Can I use the fan remote and the wall switch?

I just bought a Harbor Breeze fan w/light from Lowe's and it came with a remote. As I was reading the instructions, it appears that I can only use either the remote or the wall switch to control the fan/light, but I cannot use both the remote or the wall switch. Is this correct?

I am not confused about wire colors or anything like that, but I should probably clarify setup a bit more. The wall switch has 3 switches: 1 for the fan, 1 for the light, and another 1 going to an outlet.

The ceiling fan in my son's room did not come with a remote and I was able to install that one properly. His wall switch is configured the same as mine. I changed the fan switch to a fan control switch with on/off and low-med-hi settings. I also changed his light switch to a dimmer switch for the ceiling fan light. It works wonderfully!

In an effort to avoid blowing anything up, I wanted to see if any of you can clarify how I should configure the remote. I would like to be able to control the fan with both the remote and the wall switch. In the event I lose the remote I want to still be able to use my fan/light using the wall switch. Is this possible or do I have to pick between remote and wall switch?

 

Generally you must choose one or the other, unless they are designed to work together.

 

Thanks for the response. How can I find out if they can be used together? I am assuming that regardless of how I configure it (remote vs wall control) that, at least for power to the fan, I will still have to use the wall switch to control power to the fan. Maybe I should elaborate on the wiring of the components.

Fan/Light:
1 - Black
1 - White
1 - Blue
1 - Green

Remote Receiver to be installed in Fan:
1 - Antenna

Input Side of Receiver:
1 - Black (Labeled 'AC in L')
1 - White (Labeled 'AC in N')

Output Side of Receiver:
1 - Black (Labeled 'To Motor L')
1 - White (Labeled 'To Motor N')
1 - Blue (Labeled 'For Light')

Ceiling:
1 - Green
1 - White
1 - Black (Currently capped off)
1 - Red (Currently capped off)
1 - Bare Copper Wire

I should also add that the Fan's Remote Receiver has a cautionary note that states: "CAUTION: To reduce the risk of fire or injury, do not use this product in conjuction with any variable (rheostat) wall control.

I've never ran into this situation before so I figured I would stop the installation process and get clarification. I would like to be able to: (1) control the power to my fan/light using the wall switches that I will replace with Lutron fan control and dimmer switches (see my original post) and (2) also be able to control the fan/light with its supplied remote. If this is possible, then great, please tell me the safest way to accomplish this. If it's not possible, that's okay too, I will pick between the wall switch controls or the remote. I just want to make sure before I get on a ladder and install my fan/light. I am not very tall and the fan is pretty heavy for me, so I don't want to do the work again later on if I find out I cannot have it configure the way I want to. Just trying to save some time. Thanks in advance.

 

You cannot do what you want. Decide if you will use the wall controls or the dimmer, but not both.

 

All remote receiving units have a default mode that they go to when power is removed and restored. For most, the default is to have both the fan motor and the fan light in the "off" mode. This means that if you turn off the wall switch, everything will go off. Then if you later turn it back on, everything will still be off. Of course the hand-held remote will do nothing while the wall switch is off, and it must be used to turn anything on after the wall switch is turned back on. This method of default eliminates the problem of something spontaneously coming on after restoration of power after a power outage, but it generally renders the wall switch useless.

A few remote receivers, such as the Hunter All-Fan, default to the light on and the fan off when power is restored. This is useful because you can still use the wall switch to operate the light. If you have turned everything off with the hand-held remote, you can still turn on the light from the wall switch by turning it off, waiting five seconds, and turning it back on again. This is particularly useful when the hand-held remote is somewhere on the far side of a dark room. If you have this type of receiver, you should probably remember to turn off the wall switch when you go on vacation so that the light doesn't come on by itself while you are gone. The instructions usually indicate that you should turn off the switch if you are not going to be using the fan for extended periods of time. I prefer this type of receiver, especially in the winter when I don't really use the fan motor at all.

 

Thank you for your responses.

I guess the bottom line for me is that I have to choose whether I want to control my fan/light with the wall switch or the remote, but not both. I was really hoping someone would tell that I could use both, even if it meant purchasing some sort of other gadget/equipment that would allow it to happen. ;-)

I guess at this point I'm leaning towards the wall switch, with replacing them with Lutron dimmer and fan control models. It feels like I'm wasting the remote, but in the event I lose the remote, I would have to either purchase another remote or reconfigure the fan/light.

