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I'm doing some new construction, and the walls are currently open.

I'm wiring up things with the expectation of having fans that are multi-speed.

I'm getting a little confused about the 3-speed lightswitches. Apparently multi-speed fan switches aren't universal?

I don't have the lights/fans picked out, and won't for a year, but want to wire up the walls before I put on sheetrock.

Am I fine just running 14/3 (so light and fan are on separate switches), or do I need something more complex?

i.e. ignoring the light, which is on a separate switch, is a Hot and Common and Ground (14/2 w/ Grnd) sufficient for most multi-speed fans I may install?

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Apparently multi-speed fan switches aren't universal?

Absolutely not. Some people are in a big hurry to reduce the number of wires. There's a lot of "innovation" (read: cheapening) of fan design going around. You never know what you're going to get until you are ready to buy a particular fan.

True multi-speed-at-the-switch wiring like you're thinking of still exist, but the market is flooded with cheap fans that don't use it, so it's all but forgotten. As a result, most people think all fans follow the "cheap fan" rule of single wire, and are advising 14/3 to provide one hot each for light and fan.

Your best bet is to run some sort of conduit, e.g. ENT "smurf tube", between fan box and switch box. Then, any needed wires can simply be added. Use THHN/THWN wires.

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    Do enough multispeed ceiling fans support using a single hot and common (excluding the light) that I can realistically get away with just 14/3?
    – Jamin Grey
    Commented Dec 20, 2022 at 2:45
  • Plenty of them do. But more and more of those do that using a wireless remote, so the wall switch not only doesn't control the speed (it will just be on/off), when you lose the remote or the dog chews on it or a kid throws it in the toilet you are out of luck until you get another one. (Another remote - not another dog or kid, though that's up to you.)
    – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact
    Commented Dec 20, 2022 at 15:15
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Yes, 14/3 (plus ground, of course) is fine. The fan is just a low(ish) wattage device like any other, and a speed-control wall switch is basically a slightly specialized dimmer.

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If you use this type of fan control: wall fan control, you need only 14/2 wire. You can use 14/3 and cap off the red or black wire. The light and speeds are controlled by the receiver placed in the fan canopy. These work with 90% of fans and some have dimmers and timers as well.

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You need 14/3 if you wish to have dedicated switches for the light versus fan. You could even wire both to one switch if that's your preference.

14/2 is fine if you're okay with one switch controlling both and using the pull strings. Realistically, don't do this, for the love of humanity just run the 14/3.

After running 14/3 you need to make sure to pick a fan which does support the separated functionality. I think it would be unusual to buy a new fan which doesn't have this separation.

Now, pick out a fan speed switch which is compatible with your fan; particularly the LEDs.

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  • How do I know what switches are compatible with what fans? Is there some kind of standard terminology that indicates compatibility?
    – Jamin Grey
    Commented Dec 20, 2022 at 2:46
  • @JaminGrey Beats me. I'm still trying to figure out why a dimmable light on a separate circuit is flickering when I use the fan speed controller. See diy.stackexchange.com/questions/256133/…
    – MonkeyZeus
    Commented Dec 20, 2022 at 13:13

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