Using A Dimmer Switch On A Ceiling Fan

Never use a standard dimmer switch or unchecked wires to hook your ceiling fan up to a dimmer.

Using a dimmer switch on a ceiling fan.

A regular dimmer switch simply reduces the voltage. There is a remote inside the inner working of the fan which responds to a remote control. I turned my ceiling fan on it was fine for a few minutes then the lights made loud popping noises and shut off. There is a growing misconception that this is safe to do but the logic behind it is flawed.

The wall dimmer switch reduces power flow and interferes with the fan control. Electrical fires are more common than you think with 50 000 homes having one every year. A remote controlled ceiling fan bypasses one of the wall switches and allows for remote access to the ceiling fan s workings. Now the fan and lights don t work at all.

You may need an electrician for this. A remote can speed up or slow down the fan turn the fan on and off or turn the lights connected to the ceiling fan on and off. For a switch to effectively slow down that type of motor it requires a variable frequency drive vfd or a triac with some extra circuitry. There was a burning smell in the air.

Dimmer switches and ceiling fans electrical question. 1 400 people are injured and 500 die from electrical fires each year so make. Replace the wall dimmer switch with an on off switch. Both are bad outcomes.

Dimmer switch ceiling fan compatibility. If the switch is overloaded it could heat up and start a fire. You cannot use a dimmer switch on a fan motor but you can find fan speed controllers why. Don t try to use a dimmer switch as a fan speed control.

The switch could damage the motor on the ceiling fan. The more complicated answer we are engineers after all. It can also cause problems for the ceiling fan if it is directly connected to it. It is always better to be safe than sorry especially when electricity is involved.

The problem with a dimmer switch is that it can be easily overloaded. A typical ceiling fan motor is an ac induction motor. A fan that has no speed control when manufactured has copper windings inside that determine speed and horsepower. That works with lights but will burn out a motor and maybe burn down the house a fan speed controller is a much more complex electronic device that reduces the amperage to the motor without reducing the voltage avoiding this kind of innocent mistake.