I have a fan with light on a single switch. I don’t need to control the fan with the switch. I would like to make the fan always on so I can control it with the pull string and have the switch control a smart bulb in the fan. Is this possible.
Again my idea is to put an on/off switch (z-wave or zigbee) in the wall giving power to the fan and light. Then put a z-wave or zigbee controlled light in the fan. When I hit the off switch have the power stay on but tell the light to turn off. I am assuming that I can automate the off press for the switch to turn the switch on (keeping the fan running) and turn the lights off. would this work?
I am new to smartthings I have only installed a dimmer and a few outlets, so the more complex stuff like this is a little above my head and it seems that this would be my cheapest option if it works.
Thanks in advance,
Robert Lee
You would not need the zigbee/zwave switch in the wall for what you are proposing. You would just need to leave the pullchain for the light on and then use the smartbulb in the fan. That said, i don’t know of any fan that would take standard light bulbs. That would prevent you from using smartbulbs in the fan.
What you could do is rewire the fan to have constant AC power going to the fan and switched power coming from the wall switch to the fan light. Your fan will have 3 wires coming off of it. Black, blue and white. The black is the hot for the fan. The blue is the hot for the light and the white is the neutral. so, your switch would go to the blue and white and the constant ac would go to the black and white. Then you would be able to control the fan by the pullchain and the light by the wall-switch.
However, if you’re going to go through this trouble, why not wire it for the z-wave fan control switch and the light dimmer next to each other? it would allow for control of the fan and the light via ST.
Please note that plain switch on/off for fan+lights is ok.
but dimer needs to control ampers not volts.
otherwise you facing safety/damaged fan issues.
you need something like this one:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/GE-Z-Wave-Plus-3-speed-2-5-Amp-Wireless-White-Almond-Indoor-Rocker-Fan-Control/1000217683
Yup. But the OP wanted to control the fan with the pullchain and the lights via ST.
If your fan does not use standard bulbs you can use the ikea E12 candelabra bulbs, they do require a custom device handler but I have had no issues with the ones I have in my fan. I think Phillips also makes a zigbee E12 bulb.
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/search/?query=TRÅDFRI+LED+bulb+E12+400+lumen
I have a piston that basically does that with a virtual switch, I control it via voice automation but I added something that should work with a physical button press. (switch 17 is the virtual switch). You’ll have to toggle the virtual switch somehow.
Didn’t even know they had smart candelabra bulbs! Thanks!
