Can a ceiling fan be placed on a dimmer switch?

Question

My dinning room had a light ficture on a dimmer switch and we want to replace it with a ceiling fan/light combo. I want to know if we can just change them out or do i need to snake new wires

Answer 1

The really bad thing about electricity is it will often work fine, even if done incorrectly.  Until the day it burns your house down.  This is one of those situations.

Yes, you can indeed wire a ceiling fan to a standard light dimmer and it will work.  It is not a good idea.  Fan motors draw current in a different pattern than a light fixture.  There is a surge of power when the fan starts that you don't get with a light.  Also, a motor is an inductive load while a light is a resistive load.  Explaining the difference would take a bit of time, so suffice it to say that the load of the fan creates a lot more heat in the dimmer than a light fixture, even if it is within the rated capacity of the dimmer.  This creates a very serious risk (though not a certainty) of a fire.  It will also shorten the life of the fan considerably.  If you buy a new dimmer, it plainly states in the directions not to connect a motor, this is why.

Having said that, all is not lost.  You could replace the dimmer with a standard light switch and use the controls built into the fan (either pull chains or the remote that comes with some fans) to control speed and light intesity.  You could remove the dimmer completely by putting a wire nut on the two wires connected to it (not the bare ground wire!).

There are a couple of ways to wire a switched fixture.  One method takes the "hot" wire to the fixture junction box, then a switch wire to the switch.  If yours is wired like this, you could wire the fan motor to be on all the time and use the remote or pull chain and use the dimmer just for the light.

If you want to do something other than installing a standard switch in place of the dimmer or bypassing the dimmer, it would be best to consult an electrician.  The other options will be hard to track down without a bit of experience.

Whatever you do, do NOT use your standard dimmer to control your fan.  Your neighbors will thank you, your insurance company will thank you, and you can sleep a bit better at night.

Answer 2

yes it can work just buy the right one also i suggest buy one with a remote you will love it.

Answer 3

yes ,same wires

Answer 4

Yes, we have the light on a ceiling fan in our house on a dimmer.

Answer 5

Yes it can, I personaly have a ceiling fan on a dimmer and it works great. The only downside to having a dimmer though is it makes the fan motor louder then usual because it is not allowing full power to the fan. I would suggest you keep the dimmer on full power when the fan is on to reduce stress on the motor and dimmer, just use the pull strings on the fan to lower your speed. But when only the lights are on it works great.