and the fan has 3 wires one of which is a groundwire but nowhere to attach it. I have heard smewhere you can tape a penny to the ground wire and and this will suffice?
The fan will not work without the ground attached,,,,any help
2007-08-21 04:17:34 · 4 answers · asked by ideame 3 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Are you sure it is a ground wire? Or is it the wire for the light?
If it truly is a ground then run it to a metal box and ground it. The taping the penny thing....retarded.
2007-08-21 04:23:00 · answer #1 · answered by Hex92 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do NOT attach a penny to the ground wire...good grief! If the junction box in the ceiling is metal, usually there is a threaded hole to put a green grounding in and wrap the ground wire around it; there are also clips that you push the end of the ground wire into and push the clip onto the side of the metal junction box. If you do either of those things, leave enough ground wire free so that you can attach the green ground wire from the fan to the free end of the attached ground wire using a wirenut of the appropriate size. Something else to note: if this is the first ceiling fan to be installed at that location, keep in mind that ceiling junction boxed for lights are NOT built/attached to take the weight and movement of a ceiling fan. There are adjustable retrofit 'fan brace kits' available for about $20 that should be used in such a case. IF you think you are in over your head at this point, bite the bullet and call a LICENSED electrician or handyman to install your ceiling fan. You might also wish to contact your insurance agent to find out just how liable you will be if the fan that you install falls down or starts a fire...God forbid.
2007-08-21 11:31:31 · answer #2 · answered by Dept. of Redundancy Department 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Keep in mind that most fans have a separate wire for the light so it can be connected to a dimmer. If you don't have a dimmer you wire it in with the hot wire from the same switch that controls the fan. If you don't have a light on the fan then disregard and read on.
If you cannot ground it to the ceiling box and there is no ground wire available, then you could wire nut it in with the neutral wire. Neutral is attached to ground in your panel. This is probably not code, but the code would probably require that you run a new ground wire.
Attaching it to a metal ceiling box may or may not work depending if the box is attached to ground. I don't think the ceiling joist will provide a good earth ground. Wood is not a good conductor. And that box may not even be connected to a joist if it was not designed for a ceiling fan.
Plain Jane makes a very good point. You need a ceiling fan box or that thing will come tumbling down on your head one day.
The penny thing will not work because you are attaching a copper wire to a copper penny and neither one of them are attached to ground. It sounds impossible.
2007-08-21 11:32:41 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
unless the fan youare installing is over 20 yrs old it will have a ground.your justmissing it.its a green screw.
2007-08-21 13:45:16 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