Replies

1. 
   glacierfergus | Apr 27, 2012 01:06pm | #1

   it depends...

   The white is the neutral, one of the blacks is probably for the light kit, and one is for the fan.

   You say you have a 3-way swithches...  it will depend on how you have run power to the switches.  I can't figure out how you would only have only a single 12-3 (or 14-3) into the fan box, unless it was wired to give you the option of switching the fan and light separately...  With 3-ways, you should either have two 3 wire cables or a single 2 wire cable or two 2 wire cables in the fan box... my best guess is that they ran wire to give you the option of switching them separately...

   Here are some wiring diagrams for 3-ways that might help you figure out what was done...  Take the covers off both 3-way swtches so you can see what is hooked up where and you might be able to figure out what the electrician was doing ...

   http://www.do-it-yourself-help.com/3_way_switch_wiring.html

1. 
   Zarp | Apr 27, 2012 09:00pm | #2

   So if the black coming out of the ceiling is hot and the white is neutral, can I hook the red out of the ceiling to the striped black wire coming out of the light kit? 

   BTW I had hooked the fan up previosly with the two blacks from the fan to the black from the source and the white to the white as if this was a single switch hook up and I simply ignored the red and capped it off. And the fan worked sometimes but usually just hummed. By ignoring that red wire from the three way switch, was that dumb?..probably...right?

1. 
   DanH | Apr 27, 2012 11:27pm | #4

   By ignoring that red wire from the three way switch, was that dumb?..probably...right?

   Nope.  Unless the fan is intended to be operated by a speed control special to the fan, there would be no use for the third wire coming to the fan.  The third (red) wire is most probably to allow both light and fan to be controlled.

   Why the fan just hums sometimes I can't say.  However, you might want to read the instructions a little more carefully and see if there's a run capacitor that needs to be jumpered inside the fan or some such.

1. 
   DanH | Apr 28, 2012 08:02am | #6

   There is a vague possibility that the 3-ways are miswired and in one orientation run the power through a light fixture somewhere, causing the fan problem.  This would be unlikely with a professionally-wired setup, installed at original construction, but is not unlikely for a DIY installation, especially if retrofitted.

   Easy enough to test -- try the switches in both "ON" orientations, and also look for some light fixture going on and off with the switches.

2. 
   DanH | Apr 27, 2012 11:20pm | #3

   From the fan's point of view you wire the same whether the switch is a 3-way set or a single toggle.  Find diagrams for a 3-way light and just picture the fan connected in place of the light bulb.

   The red/black/white from the cable "coming out of the ceiling" is connected to something somewhere.  To understand it for certain you're gonna have to examine the other end.  But my guess would be that the red and black are intended to operate fan and light -- it has nothing to do with whether the switches are 2-way or 3-way.

1. 
   Zarp | Apr 28, 2012 07:15am | #5

   I see...

   Thanks to you both. I thought this A.M.: hook up a test light to the black and white wires and if the light works, the problem is probably in the fan motor itself or maybe the pull chain switch.  Electricians are very hard to come by out here and I appreciate your going through this with me.

1. 
   Zarp | Apr 28, 2012 01:35pm | #7

   Success!

   Took down the fan and checked the wiring with a test light...no problem there.

   I disassembled the fan and tested the motor on my bench, I noticed that the ' push -together -multiple -connector -gizmos' (probably has a name) that connects the pull chain switch wiring to the motor were not pushed together completely so the small locking latch was not engaged. I Did that and motor worked on my bench, put it up and back together and it works beautifully.

   Muchos Gracias for the input!

1. 
   DanH | Apr 28, 2012 02:02pm | #8

   It's usually called a "Molex"

   It's usually called a "Molex" connector (even though the one in the fan is no doubt a 3rd rate Chinese knock-off of a real Molex).