Have you ever noticed how many wires come out of your ceiling fan? Mostly you may see 2 wires coming out to be connected to the outlet. But in many cases you might have found 3 or 4 wires from a ceiling fan. The odd one among them is the blue one. What is it and where does it go?
The blue wire is the second hot wire connecting wire for the ceiling fan light. There are many ceiling fans that comes with a light, the light needs a hot to draw energy from. The blue wire comes from that light and is connected to a hot wire.
The other wires are mainly black, white and green. The color codes are maintained so that it is easy to identify the wires by their colors. Each of the wires has their own purpose. Let’s talk about the wires and how they are connected in this article.
What Are The Connection Wires Of A Ceiling Fan?
There are four wires coming out of a ceiling fan that has a light built in with it. The wires are-
- Black wire, as the hot wire for fan
- Blue wire, as the hot wire for light
- White wire, as the common neutral wire for both
- Green wire, as the grounding wire
In many fans the grounding wire may be missing. And those without a light will not have the blue wire.
What Is The Blue Wire In The Ceiling Fan And Light For?
Like I said, the blue wire is the hot wire for the light of the ceiling fan. It is connected to the hot wire of the power supply.
In many cases the fan may not have a light facility present, but there can be slot for future upgrade and a blue cable available. In such cases cap the blue wire while wiring the fan.
Where Does The Blue Wire Go On A Ceiling Fan?
The blue wire is connected to the hot wire to supply power to the light of the ceiling fan. Thus there are two hot terminal wires in a fan with ceiling light. The Black wire serves the fan while the blue wire serves the light.
What Color Wires Go Together On A Ceiling Fan?
While connecting the wires, the white neutral wires of both the fan and light go together. That is, the wires wires of both of them are joint together before connecting to the neutral of the main power supply.
The colors are not altered normally. So, you can be quite certain that the wires you are talking about will be white in color. In USA there are color codes for the electrical wires which are abide by the electrical designers.
How To Wire A Ceiling Fan With 3 Wires?
A 3 wire ceiling fan means- a black hot wire for fan, a blue hot wire for light and a white neutral wire. Connect the hot wires separately to the line supply and the neutral wires are joint together to a white neutral wire which is connected to the neutral of the power supply.
Fig 01 shows the diagram of the wiring connection of a ceiling fan with light. Such a device will have three wires as shown.
The blue and black wire connects the light and fan respectively to the hot wire of the main power supply. While the white wire is a common neutral for both the fan and light which is fed to the neutral terminal of the main power supply.
Here the switches are connected to control the light and fan. You can choose a double switch and learn how to wire a ceiling fan to a double switch to wire the circuits all by yourself.
Choosing The Right Wire For Your Ceiling Fan:
You should choose the right wire according to the amperage of your circuit. You must learn the maximum current your circuit will permit to know what gauge wire for ceiling fan should be used.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
Is Flush Mount Fan A Good Choice As Ceiling Fan?
Yes, It is a good choice as it is widely used. In that case your ceiling should have a fan holder installed for it. You can choose the best flush mount ceiling fan that is suitable for your room.
Is There Always A Blue Wire In A Ceiling Fan?
No, it is normally found on ceiling fans that have a light installed with it.
Can I Connect The Black And Blue Wire Together To The Hot Wire?
You can, but in that case you will not be able to operate the fan and light separately.
What Is The Green Wire In Some Ceiling Fan?
The green wire is the ground wire. It is used to transmit leakage current to ground.
Bottom Line
If you are looking forward to wiring your own ceiling fan but have a few questions in mind about the wires, then this is the perfect article for you. Read the sections carefully to understand the purpose of the wires in a ceiling fan, especially the ones that come with a built-in light.
The blue wire is not available in all ceiling fans but the ones with light. This wire should be connected to the hot wire of the main power supply of the house to power the light. Hopefully, you are now ready to finish the wiring by your own. Nothing to be afraid of, just be safe while working with electricity. Good luck…
