Problems going from ceiling fan w light kit to pendant light. Help!

Just added a couple light kits to rooms with ceiling fans with no problem. Gave me what might have been a little boost of undeserved confidence...

I then tackled removing a ceiling fan with light kit and replaced it with a pendant light.

Connected white to white, black to black, ground wire under ground wire nut on fixture. I assumed the red wire that was disconnected from the ceiling fan may have been fan motor and no longer needed.

Turned the power back on, flipped the light witch...and, pop! Blew the fuse...

Before going through the same process, can someone confirm I'm doing this correctly (or incorrectly, as the case may be?)

Appreciate the help!

 

We need to know the wiring at the switch before we can answer. We also need to know if there were two switches, one for the light and one for the fan motor. Are you familiar with switch loops?

 

I'm not - which is how I ended up here...

If you tell me what you mean by wiring at the switch, I can tell you. Yes, I know that little...

I took the whole ceiling fan/lighting kit down balancing it on one shoulder, and now don't remember what was wired to what inside - but I' assuming that since every light kit I put up today had a switch for light and switch for fan - this probably did? I may be completely wrong...

Just bought this house last week, it's off the beaten path. I am trying to avoid getting an electrician out for what is likely to be a 15 minute job... I imagine I'll be charged for travel and minimum. But, if I have to, I guess I have to!

 

In a basic switch loop power comes in at the light by one cable and goes to the switch and back from the switch on a second cable. If you simply connect those two cables together you create a dead short when the breaker is turned on. However in your case you also have a red wire so it is a bit more complicated.How many wires, what colors, and how are they connected.

This is a basic switch loop. Not exactly what you have but it shows the basics.



In your case they probably used a 3-conductor cable (white, black, red). With black carrying power back for the fan motor and red for the light. The white wire would have carried power to the switch. If you connected that white wire to the other white wires it could have caused a direct short.

 

I am a newbie and am replacing a hanging light with a ceiling fan/light.
In the junction box, I see 2 sets of black & white wires coming into the junction box. They appear to be connected to the current Black & white wires coming from existing light. seems easy
However the 2 copper wires coming into the junction box, are connected to each other, and not to the current light ground wire - small green with horseshoe clip on end.
On the new ceiling fan, the bracket has a ground wire coming from it.
- is it neccessary to connect it to one of the ground (copper) wires in the junction box?
- If yes, do i connect the ground wire from ceiling fan bracket to both copper wires or 1 (one) ?
- If only 1, then which one? The one from switch, or the one with power?

Thank You

 

Adding a picture of current wiring to light fixture - Thanks

 

Good, now we need to see the wiring at the switch box.

 

The Light fixture that I am working with is connected to 1 wall switch.
2 pictures included below.

2 Black wires are attached to the switch - No white wires seen in the box itself.
2 black wires are connected to the switch - one near top of switch and one near bottom.
Then have Black electrical tape around the switch, covering the connections

Again - Thank You

 

The answer to our question is probably in the switch box below it. Those two wires probably comes from it.

My guess is one of those switches has wires from the fan. The single switch was added to control either the light on the fan or the fan. If so that is the only switch we need. Find that switch it will help us wire the fan. One clue that I am correct is if one of the switches seems to do nothing.

 

Ray2047

The current fixture is only a light. I am installing a ceiling fan.
The double switch below in the previous post for 2 separate lights - both switches in the dual faced plate are 3-way switches (have 2 different switches where you can turn on/off.
One of the switches in the dual plate is on a seperate circuit breaker (the switch on right) than the single face switch above. The left switch in the dual plate is on same circuit as single switch above, but is used for a seperate light.
To re-state. the single light switch is tied to single light fixture, which i am going to replace with ceiling fan/light.
Below are a few pictures of the dual plate switches. Kind of crowded in there. If i need differnt picctures please let me know

Thx
Sorry - They all need to be turned 90 clockwise - i thoughgt that i did this before upload - I know that i did it before upload - but - oh well

 

I'd like to add a little more info which may help. Coming back to original picture/question. I have an existing junction box, with light. There are 2 sets of wires coming in to the box. Due to having access to the ceiling/floor joists above, i cn follow these wires for a good ways. I do know which set of wires is coming in with power, and what set of wires is going to wall switch.
Does this help?
Original question is; on the 2 sets of wires in the junction box, the 2 ground wires are connected to each other in the box. The current light ground wire is NOT connected to these. I am replacing current light fixture w/ a ceiling fan/light. Does the ground wire for the ceiling fan need to connect to the 2 ground wites in the junction box, or can i replicate the current setup with the light fixture?

Thanks

 

All grounds need to be connected together and pigtailed to the box if the box is metal.