Calling all electricians - wiring a 4-Function, 3-Switch Wall Control
Before you write go get an electrician - I HAVE! And he's never wired one before. AND asked ME to do some research!! Before you also say get a new one - though boy do I want one - it is a long story and not an option.
The switch is to control a bathroom vent fan with an inbuilt light, nightlight and heater - hence the 4 functions. Two switches are normal on-off for the fan and heater, whilst the third has a rocker position to accommodate the light, nightlight and off. Love this switch option which controls all the functions whilst only using 1 gang, so separating it into 4 different switches is something I won't consider (he suggested this option).
The wiring diagram shows three loads going into the junction box, but the electrician has 4 wires for each function coming out of the vent unit. Perhaps the two light functions need to be spliced inside the junction box before connecting to the switch? He doesn't seem to know how or where to integrate the 4th function.
Anyone have any insights? They would be MOST appreciated so I can get back to picking out my sconces :)
Switch:
https://www.broan.com/Accessories/Bath-Ventilation-Accessories/List-of-All-Accessories/77DW
Installation guide:
Comments (10)
PROPatricia Colwell Consulting
4 years ago
greg_2015
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoI think the red and blue wires on your switch are the switched power for the three position switch (on the bottom). I don't see which is which, so you may just have to hook up the light and night light and see what position turns them on/off and change the wires accordingly.
Hook the power for the fan up to the green circled screw (for the top switch).Hook the power for the heater to the purple circled screw (for the middle switch).
Your black wires are all connected together with the power source black.
(Not really sure why your electrician couldn't figure this out. Is he actually an electrician or just a handy man that attempts to attach wire together and hopes for the best?)
Rachel L thanked greg_2015Related Discussions
4 wires in my 3 way switch - how to connect
Comments (7)Sometimes electricians carry the 3-wire from one switch to the other via the light's box, to make a shorter run or just because it's convenient to route that way. If that's the case, then there should be a grand total of eight wires (excluding grounds) entering the light box: * 2 hots (one black, one some other color) and a neutral (white) from the first switch. * 2 hots (one black, one some other color) and a neutral (white) from the second switch. * A hot and a return (not a neutral) from the second switch. One of these should be black and one should be some other color. However, if the circuit is romex, one of them will probably be white; if so, it should be painted black or have black tape on it near the end. These would be the two wires connected to the light fixture. What it sounds like to me is that the light box is not really "between" the two switches in terms of how the circuit is routed, even though it may be physically in between. My guess is that the yellow is the switched hot, and the white and green are what you expect. I'm not sure what the always-hot black is doing there. Possibly at some time in the past, there was a ceiling fan installed there with a light, and the yellow was connected to the light lead of the fan so the light could be switched on and off with the wall switches. The black might have been connected to the motor lead, and the fan turned on and off via its own pull chain. That's kind of unorthodox, but in an older installation, it wouldn't surprise me....See MoreHelp with wall switch to control fan speed in bedroom
Comments (4)I'm assuming one switch is for the fan, and one switch is for the integral light on the fan. If that is so, you need a third switch for the separate room overhead lighting fixtures. You can use a dimmer switch for the fan, or you can get combination switches for the fan and integral light. The amperage needed for the fan function by itself will be dependent on the power consumption of the fan itself. Find that information than find a dimmer that will provide that amount of power. You can also get a remote control module with fans too. It is simply a black module that sits inside the fan mounting bracket(not the ceiling j-box) and is wired between the j-box and the fan....See MoreTime switch has 3 wires, box has 4. How do I wire?
Comments (8)Ignoring the ground wires(since you know where they go) I can't be any clearer than this. You have two terminals(the part where you push the wire in next to the screw terminal is the same terminal, maybe that is your sticking point?) on the old switch. Let's call them line and load. The line terminal is the one with the 'mystery' wire. The load terminal is the other one. Take All the wires on the load side, marrette them to the load Side wire on your new device. Take the wire from the other terminal, marrette it to the other wire on the new device. Ta-da!...See MoreWiring a 4 wire hot tub to a 3 wire circuit
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4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoFrom the fan installation guide:
There should be 4 power wires and a white and a ground coming from the unit.I'm not sure how that matches what you stated here (it sounds like there are 16 wires?!?):
but the electrician has 4 wires for each function coming out of the vent unit
This is what you should do:Black from the unit is for the nightlight (hook it up to the red wire on your switch).
Yellow from the unit is for the light (hook it up to the blue wire on your switch).
Red from the unit is for the heater (hook it up to the purple circled screw in my last post).
Blue from the unit is for the fan (hook it up to the green circled screw in my last post).
Rachel L thanked greg_2015tatts
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoDavidR
4 years ago
PRORL Relocation LLC
4 years agoRachel L
4 years agoDavidR
4 years agoRachel L
4 years ago
DavidR