Ok, so have a basic home electrical question!

[SLB8SNK]

I am a jack of all trades but master of few. One area I am not that great at is home electrical stuff. I can do the basics, everything short of ever hitting the main bus box. So here is the question:

I have a hunter ceiling fan with a light attached. It uses a fancy remote, to control the fan speeds and the light on and off. Well I have an issue with the remote, seems a neighbor may be causing frequency interference and the light will come on at 4AM on its own, if I have the fan on. Whatever. Anyways, my house is wired with multiple wall switches for each room, two in each to control the ceiling fixture, assuming one is for fan and one for light, on units without remote. So when I hooked my fans up, I only used one switch (one hot) and once power is on, I use the remote. So now I am thinking, if I have to mess with taking the fan down to mess with the dip switches for the frequency, I may as well remove the remote module, do away with the remote as well, and just wire it to work off a light switch and a three speed switch.

So I email Hunter, and of course they tell me without a pull chain, the fan can not be bypassed without the remote module? I think that is bull-crap. I am not sure why a hot to the light and a hot to the fan, can not be hooked up to the two wall switches like I want to do? I think they are not wanting to admit it, or covering their butts, or want to sell something.

This seems so basic, but not sure why Hunter is saying no, so I thought I would phone a friend LOL.

So bottom line, has anyone done this, or does anyone have an opinion?

PS The ceiling box has one white, one black and one blue. I assume the white is common and the other two are hot, one for each switch. Right now I have the blue taped off not in use.

[tekheavy]

Casablanca makes wall switches to do exactly what you're looking to do.

http://www.csnceilingfans.com/Casablanca-Fan-W-32-CFC1504.html

http://www.csnceilingfans.com/Casablanca-Fan-W-81-CFC1511.html

http://www.csnceilingfans.com/Craftmade-UC-2000-1-fd7758.html?cv=2

[SLB8SNK]

Casablanca makes wall switches to do exactly what you're looking to do.

http://www.csnceilingfans.com/Casablanca-Fan-W-32-CFC1504.html

http://www.csnceilingfans.com/Casablanca-Fan-W-81-CFC1511.html

http://www.csnceilingfans.com/Craftmade-UC-2000-1-fd7758.html?cv=2

Oh trust me, I know there are indeed switches, as Hunter even sells them.. What I need is not even that fancy as I can use a normal light switch for the light and just buy a three speed for the fan. Wall plate already can accommodate.

The question is, I think I can indeed remove the remote module and do what I state, and Hunter says I can't?? Thus the reason for the question.

[tekheavy]

Oh trust me, I know there are indeed switches, as Hunter even sells them.. What I need is not even that fancy as I can use a normal light switch for the light and just buy a three speed for the fan. Wall plate already can accommodate.

The question is, I think I can indeed remove the remote module and do what I state, and Hunter says I can't?? Thus the reason for the question.

The remote control unit on my Hampton Bays fan burnt out so I wired it hot all the time. Now I just use the pull chain to operate it. I could have just as easy ran a piece of romex down to a wall switch. I'm sure it can be done. Hunter probably just doesn't want you to screw with for warranty and safety reasons.

[SLB8SNK]

The remote control unit on my Hampton Bays fan burnt out so I wired it hot all the time. Now I just use the pull chain to operate it. I could have just as easy ran a piece of romex down to a wall switch. I'm sure it can be done. Hunter probably just doesn't want you to screw with for warranty and safety reasons.

Yea it does not have a pull chain and thus the reason I can use the three speed switch at the wall on a hot wire to the fan, as i see it.

[Johnny Dangerously]

Yea it does not have a pull chain and thus the reason I can use the three speed switch at the wall on a hot wire to the fan, as i see it.
You can buy the pull chain switches separately for both the fan & the light. I've had to replace the light switch in 2 older fans already.

I think if you were to take the fan down & disassemble the area where the light relay & fan relay are located, you should be able to cut out the remote sensor & wire in the new switches.
You would need to put the holes in the base obviously.


`

[twobjshelbys]

The Casablanca switches will only work with their fans. They use a higher frequency signal over the AC lines to communicate with the control in the fan head. They run on a standard two-wire circuit and switch the fan and lights using the control signals from a single power line so don't need a three-wire cable.

