#DIMMER SWITCH FOR FAN FULL#

If there is separate wiring for the light setting and fan setting, you may be able to wire each set of wires onto two different switches. While this won’t give you the customization aspect for your ceiling fan that you may have wanted, it definitely beats having a potentially hazardous fan in your house, right? To do this, we’d suggest swapping the current switch out for a simple toggle model. If you don’t want to pay out for another fan, or worse, have to repair your home after a damaging fire, you’re going to want to remove the standard dimmer switch as soon as possible. Having a ceiling fan that is already wired up to a standard dimmer switch is definitely not ideal because, as we mentioned earlier, it heightens the risk of fires and damage to your fan. Read our guide to find out does a ceiling fan need a wall switch at all? What if my ceiling fan is already wired to a standard dimmer switch? These allow you to control the speed of your fan quickly, easily, and without worry of dangerous outcomes. These hazards are generally associated with standard dimmer switches, and you can actually get models that are designed for use with ceiling fans. An example of this is that the motor in your fan could be damaged and rendered useless.Ī broken ceiling fan motor and a house fire are obviously not ideal outcomes, however, there is some good news.

By all means, you can connect a ceiling fan directly to a dimmer switch, but you may run into problems along the way. If a switch is overloaded for too long, it could cause a fire. Having said that, nothing is perfect, and unfortunately dimmer switches are much more likely to become overloaded than other types of wall control switches. What makes dimmer switches so great is that they also only take a matter of minutes to install, making them a great DIY project for busy homeowners.

You can create an ambiance with the lighting, use it to start winding down before sleep, or simply use less energy than you were previously. Why use a dimmer switch for a ceiling fan?Ĭeiling fan dimmer switches are great alternatives to boring push switches when you want to spice up your home. If you wanted more customization of your ceiling fan, opting for a dimmer switch may be the way to go. Traditional switches turn the light on to one setting of brightness, and allow the fan to turn at one speed. They are operated by a switch either on the fan or mounted onto the wall. It will be an awesome feature piece and give your room a vintage and rustic feel to it.Ĭeiling fans are typically electrically powered and therefore need to be wired into your house.

#DIMMER SWITCH FOR FAN FULL#

The modified waves are “cut off” halfway through each cycle, so it should only deliver 50% of the power that the full sine wave.Just because ceiling fans were more common and popular in the past, doesn’t mean that you can’t incorporate one into your house now. In the image below, the topportion represents a typical 120V sine wave, while the bottom two portions are modified waves produced by a dimmer. You can think of it like an electrical grid black out that happens 120 times a second.īecause of this, you'll need to replace your wall dimmer switch with an on-off switch. If you were to provide a modified sine wave to a device that is designed for straight 120V, it could behave abnormally or just stop working. Most electrical devices, including our controls, are designed to operate at full voltage (e.g. The More Complicated Answer (We ARE engineers after all): Replace the wall dimmer switch with an on-off switch. The wall dimmer switch reduces power flow and interferes with the fan control.

Dimmer switch for fan