Author:  Terry Peterman      This post and detailed video describe how to install a ceiling fan with remote control.    The addition of a remote control to a ceiling fan allows you to easily adjust the comfort level of a room.   This is a feature my wife particularly appreciates, as she can cool our bedroom at night without having to get out of bed.   For the purposes of this project, I will focus on the installation of a Hampton Bay 52” Cherokee model remote controlled ceiling fan, the connection of the fan to the receiver, and the receiver to the fan/light unit itself.   I have covered the installation of a standard ceiling fan in great detail in earlier website posts and videos.  I would recommend that you preview these articles/videos prior to your attempting this project, as they will give you a greater understanding of the basic steps to installing a ceiling fan (click here to view these articles and video).

We begin by unpacking the contents of the box, and referring to the instruction manual to ensure that all the parts are present.  As always, pay particular attention to the standard safety instructions, which are mainly centered around turning off the appropriate circuit breaker (and verifying the absence of power in the outlet box by using a reliable voltage tester or an electrical meter) before you begin the installation of the ceiling fan unit.

It is also very important that the outlet box that you will be mounting the fan to is securely fastened to the structure with adequate backing and mounting methods capable of supporting the weight of the ceiling fan.  The outlet box I am using here is in a newly constructed home, and the ceiling boxes are mounted appropriately, and are intended to be used to support a ceiling fan.

Follow the step by step instructions for the assembly of the fan parts, and the mounting directions as with any ceiling fan.  As stated previously, in this post we will primarily focus on the connections to the receiving unit.  When the mounting hardware is in place, pull out the supply wires and prepare them for the connections.

As per the instructions with the ceiling fan, before tucking everything in place and closing the canopy, check that the dip switches in the remote receiver, and in the back of the remote control unit match each other.  You can change the code if you have two or more of the fans in the home, and you don’t want the signals from each of the transmitters to interfere with each other.

Make sure that all the wires and connections fit comfortably inside the canopy, and that the antenna is extended as best you can, and install the canopy.  Finish installing the rest of the ceiling fan as per the instruction manual Now we need to determine which of the supply wires we will need to connect to the power in to the receiving unit for the remote control.  As this outlet was wired with consideration for the installation of a ceiling fan, we have a bare ground wire, a white (neutral) wire, a black (switched hot for the fan or the light kit)wire, and a red (second switched for the fan or the light kit) wire all in a 3-wire cable terminated in the ceiling box.  The remote controlled fan only needs one of these switched hot wires that will act as a master switch that will supply power to the remote control receiver.  With the switch on, the remote control will operate the fan.  With the switch off, the unit will not function.

Determine which of the two switches you want to be the master switch.  The other switch will not be used and can be properly de-commissioned with the use of a switch filler device.

In this situation, the switch closest to the entrance door is for the black wire, so we will use it as our control power, and we will cap off the red wire with a wire nut, and carefully tuck it up into the outlet box.  This leaves us with a ground, a white, and a black wire as our supply conductors.  The mounting hardware for the fan is designed to house the remote control receiver, but there is not a lot of room inside the canopy of the fan but it will all fit in.  Just be careful that your connections are good, and that you tuck in the splices to the available space after the receiver is in place.

Connect the green wire to the bare ground wire, the white wire from the receiver to the white supply wire, and the black power supply wire to the black power supply wire for the receiver unit.

The wires from the ceiling fan unit then get connected to the controlled wires out of the receiver, white to white, black to black, and blue to blue.

Now put the canopy in place and install the rest of the fan as per instructions provided.

Now install the light kit as per the instruction manual.

Now we are ready to restore the power to the circuit, turn on the wall switch, and test the function of the fan.

In conclusion, keep in mind that this post was to focus on the connection of the remote controlled portion of the installation.  For more detailed instruction on the entire process of installing a ceiling fan, you can find links to these other articles and videos under the “Related Posts” section at the bottom of this article, or via the following links (click here to view these articles and video).

And remember – If you aren’t comfortable and confident in safely completing a project like this on your own, click here to find a trusted, licensed electrician in your local area.
Terry Peterman, The Internet Electrician