Wiring Ceiling Fans with Remote Control

By Dave Rongey Summary: Electrical Wiring Question: All the existing ceiling fans in my house are wired to 2 switches, one for the fan and one for the light.

How to Wire a Ceiling Fan with a Remote Control

Electrical Troubleshooting Question:
All the existing ceiling fans in my house are wired to 2 switches, one for the fan and one for the light.
I have replaced the existing fan in one room with a new one, and am also installing the remote control unit. The side of the remote that goes to power source has 2 wires, black and white, but because of the original setup there are 2 hot wires, black and red. I currently have it wired the way it was originally, fan on one hot, and light on the other.

Since there is only one hot wire on the remote, should I cap one of the hot sources, and just leave it off to the side unused, or cap both the hot sources to the black wire on the remote?
Thanks- Jenna.

From Dave:
Hi Jenna - Great Electrical Repair Question!
In a case like this I would use the Black as the main power source and just cap off the red wire.
Sounds like you were headed in the right direction - Very Wise Indeed!
Wouldn't it be great if they made a switch cover that was the saddle for the remote?
People sometimes get confused and forget to turn the wall switch on or one of the pull chains, so make sure the fan is set for full speed on the pull chain and the lights as well.
Let me know if this helps you.


From: Jenna.
Thanks Dave, I actually did this last night, so I'm glad I did the right thing.

I believe they do make a saddle for the remote, or they have a switch that has the remote functions on it, along with a handheld remote, cause I thought I saw one in the store. However I didn't go that route, I just got the handheld remote, since I'm just using this setup in my bedroom, because I hate having to get out of bed in the middle of the night to turn the fan off.
I could of gotten the fancy remote with the thermostat and timer, it wasn't much more than the one I did get, but I opted for small and basic. I installed 3 fans, all by myself, over the last 2 days. One ceiling fan was reused from my previous home.
Great job with the Ceiling Fans, Jenna!