ceiling fan question/grounding wire


  #1  
Old 06-25-05, 07:57 AM
tallycls
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ceiling fan question/grounding wire

I'm trying to install a ceiling fan. I have connected the black&blue wire to the black wire in the ceiling, then the white wire to the white wire in the ceiling all using the wire nuts. And then the green wire should be connected to the copper grounded wire in the ceiling. However, the copper wire is connected to the ceiling fixture/box. As per the ceiling fan instructions, they state you need to connect the green and grounding wire together with a wire nut. That seems impossible because of the way the copper wire is connected to the ceiling fixture/box. Can you just connect the green wire to the copper wire, by twisting it around the grounded copper wire? Please advise. Thank you
 
  #2  
Old 06-25-05, 08:21 AM
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tallycls,

The bare copper wire running in the BOX is your ground wire and it is bonding to the metal box. You need to either use a PIGTAIL which you can get at your local hardware store and connect it to the back of the metal box and connect your GREEN fan wire to it....or....

If the bare wire that is coming into the box from the ceiling is wrapped around a green bonding screw and their is some slack on it you can run it around the screw and then connect the end of the bare copper wire to the GREEN wire from the fan with a wirenut and it is all bonded together.

However...Do not pull off the bare copper ground wire from the ceiling BOX just so you can connect it to the ceiling fan green wire....You would be better off taking the wire off the screw in the ceiling fan and get a pigtail ( 6" green wire with a green mounting screw made for grounding ) and screw it into the ground screw hole and then taking bare wire ground coming into the ceiling box and the green wire from the ceiling fan and putting them all together in a wirenut along with the pigtail green wire you added to the back of the box and keeps it neat and all grounded.
 
  #3  
Old 06-25-05, 08:39 AM
tallycls
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ceiling fan question/grounding wire

I will purchase a PIGTAIL to ground the fan to the grounded copper wire in the ceiling. However, I was looking at the ceiling box and I see where the copper wire is coming out of the top of the box along with the black and white wire. I'm just wondering how I would attach a PIGTAIL to the box? I don't see any place to do so? Based on how the copper wire is attached the last two suggestions on how to ground this fan don't seem to apply. Thanks for you help, please advise.
 
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Old 06-25-05, 09:40 AM
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I think what ElectricalMan is

suggesting is to loosen the screw in the box that the bare wire is under, then remove the wire from the screw.

Using a wire nut, you'll need to connect 3 wires togther, 6 inch piece of bare copper (the "pigtail" referenced above), the orginal bare wire that was under the screw, and the ground wire from your fan.

Connect the free end of the 6 inch wire back under the screw in the box and tighten the screw.

Because the box is metal, electrical code requires it to be grounded, that's why you can't just disconnect the orginal wire and connect it to your fan connection.

Hope this helped!
 
  #5  
Old 06-25-05, 10:03 AM
tallycls
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ceiling fan question/grounding wire

desy2820-

Thanks for the additional info., it sounds simple . I will try and let you know how successful I am.
 
  #6  
Old 06-28-05, 09:23 AM
tallycls
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ceiling fan question/grounding wire

Thanks for all the help. It was simple and successful. What a great site.
 
 

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