Hi-

I replaced an old ceiling fan and light kit with a new one. Standard wires from the ceiling, black, white, green for fan and red, gray for lighting. The fan had black, white, green for fan, and blue for the light kit. Here's what I did:

Black - Black (Standard hot)
White - White and gray (Neutrals)
Red - Blue (Lighting hot)
Green - Green (Grounds)

This appears correct to me, however the first time I accidentally put the red and gray in the same nut and shorted the circuit. Now, when I turn the fan on, I can hear the motor buzzing but it doesn't spin. Does that mean the motor is burned out or is there something else I should do?

Tony,

Are you using a wall switch with this unit to control the on/off of the entire unit?

When you removed the old fixture, what wires were in the ceiling already? Does the switch provide power to both the fan and the light or was there an existing Black/White cable in the ceiling that you used to furnish power to a switch loop?

Yes, a wall switch powers the whole unit. You could turn on or off the fan and light individually by the pull chains once the switch is on. The ceiling wires are black, white, green, red and gray. In the fixure I removed, the red and gray wires fed to the light fixture.

Since I hear the motor buzzing but it doesn't move, it seems like there's something wrong with the capacitor.

Tony,

I'm assuming that the wall switch is a single pole switch and that it provides power to both the fan and the light.

It sounds like there is a 14/3 or 12/3 cable (Black, Red, White and bare or Green) from the switch to the ceiling.

At the wall switch, Black and Red should be pigtailed to the output of the switch. White should be pigtailed to the Netural that pairs with the feed to the switch. Ground (Bare or Green) is connected to the grounding screw.

At the ceiling, Black from the switch would connect to Black from the fan. Red from the switch would connect to Blue from the Fan. White from the switch supplies the Neutral return for the unit. If the fan unit is using White for the fan and gray for the light, then you should pigtail the Gray and White to the White from the wall switch.

As to the motor's capacitor, yes it could be blown. However, when an AC Cap blows, it can sound like a cherry bomb going off and there usually is an arc flash.

I don't understand how you wired the new fan. I understand that the old fan had red and gray--probably a Moss. I'm looking for certain Moss models BTW. But why do you still have a gray with the new fan? The new fan should only have black, blue, white, and green.

Ceiling fan wiring - Ceiling Fans N More

donf-
That is exactly how I have it, and as I mentioned, the motor only buzzes but doesn't spin. I didn't notice any cherry bombs however.

ceilingfanrepair-
I put the gray in with the white to white because I just assumed it needed to be connected to the neutral as well. Should I just cap it off instead?

I would not cap any wires off just yet. By code, White and Gray are "Neutral" identifying colors.

However, I will defer to CFR, for the specific use of the "Gray" wire.

As to your capacitor, if this is a new fan (within 90 days of the purchase), I would return it to point of sale and tell them the motor does not turn the fan.

I am asking, does the new fan have a gray wire? The new fan should just have black, blue, white, and green.

No, the fan does not have a gray wire. It has what you stated, black, blue, white and green.

If the fan has Black, Blue White and Green and the cable from the switch has Black, Red, White and Bare or Green; where did the gray wire come from?

Is the Gray wire the outer sheath for any other wires? Can you tell where this Gray wire originates?

The ceiling box has black, white, red, gray and green. I assumed the gray was another neutral because it was attached to the previous light fixture along with the red.

How was the old fan/fixture connected?

I believe just black to black, white to white, green to green.

The old fan did not have red, blue, or gray wires? How was the grey wire in the ceiling connected to the old fan?

Black, white and green went to the fan. The red and gray went to the black and white on the lighting fixture.

The fan's light fixture had it's own separate black and white? So the only fan had 4 wires not including ground-- two blacks, two whites?

I could be wrong but I believe so.

Take a look at the old fan to be sure.