In the sweltering heat of summer or the bone-chilling cold of winter, a harbor breeze ceiling fan can be your best friend, offering both comfort and style to your living space. But what if you get out of your bed to change the speed from the wall switch, and it doesn’t work? Annoying!
I have a solution to avoid this situation: install a remote control on your ceiling fan. Simply get a remote control with a compatible receiver, wire and connect the receiver to the ceiling fan, and pair it with the remote control. You can easily make your ceiling fan work with a remote control, even if it didn’t feature one originally.
However, before you can bask in the soothing breeze or the gentle glow of your ceiling fan’s integrated light via remote control, there’s one crucial step: understanding the harbor breeze ceiling fan wiring diagram. Be with me in this guide to learn how to wire a ceiling fan with the remote control’s receiver!
Can A Remote Be Used With A Ceiling Fan With A Pull Chain?
Yes, you can make remote work with a ceiling fan that has a pull chain. To do this, you need to add a receiver to the fan and then sync it with the remote control.
The receiver acts like a middleman, allowing the remote to talk to the fan, giving you control from anywhere in the room. So, if your fan doesn’t already have a receiver, you’ll need to install one first.
Once that’s done, you’ll be able to operate the fan using the remote, and you won’t need to use the pull chain anymore, which can sometimes cause problems and limit the fan’s performance.
Wiring Diagram For Harbor Breeze Ceiling Fan With Remote
Photo Taken From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXn5HMsIMqw
Link To This Diagram: Link Here
Tools & Materials You Will Need
Tools
- Protective gloves
- Ladder
- 4-in-1 screwdriver
Supplies
- Remote control
- Remote receiver
- Voltage tester
- Old screws
- Wire nuts
- Double-sided foam tape
- Batteries
How To Install A Ceiling Fan With A Remote Receiver?
Prepare Everything For The Installation
First, set your fan to the highest speed and turn on the light using the chains hanging from the fan. Leave the chains in this activated configuration to ensure your remote works correctly with the remote and fan. Next, turn off the power to the electrical box that the fan is linked to.
If you need to, use a step ladder or stool to access the ceiling fan. Use a Phillips screwdriver to take out the screws holding the cover (canopy) of the fan.
See the wires coming from your fan, the ceiling bracket, the control receiver, and the electrical box in the ceiling. Use a voltage tester to ensure the electricity is turned off and won’t shock you when you touch the wires. Remove the caps (wire nuts) from all the wires except the grounding ones.
NOTE: The three grounding wires would be in green, have green and yellow stripes, or are just plain copper without any insulation. These wires come from the electrical box in the ceiling, the long rod hanging down from your fan, and the bracket that holds the fan to the ceiling.
Connect The Wires As In The Above Diagram.
Connecting the wires correctly as they should isn’t complicated but a bit tricky. Get a few wire nuts out of the packaging and make the following connections, as shown in the diagram.
NOTE: The color of the wires may vary, but the fundamental idea is the same.
- Connect these three wires: white wires (grounded) from the receiver, fan, and ceiling.
- Connect these two wires: black wire (ungrounded) from the receiver and black wire (ungrounded) from the ceiling.
- Connect these two wires: blue wire (ungrounded) from the receiver and blue wire (ungrounded) from the fan.
- Connect these two wires: yellow wire (grounded) from the receiver and black wire (ungrounded) from the fan.
TIP: Use a wire nut to make and secure all the above connections. Even if some wire isn’t connected to another, always put a wire nut on it to prevent future sparking.
Push The Receiver Into The Ceiling Electrical Box.
Lift the wire connections with nuts in the upward direction so they’re inside the ceiling box. Keep the wires without insulation (ungrounded) on one side and the rest on the other side.
Push the receiver into the opening, and make sure the part with vents is facing down. Use screws to attach the cover (canopy) back over the receiver. You can also check your owner’s manual for an illustration that shows you where to put it.
Install Battery Into The Remote Control.
Take a screwdriver with a cross-shaped tip (a Phillips screwdriver) and use it to unscrew the screw that holds the cover of the remote control’s battery compartment.
Examine to make sure the batteries are put in accurately. If you’re using coin cell batteries (CR2032), the side with a plus sign (+) should face upwards. For AAA batteries, put them following the negative (-) and positive (+) signs in the battery compartment.
Put the battery door back on and utilize the screwdriver to tighten the screw.
NOTE: Some older remote controls might need different types of batteries. You can find out which ones to use in the owner’s manual.
How To Pair A Ceiling Fan Remote?
Now that you’ve installed the receiver, it’s time to make it work with your remote so they can communicate with each other. This will let you use the remote to turn the fan on and off, change the fan speed, and control the ceiling light (if your fan has one).
- Open the remote’s pair button by taking off the battery cover on the back of the remote.
- Turn the fan’s power on and off. You can do this by using the wall switch or turning off the circuit breaker that powers the fan. Leave it off for at least 10 seconds.
- Turn the fan’s power back on using the circuit breaker or wall switch.
- Press and release (don’t hold down) the pair button on the remote within three minutes of turning the power back on. You will hear a beep once paired.
NOTE: The remote control can both pair and unpair with this function, so if they were connected before, it will disconnect them, and if they weren’t, it will connect them.
TIP: Remember, these are the basic steps, and they might vary a bit depending on your fan model. Check your Harbor Breeze ceiling fan series and model for more specific instructions if needed.