If you’ve hired a professional to install the new ceiling fan, you probably don’t pay much attention to the wires that are coming from your new ceiling fan. But if you are installing the fan yourself, you will inevitably notice the various colors of wires. There’s one wire, in particular, that may have your curiosity piqued. It is the blue wire, especially when your existing home wiring doesn’t have a blue wire. So why do ceiling fans come with a blue wire? How do you use it? And what to connect this blue ceiling fan wire to? Let’s take a look at these questions and more!
The blue wire on a ceiling fan is for the light kit in case your fan comes with a light fixture. Connecting the black wire from the fan motor to an electric power supply will not supply power to the light fixture. So, you will also have to connect this blue wire to a power source to be able to use the light.
Table of Contents
What does blue wire mean?
The blue wire is not a standard wire color for wall wiring so it confuses many people when installing a new ceiling fan. Moreover, the blue wire from the ceiling fan doesn’t match with the standard black and white wires from the ceiling box. So, many people don’t know where to connect this blue wire. The blue wire from the ceiling fan’s light kit is given a different color just to differentiate it from the black fan motor wire and make the installation fuss-free.
Is blue wire positive or negative?
The blue wire is negative whereas the black wire is positive. So, in a two-wire system blue needs to go with the positive terminal while the black wire goes with the negative terminal.
What color is the hot wire on a ceiling fan?
The black wire is the hot wire that carries electric current from the switch to the fan. There can also be a second hot wire in black or red color to carry current to the fan’s light fixture from the second switch.
Do all ceiling fans have a blue wire?
Mostly, new ceiling fans are pre-wired for a light kit even if they don’t come with an attached light. Either you can add a light fixture to your ceiling fan or just cap off the blue wire if you don’t want to attach a light.
Do ceiling fans have a ground wire?
Usually, ceiling fans have a ground wire. But, you can also wire a fan without ground wire. Ground wires don’t carry any current so the ceiling fan can still work properly without it. However, you will not have the safety that comes with ground wires in case of power overload by tripping the breaker.
Does the blue wire go to the black wire?
Yes, the blue wire along with the black wire from the fan goes with the black wire from the ceiling for single switch control. In the case of dual switches, the fan’s blue wire will go with the second live wire from the ceiling which can be black or red.
Where does the blue wire go on a ceiling fan?
The number of control switches determines the attachment of the blue wire. You will have to share the black wire from the ceiling box with both black fan motor wire and blue light kit wire for a single fan control switch. While for two separate wall switches, black and blue fan wires need to be attached with two separate wires leading to those switches.
Let’s discuss this in more detail:
Single witch ceiling fan wiring
In a single switch wiring, the fan and light fixture get power supply from the same wire and are hence operated by a single switch on the wall. Follow these instructions if you have access to just one wall switch for ceiling fan control:
- For safety precautions, turn off the power to your ceiling fan from the circuit breaker
- Attach the light kit’s blue wire and fan motor’s black wire to the black wire from the ceiling box
- Then, connect the green, yellow, or copper grounding wires if there are any
- In the end, connect the white wires
- Lastly, securely close the ceiling fan and turn on the circuit breaker
- Turn on the switch to check if the installation was a success
Dual switch ceiling fan wiring
Having a dual switch setup means that you can operate the fan and light independently. You can use one switch to turn on or turn off the fan and the other switch to control the light. In the dual switch setup, the blue wire on the ceiling fan is connected to a separate connecting wire that leads to a separate switch.
Here are the instructions to install a dual switch wiring:
- Firstly, shut off the power to the ceiling fan from the circuit breaker
- Start by connecting the black wire from the ceiling to the black wire from the fan motor. This will establish the fan’s connection to one switch.
- Then, connect the blue wire from the fan’s light kit to the second live wire from the ceiling box. This will enable the power to light the fixture from the second wall switch. This second live wire can be either black or red.
- Lastly, connect the white wire from the ceiling to the fan’s white wire.
- Finally, close the fan and turn on the power from the circuit breaker. Then, turn on the switches to confirm the wiring works.
Final thought
I hope this article has answered your questions about the blue wire on a ceiling fan. In most cases, you’ll want to have separate wall switches for the fan and the light. So, you can follow the instructions for the dual switch wiring for your ceiling fan. That said if you don’t have access to two wall switches, you can have a combined control for the fan and the light through a single switch wiring.
In the end, I will recommend hiring an electrician if you are not familiar with electric work or are not confident enough to pull off the ceiling fan wiring yourself. Be careful when DIYing and working with electricity and take all the necessary precautions.
