The ceiling fan, just like any other electrical device has many wires coming out of it. And each wire serves a different purpose.
In general, the blue wire on the ceiling fan belongs to the hot wire category(the wire that is used to move current from the power source to the outlet, they always carry electricity and are dangerous to touch) that is to be used for the light fixture. All the power rushing to the light kit is controlled by this blue wire.
On the other hand, the black wire is the one that controls the power of the ceiling fan. Keep in mind that if you fail to connect the blue wire to your ceiling fan you cannot use the lights. And of course, remember that the blue wire is not just any standard wall wire.
Where Does the Blue Wire Go on a Ceiling Fan?
Whether you wish to control your ceiling fan with just one or two switches will be the deciding factor in the location of the blue wires.
A black wire is sufficient to control the light fixtures if your ceiling fan is a single switch one.
You need both the blue and black wires for ceiling fans that are connected with two separate switches.
If you are not someone who has the technical knowledge or expertise of wiring up electronics, you need to be extra cautious when wiring a ceiling fan. Always ensure that you have thoroughly read and understood the instructions manual or any relevant user guides before taking up the task of wiring a ceiling fan. Even a small mistake like mixing up the two wires and connecting them incorrectly can lead to electric shock. (1)
Single Switch Ceiling Fan Wiring
Although it might seem like a complex task, it is quite simple and can be done by an amateur who has no prior experience.
Step 1. Locate the Fan Wire
Once you have located the blue ceiling fan wire you have to connect it to both the black wires: the black wire from the ceiling and the black fan wire.
Step 2. Ground Wires
Connect the ground wires. For easy identification purposes, the ground wires are usually colored in yellow or green.
Step 3. White Wires
Bring together the white wires from the ceiling and the fan and connect them.
Dual Switch Ceiling Fan Wiring
The key difference between a single switch ceiling fan and a dual switch ceiling fan is that a dual switch ceiling fan lets you have two separate switches for the fan and light. Thus, there will be a separate switch for the blue wire.
If you are interested in learning how to wire a dual switch ceiling fan all you need to do is to follow the steps below.
Step 1. Black Wire
The ungrounded wire from the ceiling colored in black should be connected to the ceiling fan’s black wire. By doing this you will be able to establish control over the fan power via a switch.
Step 2. Live Wire
The second live wire that is coming from the ceiling has to be connected to the blue wire coming from the ceiling fan.
Generally, the second wire is colored in red or black.
Once you have established the connection between these two wires successfully, you should be able to use the second switch to turn on the lights on your ceiling fan.
Step 3. Locate White Ground Wire
Next, you need to Locate the white grounded wire that is coming from the ceiling and connect it to the white wire from the ceiling fan.
Step 4. Double-check
As the final step, you need to double-check if all the wires from the fan and the grounded wires coming from the ceiling are well-connected. There should be three different grounding wires in three different colors such as copper, green and yellow. (2)
Wrapping Up
Not all ceiling fans come with a light but some brands do. In that case, there should be a blue ceiling fan wire available to securely connect the lights to the fan.
We hope you found the above article useful in wiring a single and dual switch ceiling fan and also learning all you need to know about the blue wire on the ceiling fan and what it does.
Take a look at some of our related articles below.
- Can I connect red and black wires together
- How to hook up 2 amps with 1 power wire
- How to connect ground wires together
References
(1) electric shock – https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-electrical-shock/basics/art-20056695
(2) copper – https://www.britannica.com/science/copper
Video References
E Pros
The Home Depot