Ceiling fan conversion to remote

[shanti]

So I have an existing ceiling fan that has run out of steam. It's at least 20 years old and is operated by a wall switch, with push buttons - one for the fan and one for the light. I bought a new fan with a remote and light kit. Included in the package was a warning not to install the fan with a wall mounted light dimmer or solid-state speed control. I'm not exactly sure what that means, but I THINK it means I won't be using the wall for the operation of the fan.

I've put in two ceiling fans before, so I basically know what to do, but they were just regular ones that operated by a wall switch, not a remote. My question is: do I need to cap off the wires in the wall switch and put a blank cover on it since I'll just be using the remote, or what?

TIA

[jeff47]

1. You probably want to leave at least one wall switch.

Assuming the switch on the wall is a normal light switch, you may want to wire it to the new fan so that you can turn the light/fan on or off without the remote. You might lose the remote, or the batteries might run out, or similar issue.

Most of the time you'd leave the switch on, but having the option to turn it off at the wall can be very helpful.

If you're absolutely, positively sure you will never use the wall switch, you can take it out but you can't just 'cap off' the wires. Those wires are what is supplying power to the box on the ceiling where you will be installing the fan. You'll need to connect the blacks together and the whites together in order to supply power to the ceiling box. Then you can put a "blank" cover on the wall.

If the wall switch is a controller specific to the old fan and not a normal light switch, what you do will unfortunately depend on the old fan - there isn't any way to tell what the wiring is like without pulling the wall switch out of the box and looking.

[shanti]

2. Thanks Jeff

*sigh* sounds like i'm going to have to call an electrician for this one it's not a normal light switch. i tried to change out the wall switch to something easier to operate for the old fan several years ago, but found nothing that was compatible. the wiring for the new unit just didn't match. the new fan has chains that hang down to turn it on (the old one doesn't), in addition to the remote. the woman i spoke to at the company that makes the fan said that's how it's meant to be operated, along with the remote, not at the wall.

thanks for responding, this gives me something to go on!