Can You Use A Dimmer Switch On A Ceiling Fan

3 hold a noncontact voltage tester against the ceiling fan wall switch cover plate.

Can you use a dimmer switch on a ceiling fan.

The ceiling fan lights will be off and the fan blades will stop turning when you turn off the correct breaker. It is always better to be safe than sorry especially when electricity is involved. Never use a standard dimmer switch or unchecked wires to hook your ceiling fan up to a dimmer. A safe repair can be as simple as replacing the dimmer switch with a standard toggle switch but you also lose the ability to dim the light.

A fan that has no speed control when manufactured has copper windings inside that determine speed and horsepower. If the wiring for a ceiling fan is already in place in your home ie you have separate wires for the fan control and the light control it should be fairly easy for a qualified person to wire up separate controls for the fan and the light which will. In this circumstance the light kit could be connected to a dimmer switch and the fan motor connected to a toggle switch. Electrical fires are more common than you think with 50 000 homes having one every year.

A regular dimmer switch simply reduces the voltage. You cannot use a dimmer switch on a fan motor but you can find fan speed controllers why. You cannot use a light dimmer to control a fan. That works with lights but will burn out a motor and maybe burn down the house a fan speed controller is a much more complex electronic device that reduces the amperage to the motor without reducing the voltage avoiding this kind of innocent mistake.