I want to wire my ceiling fan and light kit to run off the room light switch, so I don't have to pull chains. I saw at the Home Depot a wall switch which can turn the light on and adjust the fan speed in one unit.

How do you wire for this? I hear the phrase, "third wire" but not sure what this is and how to run it. A friend said you have to run an extra wire from the switch to the fan, but I do not know how to connect the wires from the fan, light kit and wall switch.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

Bruce

Bruce -
In the simplest terms, you need these 3 wires:

1. Hot wire for fan
2. Hot wire for light
3. Neutral wire for both

Most probably, you only have #2 and #3. You'll need to run another 14/2 wire from the fan box to your switch box to get #1. If you do that, then hook all the white wires together and the switch should have markings like "Line", "Fan", and "Light" or something similar. The black wire that goes to the fan and the black wire that goes to the light go to their respective connections on the switch. The remaining black wire (which is hot all the time) will go to the "Line" connection on the switch.

It sounds like a lot of words, but the hardest part is running the new wire.

Good Luck and be careful!
WallyH

You can also buy a wall switch/receiver kit that does not require a third wire:

Ceiling fan remote controls - help and FAQ- Ceiling Fans N More