How to Install Ceiling Fans and Remote Control Wiring
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How do I wire a universal remote control for my ceiling fan? Installing a Ceiling Fan and Remote Control Module, Wiring diagrams and installation guide for Light and fan switch variations. |
Hunter Ceiling Fan and Remote Control Module
Ceiling Fan Question: How do I wire a universal remote control for my ceiling fan?
- I purchased a Hunter Ceiling Fan with a light kit and remote control. It was a display item.
- I had to get a universal remote with receiver as the original one was not included.
- I don’t know how to connect the wires to my ceiling fan universal remote control.
- From the fan there is a pink, yellow, red, gray,black and white wires.
- On my new universal remote there are two white and two black and a red.
- The instructions for the remote says that the red is for the light, one of the black is fan, one of the white is common, the other white is neutral and the other black is hot. I don’t know how they are to be connected.
The Hunter Fan Model Number is 21871 and the Universal Remote unit is for Hunter Fans. I purchased them both at home depot.
This electrical question came from: Mary, a Homeowner from Sherwood AR.
Additional Comments: I found your information to be very informative.
Dave’s Reply:
Thanks for your electrical question Mary.
Wiring a Ceiling Fan and Remote Control Module
Application: Wiring a Ceiling Fan Remote Control.
Skill Level: Beginner to Intermediate – Best if wired by a Licensed Electrical Contractor.
Tools Required: Basic Electricians Pouch Hand Tools and Voltage Tester.
Estimated Time: Depends on personal level experience and ability to work with tools.
Precaution: Identify the light circuit, turn it OFF and Tag it with a Note before working with the wiring.
Materials: Make sure the remote control unit is fully compatible with the ceiling fan you have and the size of the lamps that will be installed in the fixture.
Wiring the Hunter Ceiling Fan Model Number 21871
The wiring designations for this Hunter Ceiling fan are as follows:
- The pink wire and the yellow wire connect to the primary coil of the fan motor.
- The red wire and the gray wire connect to the fan motor starting coil.
- The blue wire is for the fan light power.
- The white wire is for the fan light neutral.
The wiring designations for the Universal Remote are as follows:
- The red wire is for the fan light.
- The black wire is for the fan motor.
- The white common wire is the common for the white wire of the fan and the light.
- The black wire is for the incoming power line.
- The white neutral wire is for the incoming neutral wire.
More about Wiring Ceiling Fans and Remote Controls
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Take the mystery out of ceiling fan wiring. Ceiling Fans are a great way to lower your energy bill and brighten up one of your favorite rooms.
- All about Ceiling Fan Remote Controls
- Ceiling fan remote controls can be extremely useful, especially when it comes to controlling the lighting separately from the fan speed.
More about All About Ceiling Fan Remote Controls
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I just completed a repair like this. I bought the Hunter “Universal” remote and pulled the old, non-functioning remote out. I had to cut the connector off the old remote receiver and was left with the 6 wires you’ve mentioned. Black and white wires are the light control – I connected white to white (common) and black to the red “Light” wire from the receiver. The pink, red, yellow and gray control the fan. I connected red and pink to the black “Fan” wire from the remote receiver, and connected the yellow and grey to the white (common) wire. This gave me all 3 speeds and full dimmer control over the light, once I followed the instructions for activating the remote (I believe it was to hold down the fan speed 1 and 3 buttons for 30 seconds).
This made the fan blow down, which is what I need in this installation. There is no directional control on the universal remote, but I understand that reversing the yellow and pink wires will make the fan blow upward.
I read in several posts online that you can not use the universal remote with a fan of this type, but I can report that it works well for us. The one thing I will mention is that all 3 speeds are slower than they used to be, but I think that may be because my fan is so large. It does not much matter, since we never ran the fan above “2” anyway, and the new speed “3” is about same as the old speed “2”. This was much cheaper than paying $60 or so that several people reported having to pay for replacement parts.
Hi Russ,
Thanks for sharing about your successful ceiling fan remote installation. One thing for sure, right when you think everything is created equal your find one that’s a little different, and you managed to overcome this challenge, especially with the universal remote, which should be in fact “universal”, after all, it is just a transmitter and receiver operation with addressable components. Once you crack the address codes you’ve got it.
All the Best!
Dave
Thanks for these instructions – worked for the most part. The only problem I had was that the fan blew upwards instead of down when wired as stated.
Going to try reversing the pink and yellow to see if that fixes the orientation.
Thanks,
Paul
Hi Paul,
To change the direction of the ceiling fan you do not have to make any wiring changes. There should be a switch located just below the fan blades on the side of the lower assembly where the light is typically attached. Simply slide the switch into the opposite setting and this will change the direction of the ceiling fan rotation.
Enjoy your ceiling fan,
Dave
I’ve tried to connect a new remote as you described. It worked for 20 minutes and then started to smell as burning electronics. So I had to do what I tried to avoid doing. I did reverse engineering and that what I came up with:
The yellow wire needs to be connected to white and both connected to neutral (white).
The pink wire needs to be connected to grey and both connected to “motor” from the remote receiver.
The red wire is connected through capacitor 5uf 250v to white wire (neutral).
As you said -to reverse the motor you need to change places of pink and yellow wires. Gray is always “hot”.
Hi Viktor,
Please be aware that this article refers to a Hunter Fan, Model Number is 21871, and the Universal Remote is for the hunter fan.
It would be very helpful to know which ceiling fan and remote control unit that you have, therefore readers should understand that the Brand and Model Number of Viktor’s ceiling fan and remote control is unknown.
The method of reverse engineering is a good idea, however be sure to refer to the wiring diagrams and instructions that came with the specific remote control unit and the ceiling fan that you have.
Thank you for sharing your information,
Dave
So Dave,
I am going to use your wiring solution on my 21871 and I will use a hunter standard universal remote. Your solution makes sense.
Any problems thus far?
Viktor probably got his wires crossed
Hi Steve,
Installing a universal remote control on a ceiling fan is a real convenience, and it provides great control options.
Enjoy your ceiling fan!