How do I install a ceiling fan remote?

Question

I am trying to replace a busted Hunter ceiling fan remote. The receiver unit from the old remote had 5 wires - live and neutral, and then 1 that was labeled "fan out", 1 that was labeled "light out", and 1 that was labeled "common out."

The fan unit has 4 wires - 1 green wire that is capped, 1 blue wire labelled "for light", 1 black wire, and 1 white wire.

Can I use the new remote/receiver that I have and ignore the white wire (obviously capping it for safety?

Or do I need to replace the new remote receiver unit with a different one that has the third "common out" wire?

I only have a single light switch in the room.

Answer 1

According to the installation instructions for a Hunter Universal Fan & Light Remote Control (Model 27185), the device should be wired as follows.

• Green/bare from ceiling to green/bare from receiver and fan.
• Black from ceiling to black (hot) from receiver.
• White from ceiling to white (neutral) from receiver.
• Blue from fan to red (light) from receiver.
• Black from fan to black (fan) from receiver.
• White from fan to white (common) from receiver.
• *Red from ceiling should be capped off.

^{*Optional: If the unit was previously controlled by two switches.}

Answer 2

Doing my best to interpret your question: First, call the unit you wire in with the fan the "receiver," since it receives signals from the remote transmitter to control the fan (and usually a light).

The instructions that came with your receiver should explain what the "common out" is for. Without more clear information it could either be intended for 3-way switches or for switching other lights using the same remote.

In the first case the "common out" should be twisted with the other (hopefully black) "live"/"hot" on the receiver together with the live wire coming into the junction box. In the second case it should just be capped.

In either case you should wire the white (neutral) wires together. You should also ensure that the fan's green wire is connected to a ground.

Answer 3

Wire it this way.

Connect the green to the ceiling fan's green wires and the bare copper ground wire in the ceiling box.

Connect all white wires together. This will be the fans white wire, the fan control white wire and the white wire in the ceiling box. If the fan control does not have a white wire, connect the fan's white wire to ceiling box white wire. This is assuming the new fan control only has one white wire.

Connect the fan's fan wire to fan control's fan wire. fan's light wire to control's light wire.

Finally connect the fan control's black wire to the ceiling box's black wire.