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Question:

Install Ceiling light (3 wires) into Ceiling Fan (4 wires)?

Hi,I'm trying to install a ceiling light with a 3 wire configuration (white, black, ground) into a wire configuration of 4 wires (white, red, black, ground). This is configured for two on/off switches.So far, I have white to white, black to black, and ground to ground with the red capped off. This works with one switch perfectly, however when I hit the other switch, the circuit breaker blows.Please help, and thank you!

Answer:

captain skalleywag is right. if the switch was originally set up for a fan the red wire is for the light and the black is for the fan. but if it is a 3 way fixture then the wiring is different. are both switches in the same junction box. if they are it is set up for a fan. if there is another switch on an opposite wall it is a three way.
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A circuit consists of two conductors not counting the green/bare, but can have more than two. Also a circuit can branch off and energize other things. Thus you have branch circuits. The ceiling box fan probably is a branch circuit consisting of two or three maybe four conductors i.e., black, red, white and green/bare. A ceiling fan will pull a load/current of usually 2 amps but can be a lot more. A 60watt incandescent light bulb pulls 1/6 of an amp, or 4 60watt bulbs is around 2amps. By and far the amount is very low considering most general lighting circuits can handle up to 20amps without any problems.
The three wire plus ground coming from the light to the switch, needs a FEED to the two switches! So, one of the three wires has to be connected to the feed. That would be the black wire. I believe that the white wire is one of the switch legs coming from one of the switches. That is why when you turn on the second switch, the breaker pops. Take that white wire coming up from the switch box off of the group of whites in the ceiling box and cap it.
I think according to your description of the wire configuration what you have is a power supply at the switches and 2 lead wires (red and black) coming up to power the light and fan separately. The white wire, or neutral wire is for a return path while the ground wire is a backup in the event the neutral fails.At the switch in the wall, you should note a black wire (power source) coming to the bottom terminal of any switches. From there, you will find another black or red wire going to the light itself. The neutral wires are all connected together and tucked away in the switch box. If the 4 wire configuration is from the fixture itself, then you would have a black wire for power to the light, a red wire for power to the fan unit while the white is a neutral return. If there is only one wall switch, you could in theory, connect the black and red from the fixture to the power supply coming up from the switch and therefore use the pull chains located on the fixture to turn on the light or fan or both. Failing this, it would be best to call a qualified electrician and protect yourself from what could be a nasty fire. Good Luck.

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