I am installing a ceiling fan/light over a set of stairs. I need to be able to switch the light on and off at the bottom of the stairs and at the top of the stairs. The fan will only need to be switched on/off at the top of the stairs. I have a switch box with source power available at the bottom of the stairs, and a switch box with different source power available at the top of the stairs. I have 3 wire w/grnd run from the box at the top of the stairs to the ceiling fan/light. I also have 3 wire w/grnd run from the box at the top of the stairs to the box at the bottom of the stairs. I believe I can run the light circuit with power at the bottom box and use 3 way switches in both boxes. Is it possible to use another single switch at the top box to power the fan? I could pick up power from the top box, but I would be getting the neutral from another source line at the bottom of the stairs. Is it OK to do this? I realize all the neutrals go back to the same buss bar at the panel, so I don't know if this matters. Any help would be appreciated.. Thank you

To begin with, unless you have a special switch or your switch box is already wired to accept a neutral, you do not have a neutral present at either switch.

Switches do not normally have any use for a neutral. They interrupt the hot feed, route it to the switch and return it to the device.

Also, a typical wall switch cannot be used to control a fan.

I suspect that you have two 3 way switches in the circuit for the light. Power is redirected to the lower switch and then using a 3 wire cable the lower switch is routed to the upper switch so that the light is controlled from either switch.

What you would have to do is set up a new (second) switch loop from the feed coming into the overhead outlet to a fan switch and then back to the black on the fan. The blue on the fan/light cables harness would be the hot from the light switch.

To begin with, unless you have a special switch or your switch box is already wired to accept a neutral, you do not have a neutral present at either switch.

Switches do not normally have any use for a neutral. They interrupt the hot feed, route it to the switch and return it to the device.

Also, a typical wall switch cannot be used to control a fan.

I suspect that you have two 3 way switches in the circuit for the light. Power is redirected to the lower switch and then using a 3 wire cable the lower switch is routed to the upper switch so that the light is controlled from either switch.

What you would have to do is set up a new (second) switch loop from the feed coming into the overhead outlet to a fan switch and then back to the black on the fan. The blue on the fan/light cables harness would be the hot from the light switch.

Thanks for the reply! I understand that switches don't have use for a neutral and that they just interrupt the hot lead to the device. I did not know that a typical wall switch can not be used to control a fan. What type of switch do I need to use? I do have two 3 way switches to control the light. I was going to use input power at the lower level box to run this circuit. Thanks again for help.

So it sounds like you just bought the fan, right? I'd take it back and get one with a remote, you can buy a separate remote to leave at the top of the stiars, most come with w wall holster so they are like a switch

Are you posting as innison and as greg lyslo?

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/electrical-lighting/wiring-818247.html

Are you posting as innison and as greg lyslo?

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/electrical-lighting/wiring-818247.html
I don't know what innison is. I posted as Greg Lyslo. Thanks


So it sounds like you just bought the fan, right? I'd take it back and get one with a remote, you can buy a separate remote to leave at the top of the stiars, most come with w wall holster so they are like a switch

Good idea... Thanks for the tip!

greg, please be careful when responding to threads. You accidentally responded to another person's thread as though it was your own.

Ennison is another poster that started the above referenced thread to which you responded. Describing the same problem.

Abandon the power feed to the downstairs box. Either cap it off and mark unused or remove it entirely.

At the upstairs box connect the neutral (white) of the incoming power cable to the neutral (white) of the 3-wire cable to the ceiling fan/light fixture.

Connect 2 pigtails to the hot (black) of the incoming power cable.

Connect one of the pigtails to one of the terminals of the single pole switch.

Connect the red (hot) of the 3-wire cable to the ceiling fan/light fixture to the other terminal of the single pole switch.

Connect the other hot (black) pigtail to the common of the 3-way switch.

Connect the red and white of the 3-wire cable to the downstairs switch, to the traveler terminals of the 3-way switch.

Connect the black (hot) of the 3-wire cable to downstairs switch to black (hot) of the 3-wire cable to the ceiling fan/light.

At the downstairs box, connect the black to the common of the 3-way switch. Connect the red and white to the other terminals of the 3-way switch.

At the ceiling connect, the neutral (white) of 3-wire cable to the white of fan/light.
Connect the black of 3-wire cable to blue of fan/light.
Connect the red of the 3-wire cable to the black of the fan/light.

The single pole switch at the top of the stairs will turn the fan on and off. It will not control the speed. If you want to control the speed of the fan from that point use a fan control switch.

Ennison is another poster that started the above referenced thread to which you responded. Describing the same problem.

Abandon the power feed to the downstairs box. Either cap it off and mark unused or remove it entirely.

At the upstairs box connect the neutral (white) of the incoming power cable to the neutral (white) of the 3-wire cable to the ceiling fan/light fixture.

Connect 2 pigtails to the hot (black) of the incoming power cable.

Connect one of the pigtails to one of the terminals of the single pole switch.

Connect the red (hot) of the 3-wire cable to the ceiling fan/light fixture to the other terminal of the single pole switch.

Connect the other hot (black) pigtail to the common of the 3-way switch.

Connect the red and white of the 3-wire cable to the downstairs switch, to the traveler terminals of the 3-way switch.

Connect the black (hot) of the 3-wire cable to downstairs switch to black (hot) of the 3-wire cable to the ceiling fan/light.

At the downstairs box, connect the black to the common of the 3-way switch. Connect the red and white to the other terminals of the 3-way switch.

At the ceiling connect, the neutral (white) of 3-wire cable to the white of fan/light.
Connect the black of 3-wire cable to blue of fan/light.
Connect the red of the 3-wire cable to the black of the fan/light.

The single pole switch at the top of the stairs will turn the fan on and off. It will not control the speed. If you want to control the speed of the fan from that point use a fan control switch.

Thank you so much for your time and all your helpful information. I have tried many different sources to try and figure this one out and you have been the most helpful... Thanks again!