At the fan I have a plug in for the fan (1 black/1 white) and a plug in for the light/nightlight (2 blacks and 1 ground). At the switch plate I have 3 separate switches (fan, light, night light). I want to combine the light and fan into 1 switch and keep the nightlight separate. In the ceiling, 2 cables exist: One 2-wire (black/white) cable and One 3-wire (black(light)/white/red(fan)).
At the switch box many of the hot black wires are tied together and many of the neutral wires are also tied together. To affect my change should I wire the hot fan/light leads to the hot red and black ones from the switches below and then at the switch box combine the two blacks from the switch that I intend to remove and add those to the single switch?
I tried to upload photos and the site does not accept even the smallest one. There are 3 wires in the ceiling and 5 wires for the fan/light/nightlight. I have wired up the fan/light/nightlight based on 3 separate switches (I am not convinced that I am not experiencing a voltage drop – based on using a circuit tester), but each switch operates separately. If I try to go to a common switch for the light and fan (this is my goal) then all 3 (fan/light/nightlight) are energized at once ( I do not want to connect the new fan until I resolve this). All 3 switches have a black line in and out. At the 3 gang box, all the neutrals are tied together and all the black wires are tied together. Thoughts?
Thanks here is the link to photos: http://imgur.com/WEgPY3z and here is the link with all the photos http://imgur.com/a/vzfJJ
Success! I pulled the junction box switches and found there were 5 black wires tied together and 4 white ones tied together. I left the white ones alone and when I explored the 3 switches, I had the normal hot into the switch and switched hot leading up to the ceiling. One switch was wired the opposite way (switched hot in) and hot out – I cannot explain this. After I disconnected all the black wires, I found only 1 of the 5 was hot (one was for another circuit (not switched at the box)). To go to two switches, I eliminated one of the black wires and the middle switch. The nightlight was wired correctly (hot in; switched hot out), so I left it as is. For the combined fan/light switch, I used the last of the 4 black wires (hot) into the switch and then combined the fan/light wires out the other side of the switch, up to the ceiling and the fan unit. I also added the ground from the removed middle switch to the fan/light switch. At the fan, I left it wired as it had been in the photos I shared. Circuit testing verified that I could use the switches as intended and the correct response occurred at the fan.
Best Answer
Success! I pulled the junction box switches and found there were 5 black wires tied together and 4 white ones tied together. I left the white ones alone and when I explored the 3 switches, I had the normal hot into the switch and switched hot leading up to the ceiling. One switch was wired the opposite way (switched hot in) and hot out - I cannot explain this. After I disconnected all the black wires, I found only 1 of the 5 was hot (one was for another circuit (not switched at the box)). To go to two switches, I eliminated one of the black wires and the middle switch. The nightlight was wired correctly (hot in; switched hot out), so I left it as is. For the combined fan/light switch, I used the last of the 4 black wires (hot) into the switch and then combined the fan/light wires out the other side of the switch, up to the ceiling and the fan unit. I also added the ground from the removed middle switch to the fan/light switch. At the fan, I left it wired as it had been in the photos I shared. Circuit testing verified that I could use the switches as intended and the correct response occurred at the fan.