A ceiling fan with light is becoming popular these days due to its both architectural aesthetic and convenience. However, the wiring of the ceiling fan with light on a 3-way switch is complicated.

You have to connect the three-way switch with ground screws at first. Then, connect the traveler wires accordingly. After that, you have to wire the “hot wires” for both fan and light differently.

Remember that, hot wires have different color codes for fan and light. Hot wires carry electricity to the switches from the supply source.

This article will discuss how to wire a ceiling fan with light on a 3 way switch properly.

How To Wire A Ceiling Fan With Light On A 3 Way Switch

Do Familiarize Yourself with Wire Colors

Well, there’re wires of different colors for wiring ceiling fan with light. Each colored wire has different use and symbol. That’s why it is important to get familiarized with the colors of the ceiling fan wires.

Basically, the wire colors are usually black, white, blue, red, and green in a fan with a light kit. The black wire is popularly used as hot wire for the fan, while the blue wire is used for the light as a hot wire. Again, the white wire works as neutral and the green wire is used as the ground wire. The red wire is the traveler wire on a 3-way switch connection.

Figure: Diagram of a 3-way switch

How to Wire A Ceiling Fan with Light on A 3 Way Switch?

If you are planning to wire a 3-way switch to control your fan with light, make sure you’re getting familiar with the entire process. Otherwise, you may get puzzled in the middle of the process.

Here I bring a detailed description of how to wire a ceiling fan with light on a 3 way switch with remote control.

Prepare to Wire a Ceiling Fan

First thing first. You should not make an attempt to wire a 3-way switch if you haven’t had any past electrical experience. If you’re confident enough to do the job, make sure you have all the required tools for the project.

Tool You Need

  • Screwdriver
  • Electrical tape
  • Voltage tester
  • Three-way switches
  • Wire stripper/cutter
  • Pliers

Before you begin, you must turn off all power from the circuit breaker box. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions while mounting the ceiling fan.

A 3-way switch wiring is more complicated than usual but following the right process will make the job easy.

Wiring a 3-Way Switch

The right way of wiring a 3-way ceiling fan with switch largely depends on where you place the fan with light within the circuit. The fan may be placed in the middle of the switches or the switches may come before or after the fan in the circuitry.

Connect the Common Terminals

The first thing you need to do is to connect the common terminals of both switches. In all 3-way switch configurations, connect the common terminal of one switch to the hot wire that is black in color usually from the circuit. The common terminal of the other switch is connected to the hot wires of both fan and light.

These common wire terminals allow electricity to conduct within the circuit when the complete connection is done.

Connect the Common Terminals

Connect the Traveler Terminals

The next step is to connect the traveler wires to the terminals on the 3-way switches. Connect the traveler terminals with the red wires of the both ceiling fan switches.

The traveler wires connect the two 3-way switches creating potential pathways to flow the electricity. The electricity from the source supply is transferred through any of the paths to turning on or off the fan with light.

Connect the Traveler Terminals

Connect the Ground Terminals

Lastly, you have to connect the neutral and ground wires that are usually white and green in color respectively. The neutral wire of the fan with light directly connects to the neutral wire of the source bypassing the 3-way switches.

Connect the Ground Terminals

3 Way Fan with Light Switch Wiring Diagram

You have seen separate ceiling fan wiring diagrams above. Now, it is time to see the complete diagram of wire for ceiling fan. The diagram is as follows:

Wiring diagram for ceiling fan with light
Figure: Wiring diagram for ceiling fan with light

Conclusion

So, this is all about how to wire a ceiling fan with light on a 3 way switch properly.

3 way switch fan with a light setup can be complicated but following the right procedure can make the process easy. However, take all sorts of precautions before starting wiring the 3-way switching. And, it is highly recommended to consult with a professional certified electrician if you’ve no previous experience.

That’s all for today! Hope you liked it. Thanks for reading up to this.

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