Major wiring problem, HELP!!

Ok, Here's what I have. I have a renter who was trying to install a ceiling fan. The house was built in 1939. He cut all the wires loose because some of the insulation was loose on the wires. Now, he, nor I know how it was wired. There is a 3 wire(blk,wht and red) feeding the light box where the fan is going. All the wires comming back out of the box are 2 wire(wht, blk). Coming out of the box there is a 2 wire going to a side porch light, a 2 wire going to a bedroom light, a 2 wire going to a light switch for the fan, a 2 wire coming from a front porch light switch. All of the wires were tied together somehow in the light box where the fan is going. I have everything working now except for the fan and the front porch light, tried to wire the front porch switch but kept blowing fuses. There are 2 switches for the fan box, 1 is on one wall by itself and the other is on another wall combined with the switch for the front porch light. Any help would be great. I can post a diagram on my photo hosting site if that will help. Thanks.

 

Its late,,, but I suspect you have a switch loop in there somewhere. Check a switch or 2 and see if there iws a white and a black wire to one of them. Then post back.

 

Here is a link to the diagram:

http://community.webshots.com/photo/...48552711GThxiX


At present, the red wire is not hooked up. I know that it is hot as I traced it back to the fuse box. Everything was working fine prior to my renter cutting the wires loose so I think it is a metter of finding the right wiring pattern. The red wire has me puzzled. Thanks.

 

Is the fan light on a 3 way??? I didnt look at drawing again since late last night. I was hoping someone come along as I can confuse myself yet doing those.

 

The fan/light switches control the current to the box, there is not a switch to the fan and another to the light.

 

Ok,,, I looked at this again,, do both switches control the fan? I think,,, if they do they are 3 ways,,, do they have 3 wires connected to them? They must if that other wire runs between the boxes. I think you can ignore the red wire,, that much stuff shouldnt overload one circuit and because it comes from the panel I am sure someone made a multiwire circuit from it. Right now it only adds to the confusion,, although you could use it on the other room lights at some point,,, but I dont think its needed as long as there are no recepts tied in here somewhere. I tend to think you have the power of the common in the 3 way hooked to a power wire somewhere. I dont do enough of these to figure out how someone else wired it from here. There are some guys here that can do it with eyes closed.

 

Yes, two switches control the fan and I think there are a couple of recepts on the circuit also. Maybe someone will post me some directions. The wire that goes to the switches is only a 2 wire. Thanks.

 

I think we need to know what is hooked to what at the two switches for the fan. It looks like they must have run the travellers for the three ways through the dashed cable. I need to stare at it some more, obviously the power for the bedroom a and side porch lights is switched at the end? (Not on diagram?) I agree that it was probably a shared neutral, , could split it again after we figure out what's what. My guess would be that the white from the lone fan switch is not doing anything, the travellers run in the dashed cable. To be sure of anything we need to know what is hooked to the switches.

 

I think this maybe what the deal is. You said there are 3 wires coming from the Breakbox to the fan box. Well it looks like they tried to save some time and hassle, killing two birds with one stone, as they say. Ok... 2 of those wires are "hot", the other is a "common" for everything, for instance, your black wire is the "hot" wire for circut breaker #1, red is the "hot" wire for circut breaker #2, and the white wire is the common for it all. Now remember this was just an example, the colors may not be the same, and maybe not be controled by that specific breaker.
Hope this helps....

 

Here is the thing. With the amount of wires you have, you could do pretty much anything you want to. Post back and tell us what you want to happen. Do you want to control the fan on 2 switches or the fan and light together on two switches or the porch light and the fan together( just kidding) but you get the picture. You have an option of switching the bedroom light and the porch light in the two gang and switching the fan by itself.
Let us know what you are looking for.

 

I knew greater minds than ours would come along soon!

 

Hi, The red and black coming fron the fuse box are both hot, the white is the common. I want to control the fan and light together with the existing 2 wall switches. 1 wall switch has a switch for the fan/light combo and a switch for the front porch light. The wire going to the side porch has it's own switch as does the wire going to the bedroom. This is the way it was before my renter cut the wires loose and it all worked fine. I will check the switches this afternoon and post back. Sigh_-_-_-_-_-.

Thanks

 

OK, This will not be a short and sweet response. I will have you putting wirenuts on and then adding wires to them one at a time, so you will screw and unscrew and screw again, but it is the only way to tell you. Here we go.
Open both switches. Put the black and white that goes from switch to switch on the silver screws of the switches. These we will make your travelers.(dotted line on your drawing) In the fan box,put the black and white from the panel to the black and white going down to your 2 gang box at the front door. put a pigtail on the black wire so you can put one on the dark screw of the fan/light switch and one on the single switch for the porch light. wirenut the white from the panel to the white from your porch light. put the porch light black on the other side of the single switch. Now, the wires that go down to the other switch for the fan/light. Connect the black wire to the black screw on the switch. Wirenut the white off. this will not be used. Wirenut the black from this switch to your fan/light fixture. Tie all bare wires together and to the box if metal. I assume the wires that you show going to the side porch and bedroom go to their own switch not shown here so you could tie the whites into th white going to your panel and tie the blacks from these to the red from the panel. If wired like I said this will allow you to turn the fan/light on at either switch and the outside porch light on seprate. This is a half ass way to wire a three-way switch, but I guess everyone does it different. There is much easier ways to do this, but at least it should fix your problem.
Let me know how you come out.

 

I missed the white wire from your fan/light fixture you can tie this into the whites going back to the panel

 

Hi, I will give this a try and see what happens. I never got a chance to see how the switches are wired but will get to that this afternoon also. We will see how it goes. Thanks for the reply.

 

bwetzel, You are the wiring God! I tried what you said and all is back to normal. Thanks everyone for the help.

S. Harris