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-   -   Ceiling fan and track light (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=377849)

  • Jul 20, 2009, 03:39 PM
    imbusyworking
    Ceiling fan and track light
    I currently have a ceiling fan installed in my room. I don't want to add a light kit to the existing fan, but instead want to add track lighting to the room.
    The wall plate has three switches. One to control the outlet on the wall, one to control the ceiling fan, and the last to control the "red wire" or light kit inside the ceiling fan.
    Can I take a track light mount it very close to the base of the ceiling fan and use the red wire to control the track light. I realize I will need a neutral wire (white?) as well. Can I split the white white between the ceiling fan and the track light. What is the best way to do this?
    Thanks for your help.
    Jason
  • Jul 20, 2009, 06:53 PM
    ballengerb1

    You can split or share the neutral for both the fan and the light. However, lets talk about that red wire for a moment. You say its for a light kits that you don't have. Was there once a lighted fan in this location? If this works out you need to inmstall a new box where you want your track to start and then run from the fan box to the new box with appropriate wire like nm 14-2.
  • Jul 20, 2009, 07:05 PM
    imbusyworking
    Thanks Ballengerb1.
    What I meant by the red wire is that wall switch 3 controls the red wire. There is no light kit on the fan. As I understand it, the red wire would be used to separately control the light kit by a dimmer, for example, on the third wall switch. I was hoping to place the start of the track light partially inside the box for the ceiling fan. Use that red hot wire to control the light from the third wall switch, using the white neutral wire split to both the track light and the ceiling fan. Is there any potential problems by doing this?
  • Jul 20, 2009, 07:16 PM
    ballengerb1

    OK the surfaces aren't going to match. The fan box is on the top side of your drywall and the track strip will be on the showing side of the drywall, the fan box is totally covered and concealed by the canopy, no access.
  • Jul 21, 2009, 12:50 AM
    ceilingfanrepair

    You could fish the wire through the ceiling, or use wiremold from the fan canopy to the track light.
  • Jul 21, 2009, 02:15 AM
    imbusyworking
    Thanks ceilingfanrepair.
    I was thinking that same thing. It does not have to be pretty, it just has to be safe. What possible hazards could I run into by doing this.
    Basically my jbox has four wires coming out of it. Black, white, red, green.
    I am going to run the black and white and green wire to the ceiling fan, then the red and white wire to the track light. The track light wires would be coming out of the ceiling fan jbox about half an inch to meet the end of the track light mounted on the ceiling.
    I'm not an electrician.
    I would need about six inches of additional white wire to meet and splice into the already existing white wire. If I went to home depot to get this, what kind of wire would I get?
    Thanks all for your help!
  • Jul 21, 2009, 08:55 AM
    ballengerb1

    Use wire like you already have running to the box, likely 14 gauge. Look around to see if you have any scrap of old cable or wire where you could pull a 6" piece. Hate to go to HD just for that.
  • Jul 21, 2009, 09:11 PM
    ceilingfanrepair

    There are no hazards with wiremold, just make sure the wire is the proper gauge.

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