I do have one more question though, not sure if it matters...but my fan/light doesn't have pull chains, does that mean anything to me and my configuration? Also, can you tell me what the bare copper wire is for? The wire colors from the fan and the ceiling don't exactly match and I want to make sure I'm connecting the right ones. I've included the wires in a previous post.

Thanks!!!

 

Without any pull chains, the fan will require some form of remote, either the hand-held one or a wall-mounted one.

A bare copper wire is a grounding wire. It serves no purpose at all until there is a fault in your fan. In that case, it's job is to carry the fault current and thus trip the breaker before anybody gets electrocuted. Do not use this wire for any other purpose than grounding.

 

I plan to forget about the remote and use the corresponding wall switch(es). I have 3: 1 for the fan, 1 for the fan light, and 1 for an outlet. I plan to change the switch for the fan with a Lutron fan toggle switch. It toggles on and off and has a slider on the side for lo, med, and hi. I plan to change the switch for the fan light with a Lutron dimmer switch. It toggles on and off and has a sliding dimmer on the side.

I have a green wire that I thought was the ground. Here is what I have:

Fan/Light:
1 - Black
1 - White
1 - Blue
1 - Green

Ceiling:
1 - Green
1 - White
1 - Black (Currently capped off)
1 - Red (Currently capped off)
1 - Bare Copper Wire

I figured the green ground on the fan would correspond with the green from my ceiling or is it wrong for me to assume the green is also a ground? Is it possible that both the green and bare copper are both grounds?

Both sides have a black and a white, so easy right, black to black and white to white. Both have a green, also easy right, green to green. I now have a blue left on the fan, which is for the light and I have 2 left on the ceiling, the red and the bare copper. Which does the blue fan light go with, the red from the ceiling?

Thanks for all your help!

 

Can you guys help me in figuring out which wires to connect to each other? Please see my previous post that has a list of my wires. Thanks in advance.

 

Sorry about the slow response. Many of us are just squeezing in replies among other activities. So we seem quicker at solving problems that only take a minute of thought. Your puzzle requires more thought, so it make take a little longer before somebody frees up enough time to work on it. Hang in there.

 

Hi folks! I am running into the same problem and found this thread through a google search. I found this product on the Lowes website:

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=103189-1811-RCD103L&lpage=none

It is a wall mount AND remote sold by harbor breeze. It appears as though there is a master switch on the wall unit which turns the wall control ON and OFF. Would this combo be an option? If it is sold together, I am assuming you could have both wired up at the same time.

 

I just wasted my Sunday afternoon installing a Harbor Breeze Triton fan that was on sale at Lowe's. After I was half-way through the install, I realized that it required the special "Candelabra"-style bulbs. Fortunately, I had some of those. Next, I realized that this thing was designed to be connected to 1 wall switch, not 2. That was a problem since I'd already gone and installed a dimmer switch into the first switch, which I had wanted to dim control light-dimming. Then, I realized that I was going to *HAVE* to use the remote. Being as that my son is bound to lose the remote control, I really did not like that idea. Since I was half-way into the install and we really do need a fan, my wife convinced me to continue the install. Once I finished, I found that the light dimming and speed changing was not to my liking. The dimming is a real crap-shoot and if you hold down the button for the dimmer too long, it goes from very dim to the brightest setting. This is a real problem. Often, the light does not want to go into the dimmer mode, so this is the real deal breaker. I wish I'd read a bad review before I bought this!!!

 

Is there no way to remove the remote receiver?

 

OK, I think I've fixed my problem with the ceiling fan. I swapped out the dimmer switch I installed (not necessary with the remote) for a regular wall switch and it fixed the whacked out light dimming. It also got a bit quieter. My main gripe now is that the blades seem noisier than other fans we have in the house. It gives off a "whoosh" sound instead of just silently pushing the air around. (My wife thinks it is helpful for lulling the baby to sleep, so maybe this is a plus, too!) Compared to Hampton Bay or Hunter fans, this one just seems much cheaper.

 

Fans make more air noise if they are mounted closer to the ceiling or to walls, or if the blades are more steeply pitched.

 

I saw your post below and was wondering if you did purchase this product and if it did allow you to use both the wall control and the remote.