I have two Aries ceiling fans that I installed, in prewired spots, in my living room in 1998 when I bought the new home. One of the fans is operated by either of two different switches. The other by a single switch. My question concerns the double switch fan. I want to install lights on the fans. I just need an on/off switch for the fan as the setting is preset on low and I don't plan to change it, although I can with the fan chain switch. I also just need an on/off switch for the light as I don't plan to use a dimmer. I'd prefer to have a wall switch for he light then a pull chain switch, if possible. Suggestions? Request a wiring schematic/diagram also and model(s) of switches to use. Thanks.

If you have a constant hot in the fan box, fan could tie to that for pull chain operation.

An extra wire may be pushed or pulled to fan/ light location, for separate control.

Nice idea on pulling the hot off the supply side of the fan, Strat!

Chistp - Do you want two wall switches together, or would Strat's idea of pulling the constant Hot off the supply side conductor. Then you would use the switch that is currently on the wall to work the light by moving the connection from the switch to the light instead of the fan. Next connect the constant on to the fan's black conductor.

Now the only downside is that you will have to use the pull chain to the fan on & off and then set the speed every time you use it.
If you choice is to use two switches, then I would begin by:

Turn power off to the circuit.

a) Disconnecting the STSP wall stitch and putting it aside.
b) Removing the single gang box for the existing switch.
c) Snake a single black #14 AWG from the from the fan's fixture to the
Switch.
d) Connect the new black wire to the "Blue or Striped White" from the light
Fixture for the fan.

e) Back at the switches, remove the white with black tape on it from the
Existing switch and make a pig-tail which connects to both supply side
Lugs, please do not backstab the wires, use the screw terminal.

f) black from the original switch will still go to the Black on the fan's fixture.

g) Connect both switch yokes to the new double gang box and then install
The double gang switch faceplate.

Turn power back on and test the switches. If every thing works, the install the double gang switch faceplate and the fan and its coverings.

Don and Strat have some good ideas, although Don may have confused you with all of that information :)

I take it you're not happy to just add lights to the fans and have them controlled together with their respective switches? What type of control (of the fan and lights, separately)

Were the spots prewired for fans? What wires do you have in the ceiling?

Thanks for the input. I do not have any old or dead
> fans.
> The brackets and outlets for the ceiling fans were
> in my new house without
> fans or lights attached.
> Not sure of the wiring. I have also installed
> ceiling fans in both bedrooms
> with remotes.
> Basically, what I want to do is add lights to two
> ceiling fans, and have the
> on/off switch for the fan and light on the wall.
> This is fairly simple if a
> single switch outlet is involved. I can purchase a
> switch that has an
> on/off fan and light switch in one single piece.
> The problem is that one of the
> fans is controlled by two separate on/off switches.
>
> The last time I messed with a two switches that
> controlled both the light
> and exhaust fan in my laundry room, the exhaust fan
> would only run if switch A
> (which I tapped in to run the exhaust fan
> separately) was in the on position
> and switch B in off. If switch B was on and switch
> A off the fan would not
> run because there was no power from switch A to the
> exhaust fan.
> It would be nice if I can turn the ceiling fan and
> light on or off
> separately from either switch.
> I am not an electrician, but a retired electronic
> technician. I do know
> enough to be dangerous.
> Pete
>

If you wire the fans exactly how the lights were wired, the one switch will control the one fan and light together, and the set of two switches will control the other fan and light together. Is this what you want?

Yes and no. There were no lights wired to begin with. Just the fixtures waiting to be wired with fans or lights and the wall switches. I installed ceiling fans and can control them from the on/off wall swiches. I don't want any light that I add to the ceiling fans to come on when I turn the fan on. I want to be able to control that separately with the wall switch. I'm looking at a wall switch with a separate on/off for the fan and another on/off switch for the light in the same housing.

You are looking for a single switch that can control both the light and the fan independently?

I do not think such a switch exists. Your best bet is to use two switches in the same gang box on the wall. One for the light and one for the fan.

They actually make a combination light/fan control that fits a single gang, I don't know of a combo that is fan and three way.
Is the wiring in conduit?

As mentioned above, you will need to add addition wiring to obtain that. I doubt the fan motor switch will need to be three way, so an additional single pole for each fan will be fine.

However, you might be easier to have the fans controlled with pullchains and lights from wall switches-- would that be OK?

Thanks for the info from everybody. Need to put this question to rest for now.

If you give us the information we need, we can tell you how to wire it. Or, three different suggestions on how to wire it :)