Replace Fan Switch With ToggleLink Dimmer?

[johnmsch]

I have a room with a ceiling fan and a light switch in one box.  The ceiling fan switch is a rotary dial with 4 positions: Off, High, Medium, Low.  Its about 20 years old.  The other switch is just a standard On/Off switch controlling some track lights.

I just replaced the On/Off switch with a 2466DW dimmer.  After turning the power back on, the dimmer worked fine, On, Off, Dim up, Dim Down.  I then turned the fan dial from Off to High just to be sure it was still working.  When I did that, the dimmer turned off then on and the LED blinked a few times.  Repeated that process a few more times and each time I turned the dial, the 2466 was going crazy.  Didn't think much about it and went to my PC to add the dimmer and do a simple program.  However, when I brought up the ISY Admin Console and entered the address, it said it could not communicate with the switch.  After messing with it for a bit, I ended up doing the factory reset on the switch.  (air-gap for 10 seconds, push in and hold until the beeping stopped, released it and got the confirmation beep).  Came back to my PC and was able to add the switch and create my program.  It appears that when I turn the dial on the fan switch, its messing up the dimmer switch somehow.

Any idea what interference that old fan switch could be causing with the new 2466? 

I was thinking about just replacing that rotary fan switch with a 2466 dimmer but wanted to check in here to see if anyone has done something like this before.

[auger66]

Assuming your fan has AC motor and if you want to replace the fan switch, it's best to use a keypad and fanlinc combination. It's an expensive option, but it's the best way to go. A dimmer switch will probably just make your fan motor buzz.

Your current fan switch is probably throwing out so much electrical noise right next to the dimmer switch, it's overwhelming it. The easiest solution would be to put the on/off switch back in.

[johnmsch]

Thanks for the quick reply @auger66I completely forgot about the fanlinc option, now just called Insteon Ceiling Fan and Light Control Module).  That's definitely the way to go!  Going to order one now along with the 6-button keypad and the custom fan button kit.

When I look at the install process for the 2475F and a couple videos, I see references to linking each button on the keypad individually by linking each one to the control module using the buttons on it.  I'm assuming I can just do the linking from the ISY Admin Console once everything is installed instead of having to go up and down the ladder multiple times to program the buttons?

[auger66]

Yes, after the initial fanlinc linking, it can all be done from the ISY. Just make sure your fan has an AC motor. Plus, you'll have to decide how you want to do the light since you have a wire for the fan and light. Most of these installations are done with one load wire for both.