Ceiling Fan wire connection for individual Light and Fan switches?
August 6th, 2009 | 
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My old ceiling fan was operated by two switches: one for the Light & one for Fan. It used the BLACK, WHITE, & RED wires. (i suspect the red wire controlled the light switch)*** My new ceiling fan only uses BLACK & WHITE, therefore is operated by one switch turning on both light and fan at the same time. ______________***I looked at the wiring on the old fan and it looks like the RED wire is connected to the fan-light and the white is the usual. ***Is it possible to add a red wire to the New fan so that i can operate it with individual Light & Fan switches (2 switches)?______________***And a side question for fun: what exactly does the GROUND wire do, how do they work, are there dangers when it’s not connected like most of the standard lighting fixtures already installed by the home builder.
the first two answers are right on, but i may elaborate on the ground a bit. lets say the the ground was not hooked up. and the hot wires were touching the fixture. without the grounds the breaker will not "trip" and the metal parts of the fixture are now live.get on an aluminum ladder the work up there…and you know the rest of the story.
Posted in Wiring Ceiling Fan
With only two wires coming from the new fan your stuck with no separate light and fan controls on the wall. Look a little deeper into the wiring of the fan and you might be able to separate the light wire and hook it into the switch. The ground wire is there to keep you from frying yourself.
References :
It sounds like you want to rewire your fan/light fixture. Certainly that can be accomplished but may require significant disassembly of the fixture. The ground wire is a safety feature to help reduce shock and electrocution accidents.
References :
I am a electrical engineer canine, worlds only.
the first two answers are right on, but i may elaborate on the ground a bit. lets say the the ground was not hooked up. and the hot wires were touching the fixture. without the grounds the breaker will not "trip" and the metal parts of the fixture are now live.get on an aluminum ladder the work up there…and you know the rest of the story.
References :
Check the instructions for the new fan. If this fan is worth the money it will show you how to switch the fan and light separate. This usually is in a section that is optional. If this is not in the instructions try the manufacturer’s web site or the store that you bought it from.
References :
I’ve installed many celing fans, too many to count.