Turn off the power at the breaker or fuse box. You can t always rely upon the color of the insulation to guarantee what a wire actually does but there is often a general convention as follows. The red wire of a 3 wire cable that is used for lighting usually indicates that there is one or more switches within the circuit but this is best determined by using a voltage tester and visually inspecting the wiring connections of the circuit for verification. Then the red wire in your box goes to the non white wire on your ceiling fan which is often blue. A live black wire a green or copper ground wire and a neutral white wire. When you see a red wire in a light switch box it can mean two things. Never work on a light switch with the power on. The red wire is for the light switch. A red wire in an electrical outlet often indicates a second positive live wire. It could be there is or once was a three way switch in play.

The red wire is for the light switch. Certain switch loop configurations require a three conductor wire the extra wire is needed to complete the circuit at the switch. We ll cover the easier scenario first. In this case you ll see a red wire. And if you don t know which breaker controls the light you have. It could be there is or once was a three way switch in play. If you only have black wires in your box connect both the non white wires from the fan to the black wires in the box. The black wire goes to the bundle of black wires. Generally electrical socket boxes come with three wires each of them colored differently. Hot wire with live 120 vac all the time.

But first let s get my disclaimer out of the way. The red wire is for the light switch. This configuration sometimes called a half hot or split tab outlet is becoming increasingly popular so it s good to know how to wire it. Sometimes when homes are wired the electrician will anticipate that they may be a ceiling fan installed which in that case you can install a combo switch to control the light and the fan separately. If you see a red wire spliced together with a black one in a 120 volt outlet it s probably because the outlet is powered by a wall switch. The white wires on the fan go to the bundle of white wires. Generally electrical socket boxes come with three wires each of them colored differently. The black wire goes to the bundle of black wires. In this case you ll see a red wire. What if you re installing a ceiling fan.

Hot wire with live 120 vac all the time. We ll cover the easier scenario first. Turn off the power at the breaker or fuse box. The red wire of a 3 wire cable that is used for lighting usually indicates that there is one or more switches within the circuit but this is best determined by using a voltage tester and visually inspecting the wiring connections of the circuit for verification. You can t always rely upon the color of the insulation to guarantee what a wire actually does but there is often a general convention as follows. In this case you ll see a red wire. A red wire in an electrical outlet often indicates a second positive live wire. A live black wire a green or copper ground wire and a neutral white wire. Never work on a light switch with the power on. I also have a post about a red wire in a light switch if you need that information.

Has 120 vac if the switch is turned on. We ll cover the easier scenario first. In most cases a red wire present in an electrical outlet means that a switch can operate the outlet. In this case you ll see a red wire. Then the red wire in your box goes to the non white wire on your ceiling fan which is often blue. The white wires on the fan go to the bundle of white wires. Certain switch loop configurations require a three conductor wire the extra wire is needed to complete the circuit at the switch. If you only have black wires in your box connect both the non white wires from the fan to the black wires in the box. Or it could be the red wire is the wire going to the fixture and the black wires are the live wires. The two outlets in a duplex receptacle are bonded so that both can be powered by a single wire but it s possible to break the bond and control just one of the receptacles with a switch.