Good day /diy/I was trying to do grandson things for my grandmaTried replacing a ceiling fan/light combo attached to a porch lightI didn't look at the wiring when I took down the old fanI just assumed black (and blue, b/c fan) to black, white to white, ground to groundI install the ceiling fan, flip the switch to ON, the porch light goes on, fan turns off. Flip to off, porch light goes VERY DIM, fan turns on.Checked voltage at ceiling fan with switch off, I get 78v. Porch light is around 20v. Switch on, 120v at porch light, 0 at fan. What's wrong here? Allegedly everything worked before I touched it, besides the fan portion not working from age. The house was built in late 60s, but the porch was built by my grandpa. I think the ceiling fan was added by him in the 1990s too.
>>3006269That'd be pretty funny wiring in Europe
>>3006269What does the wiring diagram of the fan say the wires are for? Blue is what, for example?
>>3006271Blue is the fan motor hot wire
>>3006272Okay. Do you have multiple switches controlling those wires? I ask because brown is not a common wire color for ground. Could it be a second hot? If you had two switches controlling the wire it would make sense. How old is the house? Could it be before grounds were common (1960s and prior)?
>>3006273It's a ground wire, unsheathed or whateverAs stated house was built in the 60s, but the porch was an add onAnd it's only controlled by one switch
>>3006269Blue is the hot supply to the lamp and black is hot to the fan. Disconnect the wires, remove the plate, and check the condition of the wiring. Do the same for the switch. Throw the breaker first. lol
>>3006275Does this help at all, I'm no longer at her house for the day. The switch tested good despite being an ancient artifact.
>>3006276wut watdudebrahthis... is not bussin
>>3006274Undo the wire nuts. Test voltage on wires without anything connectedBlack to white and black to ground should be like 0V with switch off, 120V with switch on. If that’s the case, you have something fucked in the fan. If you still get weird readings, check your switch. Also check all your connections behind the switch and porch light. An old crusty connection in a wire nut could be shaking loose.That’s what I would do next before scratching my head more and wondering why the light and the fan are on the same switch
>>3006276I hope that white isn’t a neutral
>>3006279black and white ceiling wires at the fan box (no fan connected) with switch off: 78vblack and white ceiling wires at fan box with switch on: 0v (or nearly 0v)black and white wires at the porch light, switch ON: 118-120vsame, but switch off: 19vall on one switch of course as stated
>>3006282If this pic >>3006276 is real,#1, check that white wire on the bottom of the switch and make sure it’s not a neutral. I’m no elechicken but goofy shit happens when neutrals are messed up#2- replace those two fucking switches, they’re ancient and switches are cheap.
Make sure the fan doesn't have a remote and receiver. I think a lot of modern fans let their receiver rectify to dc in between the ceiling and the wires you just connected. A conventional AC motor fan would be fine with the way OP is wired. As pointed out, check that the white you're working with isn't the same one hooked to the switch. Open neutral is a good way to get odd voltage readings and voltages somewhere else where you don't want them. You need to see 120v across black to white and across black to ground. No voltage ground to neutral.
Traditionally black is hot and white is neutral.But ignore that, if he built the porch, assume his wiring job is also something of his own creation. I see the wiring above the fan is modernish nylon romex. But I see none of this romex at the switch, that's all PVC coated, probably original to the house. It likely never even touches the switch. So there's a white wire on the switch, what gives? That's a switch loop for the porch light. Common for older homes. So. If the fan worked beforehand, I believe he daisy chained the fan power off of the porch light... because well, that was probably the easiest way to get power to the fan without hacking up walls. And he goofed by reversing the black and the white because well, he probably didn't know the switch loop created a hot white. And all this is gonna act like a dropped neutral/voltage splits with all sorts of wacky readings.
>>3006276Anon, everything is wired correctly at the fan if you mean for both the fan & light operate from the same switch (i.e. both on or both off). If you want them to operate on separate switches then you need to run 12/3 Romex and connect the extra (red) conductor to the other switch. Then you connect red to blue, black to black, white to white.The problem is the switches and wiring. Separate the incoming hot and neutral. Splice two extra hot (black) conductors that you cut from leftover Romex. Wire nut them together with the incoming hot (black), and connect the other ends, one to each hot terminal on each switch. Then connect your outgoing hot from each switch to the light and fan conductors respectively.Then you tie all your neutrals together, and all the grounds.
>>3006287>If you want them to operate on separate switchesOr use the pull switch for the ceiling fan and the wall switch for the light, then you don't need to run Romex.
>>3006288I'm confused. The fan/light combo worked in addition to the porch light, so wouldn't the wiring be good? >>3006286Huh that would be interesting, so try reversing polarity on the fan wiring? white to black, black to white?
>>3006276Whoever did that wiring is a fucking moron and could have gotten someone killed. That someone could very well have been you.Problem #1: One screw, one wire. If you have two or more wires you use a pigtail. Picture related.Problem #2: That top screw appears to have three wires connected to it and one of them is wrapped around another and not the screw?Problem #3: There is a white wire connected to the bottom screw of the switch. White should never be hot unless you modify the wire by wrapping a piece of black or red electrical tape around the end to let people who come after know it is a hot wire.Problem #4: You have two wires connected to the bottom screw of that switch. That should have been a pigtail also. Assuming they didn't do something stupid. Like if that white wire is supposed to be the neutral. If that is the case it shouldn't be connected to a switch at all.Problem #5: I see no ground in that box. Could be the angle of the photo. Old houses often only grounded the back of the box and let the screws holding the switches provide ground.>>3006283>replace those two fucking switches, they’re ancient and switches are cheap.Eh, that doesn't bother me. They are still working and were probably made in the USA. Not like the Chinese dogshit that has been cost cut to the bone that you can only get now.
>>3006289>so wouldn't the wiring be good?Read this again >>3006282 and tell me if you think this seems right.
>>3006282The 78v reading is phantom voltageThe 20v is acting as a dropped neutral because well, the disconnected black is his dropped neutral because again, grandpa got confused by the switch loop having a hot white wire. >>3006291In modern homes maybe, but this is more than common for older construction, the casserole of wires on a humongous switch. ONCE AGAIN. THIS IS A SWITCH LOOP. COMMON IN OLDER HOMES. THE WHITE WIRE IS HOT.
>US electricians can't wire a spst or color codereally makes you think
>>3006344Is OP an electrician? Is anybody in this thread an electrician?>muh switch loopUpgrade your outdated clusterfuck.
>>3006276Someone used a piece of 12/2 for the switch wiringYou got a lost neutral somewhere buddy
