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Project Planningconstruction blueprints image by Igor Zhorov from Fotolia.com
Turn off the circuit breaker to the circuit that you will be working on. Remove the cover plate to the old switch and remove the switch from the box. Use the noncontact voltage tester to make sure the wires are actually safe to work on. Disconnect the wires from the old switch and set it aside. - 2
Portable jigsawelectric saw image by Albert Lozano from Fotolia.com
Place a metal cutting blade in your jigsaw. Slip the blade between the old device box and the wall stud it's nailed to. Cut through the two nails and pull the box and its wires from the wall opening. Remove the cables from the box and secure them so they don't slip down inside the wall. You will need the one bringing power from the breaker panel. - 3
Jigsaw with blade installedcarpers prepare for sawing plywood 2 image by Graf_es from Fotolia.com
Remove the current lighting fixture, if there's one and remove the lighting outlet box as you did the switch device box. - 4
2-Gang, "New Work" Device Boxelectrical box image by jimcox40 from Fotolia.com
Run a length of 12/3 Romex from the switch box opening to the lighting to the fan box opening in the ceiling. The easiest way to do this is to work from above, from the attic or attic crawl space. Drill a 5/8-inch hole down through the walls top plate, the horizontal framing member at the top of the wall, into the wall space where the switches are to be located. Feed the cable down through this hole far enough so it extends into the room 10 to 12 inches. Run the cable along the side of the attic's floor joist or perpendicular to them through holes drilled in them to the ceiling fan's location. Cut this cable long enough so it will extend 6 to 8 inches into the box. - 5
Battery powered drilldrill image by Albert Lozano from Fotolia.com
Drill all the holes so that the near edge of the hole sets back at least 1 1/4 inches from the near edge of the framing member. Likewise, when running cable along the sides of a framing member position it at least 1 1/4 inches from the near edge of the framing member and secure it with staples at intervals not exceeding 48 inches. These are National Electrical Code (NEC) requirements. - 6
Spade bitdrill press image by Nancy Ottenweller from Fotolia.com
Cap off the ends of the old wires going to the original lighting outlet with wire nuts and push it back into the wall. Slip the end of the cable coming from the breaker panel and the end of the new cable into the new "Old Work" box and push the box into the wall. Secure the box in place. Repeat this step for the fan outlet box except the only cable entering it will be the new one. - 7
screwdriversscrewdrivers image by Pix by Marti from Fotolia.com
Remove the outer jacket from the new cable with the razor knife. Remove 3/4 inch of insulation from the ends of the individual wires. - 8
Needle nose pliers, diagonal cutting pliers, and Lineman's plierspliers image by Jim Mills from Fotolia.com
Cut two 6-inch lengths of black wire and strip 3/4 inch of insulation from their ends and two 6-inch lengths of bare copper grounding wire for pigtail splices. You can strip these wires from a short piece of the new cable. - 9
razor kniferazor knife image by Jim Mills from Fotolia.com
Splice the two black pigtails to the black wire coming from the breaker panel. Hold them side by side and twist them tightly together in a right hand twist. Screw on a wire nut to complete the splice. Splice both bare ground wires entering the box with the two pigtails. Splice the two white wires together. - 10
Adjustable wire stripperspliers and wire cutters image by Albert Lozano from Fotolia.com
Make loops in the end of all the wires with the needle nose pliers. Attach the two black power pigtails to the bottom brass screws on the switches. Place the loops around the screws in a clockwise direction and tighten the screws. Attach the grounding pigtails to the octagon shaped green screws. Attach the red and black wires going to the fan-light to the top screws on the switches. - 11
Wire nutswire nuts image by Paul Moore from Fotolia.com
Wrap the terminal screws with tape. Secure the switches in the box with the "captured" 6-32 screws. Install cover plate. - 12
Black plastic electric tapeadh??sif noir image by Unclesam from Fotolia.com
At the fan outlet box, splice the black wire to the black wire from the light, splice the red wire to red fan wire, and splice the white wire to the white wire. Splice the bare grounds together. - 13
Install the fan on the box. - 14
Turn on the circuit breaker.
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