I currently have a ceiling fan with a light in my bedroom, that is controlled primarily by a single switch, but the light and the fan are also controlled separately by pull chains on the fan. What I want to do, if possible, is add some recessed lights to the room, that are connected to the fan switches (ie. the wall switch has to be on, but the pull chain for the fan light has to be on for the recessed lights to be on). So I want to be able to run the fan with the lights all turned off, as well as the lights with the fan off. Can I hook canned lights up to be controlled by the fan pull chains?
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Any reason you can't pull a new cable between the fan and the switch while you're at this light-installation work?– ThreePhaseEelNov 10, 2018 at 17:06
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@ThreePhaseEel he probably has an underused /3 in the wall. He wants the fan pull switch to operate other lights.– Harper - Reinstate MonicaNov 10, 2018 at 18:49
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amazon.com/Basic-Wireless-Light-Switch-Kit/dp/B005B0AY0K– KrisNov 10, 2018 at 19:09
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Can you post photos of the light and switch boxes?– ThreePhaseEelNov 10, 2018 at 19:17
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1 Answer
It is theoretically possible, but there are several problems:
- The pull chain switch for the lights has a certain amperage rating and adding the cans might exceed that rating
- The fan assembly with switch is likely a UL approved device, and modifying it would likely void that approval, which may run afoul of local code
- You would need to run the hot wire for the cans into the fan unit to join it to the hot coming out of the pull chain switch. Or you would need to run a pigtail from that switch to the canopy to meet the wire for the cans. Either case requires disassembly of the fan unit and switch unit.
- You may have a space problem fitting another wire and wire connector in the area of the pull chain switch.
Probably could be done, but why not rely on a separate switch on the wall? Or a smart switch with a remote?