[twobjshelbys]

I'd be cautious of the blue wire. Blue is not present in any home wiring cable that I am aware of. Most often it would have been wired with a 3-wire cable (white-black-red). I don't know what a blue wire would be. Is that wire also in the switch box? If so you might be able to run both light and fan on separate switches but you'll also have to figure out how to bypass the internal controller module.

I hate to say it you might be best off having an electrician look at this.

I'm a pretty accomplished (but not licensed) electrician - I've wired 4 homes all by my self (except for the main line to the breaker panel) but for those I keep impeccable records ("schematic") of every wire run. Without knowledge of where that blue wire comes from I would not want to connect to it. Like I said, it's just a little unorthodox.

[Ebony Princess]

I am a jack of all trades but master of few. One area I am not that great at is home electrical stuff. I can do the basics, everything short of ever hitting the main bus box. So here is the question:

I have a hunter ceiling fan with a light attached. It uses a fancy remote, to control the fan speeds and the light on and off. Well I have an issue with the remote, seems a neighbor may be causing frequency interference and the light will come on at 4AM on its own, if I have the fan on. Whatever. Anyways, my house is wired with multiple wall switches for each room, two in each to control the ceiling fixture, assuming one is for fan and one for light, on units without remote. So when I hooked my fans up, I only used one switch (one hot) and once power is on, I use the remote. So now I am thinking, if I have to mess with taking the fan down to mess with the dip switches for the frequency, I may as well remove the remote module, do away with the remote as well, and just wire it to work off a light switch and a three speed switch.

So I email Hunter, and of course they tell me without a pull chain, the fan can not be bypassed without the remote module? I think that is bull-crap. I am not sure why a hot to the light and a hot to the fan, can not be hooked up to the two wall switches like I want to do? I think they are not wanting to admit it, or covering their butts, or want to sell something.

This seems so basic, but not sure why Hunter is saying no, so I thought I would phone a friend LOL.

So bottom line, has anyone done this, or does anyone have an opinion?

PS The ceiling box has one white, one black and one blue. I assume the white is common and the other two are hot, one for each switch. Right now I have the blue taped off not in use.

We have the exact same problem with the fan and light in our Mst Bedroom, and it seems we have another fan in our home with the same frequency and our neighbor does too. Initially it was just crazy. Lights and fans off and on at all hours. I never thought to ask for assistance here. :doh2: Thanks for the info everyone.

[twobjshelbys]

Is the blue wire a 14ga solid conductor wire?

[twobjshelbys]

It should be possible to change the frequencies. The range on these is typically less than a whole house though -

[Carnut]

Is the blue wire a bond wire, they are usually green or bare wire. Maybe it just looks blue in your light.

On the other hand the two whites don't make sense either, they should be neutral, suppose a reostat could be on the neutral and the hot split in the box for the light and the fan.

There are a lot of good diagrams on DIY sites for electrical wiring, just do a search for ceiling fan wiring.

[SLB8SNK]

Ok, let me explain the simple parts first.

As for the house wiring, brand new home and all rooms wired with at least three wall switches. One for a basic wall outlet (table lamp) and two other switches that are for the ceiling fixture. Within the ceiling fixture you have a common white and the two other colors (black and blue) at the two separate hots one for each switch. I know this as I ran a single light fixture to my outside patio, it has three lights in one and I ran one light of the black wire and two off the other. Tricky way to focus lights in the backyard. So, I know for sure the wiring in the house is correct as is, using the colors as is.

Next, yes I know the frequency issue can be resolved by just taking the light down and change the three dip setting to a new frequency, both on the fan and the external remote. HOWEVER, since I do not need the remote, and don't use it, I figure a more permanent fix would be to do the rewire as suggested.

So to clarify, Hunter fan, and you can by Hunter wall switches. So yes they make them. Question is, if I take the light down, and remove the internal remote module (easy to do as it sits in the topper) what I will have left is what appears to be basic wires for a basic light/fan unit. I want to then tie the white commons, use the black for the light, the blue for the fan. Tie the black to a basic light switch and the blue to a hunter three way wall switch.

So that all stated, and assuming the house wiring is as stated, and I have two hots as stated, and I replace the wall fan switch with a Hunter three way, will it all work as suggest? A two switch system, both on or one or the other on or off?

Thanks!

[SLB8SNK]

Well after repeated threats from hunter telling me it can't be done, I elected to just drop the fan and change the dip settings. I will try it out tonight and hope for no ghost wake up call... wish me luck! Thanks for all the opinions and comments!