# Wiring help **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 30, 2017, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wiring-help/790234 "2017-06-30T22:07:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wiring-help/790234/1 "2017-06-30T22:07:02Z")
I took down our Casablanca ceiling fan. I was planning on taking a picture of the wiring but undoing what I thought was a decorative cover delivered the entire fan to my hands and I lost the chance. I now have four ceiling wires: White, bare, white with red stripe, white with dark stripe. Plus the green ground of the new support fixture. The new Hampton Bay fan has three wires, white, black, and blue plus green ground. So what do I connect to what (assuming normal conventions were used) or how do I figure out what to connect with what? The old fan could have taken a light kit but none was installed. It was controlled by a wired wall switch which will be replaced with a Hampton Bay wall switch. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wiring-help/790234/2 "2017-06-30T22:40:59Z")
Bare is obviously ground. White should be neutral. White/Red is probably switched power - for the light kit. White/Black is probably power. I’ll see if I can find a diagram. ---
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wiring-help/790234/3 "2017-06-30T22:55:28Z")
I this is correct then it would be white to white, white/black to black, and white/red to blue? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wiring-help/790234/4 "2017-06-30T23:09:28Z")
> [@dauerbach](#): > > I this is correct then it would be white to white, white/black to black, and white/red to blue? Cautious yes. But, is there an existing fan controller still up there? Because, normal house wiring is just Bare, White, Black and (maybe) Red. ---
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wiring-help/790234/5 "2017-06-30T23:45:39Z")
The existing controller is on the wall and will be replaced. Perhaps some information will become available when I remove it from the wall. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2017, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wiring-help/790234/6 "2017-07-01T00:57:19Z")
> [@dauerbach](#): > > The existing controller is on the wall and will be replaced. Perhaps some information will become available when I remove it from the wall. Here is my swag. On the new fan White= neutral Black=power fan blue = power light. When you remove the existing controller from the wall and install the new controller. Supplying the new controller you will deed a power line, a neutral line and a ground wire. From the controller you will need Power for the fan, power for the light, neutral, and a ground wire. Use the white wire as a neutral. The bare wire will be the ground wire Besure to ground the fan. I would use the white with dark as fan power and use the White with red as light power. ---
**Author:** ![igor\_frankensteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/839c29/32.png) [@igor\_frankensteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/igor_frankensteen)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2017, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wiring-help/790234/7 "2017-07-01T01:16:46Z")
Are you sure there’s only one wall switch that affects the fan? And do you have a meter to test with? ---
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2017, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wiring-help/790234/8 "2017-07-01T01:59:47Z")
I am sure there is only one wall switch. I do have a multimeter as well. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2017, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wiring-help/790234/9 "2017-07-01T11:08:42Z")
I have nothing better to do this morning, so I’ll add a bit. (I’m an electrician, but this is strictly non-paid, volunteer assistance.) Let’s call the conductors by their real names, along with their common names: the ungrounded current-carrying conductor (“hot”), the grounded current-carrying conductor (“neutral”), and the grounding conductor (“ground”). These are normally black, white, and green (or bare), in order. The ceiling box should have all three coming into it from a branch circuit. This is your source voltage from the distribution panel. Your fan has the three conductors you’ve listed. Finally, there should be two more conductors that go to the light switch on the wall. Think of these as being the feed down to the switch and the other as the return. When you turn on the switch, these last two conductors will make a circuit and conduct the current. Assuming that the blue wire on the fan is “hot” for the light, you would want to make the following splices using wire nuts: 1. black (branch circuit) & black (fan) & feed to light switch 2. white (branch circuit) & white (fan) 3. blue (light) & return from light switch 4. all grounds, including any ground to box that might exist This will allow the light switch to turn on the light, while the fan can run all the time. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2017, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wiring-help/790234/10 "2017-07-01T11:46:17Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > I have nothing better to do this morning, so I’ll add a bit. (I’m an electrician, but this is strictly non-paid, volunteer assistance.) > > Let’s call the conductors by their real names, along with their common names: the ungrounded current-carrying conductor (“hot”), the grounded current-carrying conductor (“neutral”), and the grounding conductor (“ground”). These are normally black, white, and green (or bare), in order. > > The ceiling box should have all three coming into it from a branch circuit. This is your source voltage from the distribution panel. Your fan has the three conductors you’ve listed. Finally, there should be two more conductors that go to the light switch on the wall. Think of these as being the feed down to the switch and the other as the return. When you turn on the switch, these last two conductors will make a circuit and conduct the current. > > Assuming that the blue wire on the fan is “hot” for the light, you would want to make the following splices using wire nuts: > > 1. black (branch circuit) & black (fan) & feed to light switch > 2. white (branch circuit) & white (fan) > 3. blue (light) & return from light switch > 4. all grounds, including any ground to box that might exist > > This will allow the light switch to turn on the light, while the fan can run all the time. BTW, this assumes that your house is wired as most houses are, with the branch circuit going directly to the box on the ceiling. Some houses (and just certain rooms) are wired with the branch circuit going to the switch box on the wall. If you suspect you have the second method of wiring, I can provide you with details on how to handle that configuration. One clue would be that you have ONLY a hot, neutral, and ground at the box on the ceiling, with no feed and return to the light switch. OR, that you have this and only a single extra conductor (e.g., blue or red) in the fan box. ---
