 PM
Oops, I just reread the post. I am wrong

Stratmando
May 25, 2008, 04:08 PM
You say you have the blue to white(for light). White is not know as light wire.
I would remove switches from box and see what colors go out of switch to fan location.
Whites are sometime used in "switch loops", if it was you would have a white on the switch. White should be reidentified as hot if no longer a neutral. You may have a black and white that goes to switch, the white will get its power from the black(constant hot in ceiling) The black that comes back from the switch goes to blue(the light). The black and white(with black tape) goes to fan black, the fan white to the other white. Good Luck

stanfortyman
May 25, 2008, 04:26 PM
Strat, a switch loop MUST use the white as the feed. You CANNOT switch leg a white conductor.

Stratmando
May 25, 2008, 05:11 PM
Stanforty, you're right, I wrote it wrong, I went back and corrected original instead of adding another to eleminate poster from having to sift out, I did this as he has not read my wrong answer. Thanks

stanfortyman
May 25, 2008, 06:24 PM
No problem. I too right away suspected a switch loop.
I just hope the OP comes back to describe what they have.

ceilingfanrepair
May 27, 2008, 12:08 PM
What was there before the fan, and how was it controlled? Is their only one switch?

Sounds also like a switch loop, but there are a couple other possibilities.

Ceiling fan wiring - Ceiling Fans N More (http://www.ceiling-fans-n-more.com/ceiling-fan-wiring.php)