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[kk]

I have a wall switch WS467 hooked up to control a light that has a very small ceiling fan.  It's in a room I don't use too much, so I had never turned on the fan or even thought about the switch working or not.  Today I turned on the wall switch, pulled the light chain to turn the light off (I leave it on so I can remotely control it), and pulled the chain to turn the fan on.  It didn't come on, but after I turned the wall switch off and back on again, the fan would work, but it seemed to only work on a very slow speed, with the motor humming a bit.  I read something in another post about a fan humming like this.  I really didn't test it fully, but I don't think I can change the speed of the fan.  I don't mind the trouble with using the fan/ light this way, and I really don't want the fan on high anyway, but I just want to be sure there isn't any type of safety hazard involved, since my wiring probably isn't the greatest, given the age of the house.  Thanks in advance.

[roger1818]

You should never use a WS467 to control anything other than incandescent lights.  There are several reasons for this (http://kbase.x10.com/wiki/Fluorescent_Lights gives a good explanation of this).  Your best bet is to use a Non-dimming Decorator Wall Switch (WS13A) instead.  Just make sure the switch box has a neutral wire in it.

[kk]

Oops.  I really wasn't even thinking about the fan when I put the wall switch in.  Is the only danger involved the possibility of damaging the wall switch itself?  Can I leave it installed and just never turn the fan on?  Unfortunately, this poor old house has no neutral wire, so the other types of switches are out.  Do you "community organizer" guys work for X-10 or what? 

[roger1818]

Oops.  I really wasn't even thinking about the fan when I put the wall switch in.  Is the only danger involved the possibility of damaging the wall switch itself?

You could damage either the switch or the fan.  I have read that there is also a risk of fire, but that might be fear mongering.

Can I leave it installed and just never turn the fan on?  Unfortunately, this poor old house has no neutral wire, so the other types of switches are out. 

Yes, as long as the fan never gets turned on, that would be OK. 

A better solution however would be to re-wire the fan so that it isn't controlled by the wall switch (if you wanted, you could have it controlled by an in-line appliance module).  Most fans with light kits have separate connections for the fan and light so that they can be switched independently.  To do this you need to have both a switched and an un-switched hot wire in the ceiling box, which is likely the case if you don't have a neutral wire at the switch, unless you have (pre 50's) knob and tube wiring (a real PITB for home automation).

Do you "community organizer" guys work for X-10 or what? 

No, we are volunteers.  There are a few employees who also read these forums.

[ericb]

However, the XPFM in-line appliance module requires a neutral wire. Without neutral wires, you can't switch non-incandescent loads that wire in to wall power, as oppposed to plugging into an outlet.