X10 Community Forum
🔌General Home Automation => Automating Your House => Topic started by: Glorfindel on July 26, 2011, 11:21:47 PM
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Since I have fixed my previous issue with the baby monitor and bvc. I would like to expand my control to every light in my room and not just the one I was using to test. I have a ceiling fan in my room and I was wondering what I would use to control it. I thought about using a socket rocket for the lamp part but that wouldn't work because I have a dimmer switch on the wall and they would interfere with each other. Any suggestions?
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Does the wall switch dimmer control the light only. With the fan having a separate switch or pull chain?
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No both the fan and the light are controlled on the same switch.
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I presume the switch is a standard wall switch and the fan has pull chains to control both lights and fan. You would need a "double module" that X10 does not make, or 2 standard modules mounted on the fan housing which is somewhat ugly compromise. Check the Forums for what I posted in the "Wish List topic here.
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I control all but two of my ceiling fans with XPS3-IW dimmer switches. I just haven't bought the switches for the last two yet. The IW indicates that it is an inductive wall dimmer with the key word being INDUCTIVE meaning that they can be used with loads such as motors. I have 2 of them mounted in each of the ceiling fan shrouds. One controls the light, and the other controls the fan. I then use XPT wall switches that have 3 button on-off plus dimming. For instance, in the bedroom, that lets me control the overhead light and fan plus the two night stand lights on either side of the bed.
The XPS3-IW switches are not 2 way switches. This means that when you activate the paddle locally on the switch, there is no X10 signal sent from the switch to inform your HA system that you turned a light on. So I only use them as X10 receivers. Using the XPT switches on the wall side which are strictly transmitters allows me to get the notification to my HA system when I turn the light or fan on from the wall switch. This gives me the advantage of pseudo 2 way functionality.
One thing to note though about using the XPS3-IW switches with ceiling fans. They typically cause the fan motors to hum. I do have 1 ceiling fan (not sure of the brand or model) that does not hum at all when used in this configuration, but this is rare. Myself and my wife are able to tolerate the hum that is generated from the other fans. Others in the forum however have indicated that the hum is very annoying to them.
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One thing to note though about using the XPS3-IW switches with ceiling fans. They typically cause the fan motors to hum. I do have 1 ceiling fan (not sure of the brand or model) that does not hum at all when used in this configuration, but this is rare. Myself and my wife are able to tolerate the hum that is generated from the other fans. Others in the forum however have indicated that the hum is very annoying to them.
Dan
Next time you crawl up there to dust the non buzzing fan, if you think about it, let us know the brand.
I had to roll back a bedroom "Harbor Breeze" (Lowes house brand I think) from XPDI3 to Appliance Module because of hum.
Thanks!
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I will, I just haven't had the need to get up there since I put it in.
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Harbor Breeze and Hampton Bay are made by the same manufacturer and both can be retrofitted with RF remote controls although this may vary by model number - it has been a few years since I looked into these.