Electrical Question

[javeryh]

I have a ceiling fan that runs off of a switch on the wall.  I want to replace the ceiling fan with a pink chandelier but the problem is that the chandelier is meant to be plugged into the wall.  Can I splice the plug to the wires that power the fan?  Will that be a fire hazard or anything?  Is the voltage the same?  I am scared of electricity but I don't want to call an electrician if this is a very simple thing to do.  THANKS!!

[stuckpixel]

Generally speaking, at least from my experience, this should work fine. If you really want to be sure though, go get a multi-meter and test the voltages and whatnot yourself. It's possible you might have something unusual for the fan, but I'd be surprised personally.

[TOK]

I'm not sure what the code is on splicing stranded wire (your light) to solid (hardwire for fan), but there should already be a box with wire nuts where the ceiling fan ties into the house electric. This box would also generally serve as the support for the fan.

In theory, there is nothing wrong with it power-wise, but the few fans I've installed have always had solid wire to match the house electric.

[SavannahLion]

I'm not sure what the code is on splicing stranded wire (your light) to solid (hardwire for fan),

I just took down some chandeliers and they have stranded wire. It largely depends on the fixture itself. The chandelier wire hung out of the light plate and was stranded through a chain to the lights. That specific application requires stranded.

On a ceiling fan circuit, you need to be careful if there are control wires. One set would be for the fan and another set would be for the lights. Most installations typically don't have control wires, opting for manual control or for remote control. Just in case you have this circuit configuration, You need to cap off the control circuit you're not using so it doesn't short out. Separate the appropriate wires and cap each of them with a wire cap. I've had people tell me you only need to cap the hot wire. to save on a 5 cent cap, that's some ridiculous advice.

[javeryh]

I just finished with the wiring and now I'm nervous.  It all works fine but I did have a fan and a light with separate controls.  There were three wires up there - two wired together and one separate (all solid core) so there were only two caps.  I just cut the plug off of the chandelier and wired one of the wires to one cap and the other wire to the other cap.  It seems to be working fine - should I be worried about burning the house down?

[scotthh]

What color were the wires? Generally:
Green or bare copper = ground
White = neutral
Black or red = hot

If you had separate wall switches for the light and the fan, you should have two separate hot wires in there see link 1 or link 2.

Perhaps there is a ground connected to a metal box? Can you post a picture?

[javeryh]

It's too late for a pic but here's what was up in the ceiling:

1.  ONE white wire with a cap
2.  TWO white wires connected (twisted) together with a cap

The switch on the wall is ONE regular old light switch.  There were TWO chains on the fan - pull one to control the light and pull the other to control the fan.

I connected the two wires from the chandelier to the two caps that were in the ceiling.

[scotthh]

How old is the construction? If it's pre-1960s, there might not be a ground in there.

With one wall switch controlling the fixture, it's unlikely that there are two hot wires in there. That's good.

If there were two switches where either could turn the fixture on, the extra wire could be a traveller. But you said there was only one switch.

Is there an outlet on the wall that's also controlled by the switch? That could account for the "extra wire" Also, it would allow you to use an inexpensive tester to ensure that the wires are connected properly.

[SavannahLion]

There were TWO chains on the fan - pull one to control the light and pull the other to control the fan.

To clarify what I was describing. Sounds like you have a manual control.

A typical fan installation consists of a wall switch (or two if you have a three way) that controls both the fan and light. You use one chain to control the fan speed and the other to control the light. This configuration is the most compatible and the most oft used because it's cheaper than running multiple wires, cheaper than a remote module, and the easiest to retrofit existing fixtures.

After that, you start getting into the hokey stuff. No point in explaining them all here if you don't have any of it. But the gist of it is, there were/are different attempts to allow greater control over a fan/light.

[shardian]

I have installed 4 ceiling fans in my house from scratch now since only swag lights were originally in it. All of them have stranded wire that connects to the solid core house wiring. Typically, a fan/light has a green ground wire to ground the fan housing to your houses earth ground, white and black wires for neutral and hot house wiring, and a blue remote wire to control the light by a switch. If you wanted to put in the swag light, you would need to patch the existing hole, install a swag hook, and connect the neutral plug wire (the wide prong wire) to the white house wire. then connect the hot plug wire to the light switch wire. Note: when using a switch, always switch the "live" wire. The reason is when you turn a switch off you want to stop the power BEFORE the appliance in question. If you switch the neutral wire, it will work, but power will still be flowing thru the appliance - not good for changing bulbs for sure.

[Green Giant]

You have nothing to worry about with a fire.  The only possible way would be for the caps to come off and short across, and even then your fuse should blow.  Fire would require some really bad luck with some insulation lighting up.

I have found that many times all the wires up there are white cause builders are lazy and will paint over them along with the ceiling.

And FYI, there is no so called control wire.  The two wires up there carry the same current throught them.  They are spliced off the same line when sent to the switches.  They only allow the 120V to be sent separately to the fan and lights using dual switches.  Its a possibility that the two wires with a cap were for fan and light control with a second switch.

[SavannahLion]

And FYI, there is no so called control wire. 

