Question about fanlinc and the pull chains on the fan

[edokid]

Hi everyone,

I just put a new fan in our guest bedroom which was a nice one has all the wires shown needed for fanlinc etc so was thinking of picking one up now as I have a spare KPL wihch would be handy to control it.  Was just wondering though, what happens with the pull chain which typically is used to turn the fan on, medium, low, off etc?  If the KPL is used to put it on medium for example, can someone then go and pull the chain and turn it off, and is the ISY able to know it's now off and update the KPL accordingly?  Or should I be removing the pull chains so people can't do that?  They are just really nice looking ones and I'd have to almost disable them vs remove them as they would look weird missing.  Just curious not a huge deal, thanks!

[Teken]

The fan must be set to the highest speed and left there. The fanlinc moving forward will control all aspects of the fan speed and light.

 

I would not remove the chains but simply secure them in place and out of the way. Because one day you're going to need them for some testing / maintenance. 

[edokid]

Perfect thanks, they are a pull chain type and they fit through a small hole in the bottom glass piece that screws on.  So just thinking I can probably tie a knot in them before fishing it through the hole, so if someone does pull on it the knot will prevent it from actually pulling down.

[larryllix]

Perfect thanks, they are a pull chain type and they fit through a small hole in the bottom glass piece that screws on.  So just thinking I can probably tie a knot in them before fishing it through the hole, so if someone does pull on it the knot will prevent it from actually pulling down.

I  would be afraid that somebody would pull too hard out of frustration maybe and fracture the glass. Can they not be just stored above the glass globe and not dropped through at all or the pullchain switch bypassed?

[stusviews]

Bypassing the switch forgoes the ability to test, as indicated by Teken. Some of our fans had short chains with decorative attachment (piece of chain + knob). I removed the decorative part. On other fans, I tucked the chain in or on top so it wasn't easily seen or seen at all. Stored above the glass, as larryflix suggested works, too.

[MustangChris04]

I cut my chain where it comes out of housing. Been like that for a few years with no issues. If I ever needed to pull the chain if something went wrong, I could pull off the light kit and where the chain feeds into the assembly, there would be an inch or so available to pull.

[builderb]

One of mine has the chain through the lens, so I just disconnected the long pieces and tucked the two short pieces inside the light. The others I just disconnected and left alone. Because of the (stupid) shape of the fixture, the lens hides the chain exit locations. (Stupid because this meant the chain rubbed the lens every time you used it, and you weren't pulling in line with the action, requiring more force as well.)

 

Honestly, now that they're tied to temperature sensors in the rooms, I rarely use the KPL to turn them on or off. It just changes state or speed by itself, which is what I want from automation technologies.

 

 

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[larryllix]

This seems confusing.

 

Doesn't the pullchain switch get removed from the box, not only to replace with the fanlinc control unit, but also to make enough room in these cramped wiring boxes?

 

I am thinking of installing a fanlinc in my Honeywell ceiling fan but it currently has some fancy two wire (hot and neutral only) method of controlling the lights, with dimming, and the fan speed. Would be nice to know what protocol this things uses.

 

It comes with a thermostat inside the wallswitch control unit but inside a wall box, but with dimming electronics heat, is not a good place for a temperature sensor.  I have a 2441ZTH just waiting to be enslaved for graduated smart fan speed control.

[larryllix]

One of mine has the chain through the lens, so I just disconnected the long pieces and tucked the two short pieces inside the light. The others I just disconnected and left alone. Because of the (stupid) shape of the fixture, the lens hides the chain exit locations. (Stupid because this meant the chain rubbed the lens every time you used it, and you weren't pulling in line with the action, requiring more force as well.)

 

Honestly, now that they're tied to temperature sensors in the rooms, I rarely use the KPL to turn them on or off. It just changes state or speed by itself, which is what I want from automation technologies.

 

 

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Awesome! I agree about the HA not just being remote control. See my post above. This is what I want to accomplish as well. Occupancy detection comes into play as a factor also. Not just your dumb switch anymore.

[builderb]

This seems confusing.

 

Doesn't the pullchain switch get removed from the box, not only to replace with the fanlinc control unit, but also to make enough room in these cramped wiring boxes?

 

I am thinking of installing a fanlinc in my Honeywell ceiling fan but it currently has some fancy two wire (hot and neutral only) method of controlling the lights, with dimming, and the fan speed. Would be nice to know what protocol this things uses.

 

It comes with a thermostat inside the wallswitch control unit but inside a wall box, but with dimming electronics heat, is not a good place for a temperature sensor. I have a 2441ZTH just waiting to be enslaved for graduated smart fan speed control.

So, most newer fan mounting brackets have a shape that allows the fanlinc to slip in at essentially ceiling elevation. The brackets are made to accept a remote. Look online, you'll see what I mean.

 

You don't remove any switch. The basic homeowner fan won't be modular like that, it's all integral. But typically, the chain exiting the housing is short on arrival, with a coupler. You add chain for typical use. For the fanlinc, you want to hide that chain stub. Or ignore it.

 

All that's going on is voltage control to a motor designed to respond to those voltages in much the same way a 3-level light does. You'll need to look under your fan housing (or see if you can check model info online) to see where your voltage control is happening. If it's at your switch, you can probably use the fanlinc. Basically if voltage control occurs outside the wire nuts for the fan, you're good. The guide is clear that the fanlinc isn't appropriate for fans with a built-in remote control.

 

 

 

 

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[larryllix]

So, most newer fan mounting brackets have a shape that allows the fanlinc to slip in at essentially ceiling elevation. The brackets are made to accept a remote. Look online, you'll see what I mean.

 

You don't remove any switch. The basic homeowner fan won't be modular like that, it's all integral. But typically, the chain exiting the housing is short on arrival, with a coupler. You add chain for typical use. For the fanlinc, you want to hide that chain stub. Or ignore it.

 

All that's going on is voltage control to a motor designed to respond to those voltages in much the same way a 3-level light does. You'll need to look under your fan housing (or see if you can check model info online) to see where your voltage control is happening. If it's at your switch, you can probably use the fanlinc. Basically if voltage control occurs outside the wire nuts for the fan, you're good. The guide is clear that the fanlinc isn't appropriate for fans with a built-in remote control.

 

 

 

 

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Thanks

 

Yeah it will be more complicated than that. This fan has no pullchains and the switching is all done in the light junction box hanging below the fan motor. The wall control sending unit is a PITA with it's tiny rubber pushbutton to control the light so we hardly ever use it. I have an MS linked to a bedside lamp that suffices for most of our bedroom traffic and reading using manual overrides from a MiniRemote.

 

Trouble with the Insteon smart HA thing is selling the house later. Now I would have to replace all the original equipment.

[builderb]

Thanks

 

Yeah it will be more complicated than that. This fan has no pullchains and the switching is all done in the light junction box hanging below the fan motor. The wall control sending unit is a PITA with it's tiny rubber pushbutton to control the light so we hardly ever use it. I have an MS linked to a bedside lamp that suffices for most of our bedroom traffic and reading using manual overrides from a MiniRemote.

 

Trouble with the Insteon smart HA thing is selling the house later. Now I would have to replace all the original equipment.

Replace the whole setup then. Buy a new fan, abandon the old system, and install the fanlinc. If/when you sell, just replace the fanlinc and KPL with a standalone remote system (there's a reason most modern fan mounting brackets accept a remote, and it's not for us hordes of Insteon users!)

 

 

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