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-   -   3 way wiring /w ceiling fan (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=402499)

  • Oct 4, 2009, 08:46 AM
    ddhiggi
    3 way wiring /w ceiling fan
    Sorry about the multiple questions/ my new question is I have 2 3-way switches, a porch light, and the hot 2-wire coming in the ceiling in a junction box so.. in this box I have 2-3ways, the hot 2-wire, the 2-wire going to the fan/light, and a 2-wire going to the porch light. I've tried multiple things but can't get them all to work at the same time.
  • Oct 4, 2009, 08:54 AM
    hkstroud

    Let's see, you have a hot 2 wire cable to the ceiling box, you a 2-wire cable going to one of two 3-way switches, and you have a 2-wire cable gong to the porch light or to the switch of the porch light. You want to control the light of the fan/light by the 3-way switches and control the fan by the pull chain. Is all of that correct?

    In your previous post you said power was coming to the switch
  • Oct 4, 2009, 09:03 AM
    ddhiggi

    Almost, I have 1 2-wire which is the hot coming in the box, 2 3-way's, and 1 -2wire going to the porch light and 1 -2wire going to the ceiling fan/light. The ceiling fan/light sits between the 2 3-ways which I want to control the ceiling fan/light. Then there's a switch by the front door which I want to control the porch light and yes there is a pull chain also - there's a switch by the front door too to control the fan independently from the light but I haven't run that wire there yet... in the ceiling coming from the fan/light there is a blue,black and white wire. Help!
  • Oct 4, 2009, 09:09 AM
    hkstroud

    So, you have a hot 2 wire cable to the ceiling box, you a 2-wire cable going to one of two 3-way switches, and you have a 2-wire cable going to the switch of the porch light. You have a 2-wire cable going to a switch that you want to control the fan. Is all of that correct?

    Edit; You also have two 3-wire cables going between the two 3-way switches.
  • Oct 4, 2009, 09:37 AM
    ddhiggi

    All I have at the 2-3 ways are the 3 way wire and yes I have the hot 2-wire coming from the breaker to my junction box and yes I have a 2-wire going to the switch for the porch light and a 2-wire going to the fan/light. Right now I don't have a separate wire to go to just the fan but I'd like to add that too.
  • Oct 4, 2009, 10:51 AM
    hkstroud
    1 Attachment(s)

    OK, add the 2-wire cable for the fan switch.
    Connect all the ground wires together and tuck up in box out of the way. Connect the white wires of the 3-wire cables together. Connect the red wires of the 3-wire cables together. Connect the white of the power cable and the white of the porch light together and add a pig tail. Tuck all of these up in the box.
    Connect the black of the power cable, the black of the porch light, the black of one of the 3-wire cables and the white of the fan switch together. Tuck up in box.

    You should now have sticking out of the box, a white to connect to the fan/light white, a black from the fan switch to connect to the black of the fan and a black from a 3-wire cable to connect to the blue of the light.

    At both 3-way switches, make sure that the red and white are connected to the traveler screws and the black is connected to the common screw.
  • Oct 4, 2009, 04:18 PM
    ddhiggi

    Thank you! It worked great... now I have another problem. In the 3 gang box by the front door I have the switch for the porch lite, 2 horizontal switches ( the top controls the top row of plugs and the bottom is supposed to control the fan) and then of course the 3-way which works.. everything works like it should but when I try to connect the fan 2-wire the breaker blows. Here's the existing wiring.. the switch to the porch top screw-black going to porch light--bottom screw -black going to top screw of horizontal switch. The white of the porch light is capped with the white of the hot pair and the white of the 3-wire going to the plugs. The black of the hot pair is capped with the black of the 3-wire and a pigtail to the bottom screw of the horrizontal switch. Oh and the red wire from the 3-wire is on the upper left screw of the horizontal switches. Oh boy! So how do I fit in the fan 2-wire down there?

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