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2017, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wiring-help/790234/11 "2017-07-03T13:34:51Z")
Well, I hung and wired the fan this weekend and did something wrong. The wall switch, which is supposed to allow control of the lights and fan speed functions only as an on/off switch. When I removed the old switch and installed the new the only wires available were two black wires. I think that perhaps I should have wired the two striped wires together. Both the fan and the switch switch which I bought separately came with a device that is to be installed under the fan canopy. I thought this was simply the remote control receiver. Since I was hard wiring I did not install this but perhaps this is the only way to modulate the fan speed, and perhaps I should have. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2017, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wiring-help/790234/13 "2017-07-03T15:52:12Z")
> [@jimmybraun](#): > > ask professional writers at MeowEssay service, they are always ready to help with those types of problems Are they paid in meow meow beanz? ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2017, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wiring-help/790234/14 "2017-07-04T16:05:39Z")
How many conductors do you have in the switch box on the wall? What colors are they? It sounds like the original wiring MIGHT have been this: branch circuit run to switch box, hot leg broken into switched and unswitched conductors, and then all four conductors (switched hot, unswitched hot, neutral, and ground) run up to the light/fan box in the ceiling. In this case, you would have at least seven conductors in the switch box on the wall. This is unusual, since (in the US) you would not normally be allowed to use a white conductor for a hot leg of a circuit, even if it has a color stripe. But I’ve seen a lot of weird things in my time and this wouldn’t be totally unknown. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2017, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wiring-help/790234/15 "2017-07-04T17:33:53Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > This is unusual, since (in the US) you would not normally be allowed to use a white conductor for a hot leg of a circuit, even if it has a color stripe. But I’ve seen a lot of weird things in my time and this wouldn’t be totally unknown. Actually, this is pretty common in the US. You are supposed to wrap black tape around the white wire to indicate that it’s a hot. If you don’t tape the wire it’s not to code, but I personally have seen quite a few cases where nobody bothered to put black tape on the white wire. ---
**Author:** ![PoppaSan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/poppasan/32/189_2.png) [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wiring-help/790234/16 "2017-07-06T02:45:52Z")
> [@dauerbach](#): > > Well, I hung and wired the fan this weekend and did something wrong. The wall switch, which is supposed to allow control of the lights and fan speed functions only as an on/off switch. When I removed the old switch and installed the new the only wires available were two black wires. > > I think that perhaps I should have wired the two striped wires together. > > Both the fan and the switch switch which I bought separately came with a device that is to be installed under the fan canopy. I thought this was simply the remote control receiver. Since I was hard wiring I did not install this but perhaps this is the only way to modulate the fan speed, and perhaps I should have. Let me update my scorecard. The box on the wall has the black, white, ground supply wires that come from the breaker panel via whatever route to get the 110Volts there. The device you installed has two black wires. One you connected to the incoming black wire. The other was connected to (?) let’s guess it is the white with black tracer headed towards the fan. The white wire from the breaker panel is connected to the white wire going to the fan, Same with the ground, with a pigtail grounding the switch box. In the ceiling box for the fan you have the white wire coming from the switch tied to the white wire in the fan. The ground is the same way with some connection to the ceiling box. I’m guessing you tied the blue and black fan wires to the white with black tracer from the wall switch. And now the device on the wall is acting as an el cheapo toggle switch. Did I cover the bases correctly? You now have a device you were supposed to install to control everything remotely. Sounds like you need to install it. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wiring-help/790234/17 "2017-07-06T17:46:58Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Actually, this is pretty common in the US. You are supposed to wrap black tape around the white wire to indicate that it’s a hot. If you don’t tape the wire it’s not to code, but I personally have seen quite a few cases where nobody bothered to put black tape on the white wire. I wouldn’t say it’s rare, but it certainly gets rejected by a lot of inspectors. They go by NEC and the practice of identifying a current-carrying branch circuit conductor using a wrap of tape is not acceptable in most jurisdictions. Now, a conductor from a generator or to a sub-panel might be identified in this manner.