Calling something a control wire(s) should not imply a low voltage circuit. However, you're correct that I shouldn't have used the word "control" when describing the wiring. Software mentality I guess. I think the correct term is "switch" wire. In any case, when dealing with high voltages, treat every wire the same. As something that will give you serious shock.

[Green Giant]

That was my main point cause believe me, that extra wire for switching the light hurts just as much as the fan.  Just said it cause you can wire the chandelier up to either of the hot wires or both.

[shardian]

This thread wasn't as bad as the "how do I set down wood into a truck" one, but it was close. 

This post wasn't one of you best trolling's, but it was close.

[scotthh]

I just read the wood in a truck thread for the first time. If you're enjoying where this one has gone this evening, you're going to love that one. 

[danny_galaga]

im slightly alarmed that you guys would play with high voltage while wondering if youre doing it right or not! 

oh, and im bummed i couldnt join in on the wood in a truck thread 

[shardian]

im slightly alarmed that you guys would play with high voltage while wondering if youre doing it right or not! 

oh, and im bummed i couldnt join in on the wood in a truck thread 

House wiring isn't high voltage. It isn't exactly comfy to touch the live wires, but definitely not life threatening in most cases.

[danny_galaga]

Cause at some point we've all cut open a plug and realized there's only 2 or 3 wires in there?  It's not magic, you know.

Glad to hear you got your fan working.

no, but when i read this:

Will that be a fire hazard or anything?  Is the voltage the same?  I am scared of electricity but I don't want to call an electrician

and then hours later this:

I just finished with the wiring and now I'm nervous.  ... should I be worried about burning the house down?

i feel slightly alarmed. im just concerned for my fellow byoacers  (well, most of them anyway  )

anyway, glad you didnt come to any harm javeryh (",)

[DaOld Man]

On house wiring in the USA, on 120 Volt lighting circuits, there will be a "feeder" cable consisting of a white wire and a black wire. Except for older houses, there should also be a bare wire, or green, which is the bonding ground.
In a ceiling box that a light (or a fan) attaches to, there can be two ways of wiring it.

Most ceiling boxes have a feeder cable. This may branch off and feed other circuits, which in this case, the blacks will wire together, the whites will wire together, and the grounds together.
If the box is metal, the ground should also attach to it.
This is simply "passing the current through" to other circuits.

To pick up the light or the fan, there will be a white wire, a black wire, and possibly a green ground wire on the lamp. The ground could also be bare.
Some lights, such as chandeliers, have what appears to be a lamp cord, in this case, the wire in the cord that is marked with small lines, or lettering, will attach to the white wires in the box. One wire could be colored silver and the other copper. The silver will go to the feeder's white.

The cable going down to the switch is called "the switch loop", also "switch leg".
This cable also has a black and a white wire in it, and possibly a ground.
In the ceiling box, the switch loop's black wire ties onto the lamp's black wire.
The switch loop's white wire ties into the feeder's black wire.
This is done to keep from having two white wires feeding the lamp or fan.
The grounds on all circuits tie together.

On a fan the black wire ties to the switch loop black.
The white ties to the feeder white.
The blue wire is for a light kit that mounts to the bottom of the fan.
It can tie to the switch loop black with the fan, so that the switch turns both fan and light off and on.

However, most fans are wired so that the black wire ties to the feeder black, and the blue wire ties to the switch loop black. This is done so that the switch controls the light, but the fan motor is controlled by a pullchain switch on the fan.

The second wiring scheme would be that the feeder cable goes into the switch box first, in that case you will most likely only have one white, and one black wire in the ceiling box. (and maybe a ground).
In that case, its very simple, white to white, black (and blue) to black, and grounds together.

So if you just replace the fan with the chandelier, you should be just fine wiring it in place of the fan's motor, if the switch controlled the motor.

When attaching the wires (stranded to solid is ok), just make sure you twist them good, then twist the wire nut (also called a "cap") onto the connection.
Make sure no copper is exposed under the wire nuts on the whites and blacks, and you should be just fine.

Someone made a comment insinuating that house voltage is not all that dangerous.
Please note that house voltage (120) can kill you.
What kills you is the current, and it only takes about 30 MA (0.030 amp) to stop your heart. (The current available at the lamp is a steady 15-30 amps, but can supply 10,000 amps for a brief instant. This is called short circuit current, and really depends on how long the breaker or fuse can pass that much current.)

The current that flows through your body is based on the resistance your body has, and the voltage.
If you are sweating the danger increases greatly.
I know of several construction workers who have died because they accidentally got into some 120 volt wiring while working in a hot attic, or under a floor on moist ground.
I once wired up a doorbell transformer in a hot attic. I was wiring the low voltage side (about 16 volts), it was eating my lunch ever time I touched the wires.
Even telephone wiring will "bite" if you touch the conductors (wires) while laying on bare ground under the floor. (Experience is talking again!)

So just be careful when you do house wiring, turn off the power at the breaker or fuse panel. And make sure your connections are good and tight, because a loose connection will create heat when current flows through it.
If you are really not sure about what you are doing, pay the electrician a few bucks to do it for you. He(She) should be trained and know what to do.