Ceiling fan install

Question

I'm connecting the wires on a new ceiling fan. The current ceiling fixture has 3 wires coming out - black, white, red. I know my fan white matches with the ceiling white wire, as do the black wires, but can I connect the green ground wire to the red wire? What is this red wire for?

Answer

You can, as in it is possible, to connect the green to red but get ready for a power outage. You will create a dead short which is not good.

You realize that green is ground, right? Red is never used as ground, in fact it is always used as hot or a traveller which is also hot.

I commend you for asking first, but the fact that you considered connecting red to green is a strong indication that you should hire an electrician for your next project.

There are several ways this could of been wired and you have not given me enough info to tell you exactly so I will give you a few scenarios.

If you open up your switch to the fixture you should find your black and red wires. If black is going to the switch and red is also connected to the switch you will want to connect your light this way: White to white Green to green/copper Black from the light to red Leave the blacks connected the way they were.

If you open it up and find that red is capped off, you have two choices: 1. You can install a double switch, one for the light and one for the fan. 2. You can leave the red capped and wire the fixture this way: White to white Green to green/copper Black from the light to black