Jonathan4465
New Member
Hey all! I'm 4 months into a complete renovation of my mid-70's colonial. It has one of those old GE low voltage lighting systems with the relay box, as I'm sure some of you have come across before.
I've finished remodeling the upstairs, and finished the basement. As we have been moving along we have been removing as much of the low voltage system as possible. I guess back in the 70's it was state of the art, but now it's just a pain. After doing some research I discovered parts are becoming harder to come by, and replacement relays are in the area of $40. Not interested, so I have been pulling it out and replacing it with standard wiring.
Upstairs we ran dedicated circuits from the basement to the attic, then down to the bedrooms. Now all lights, fans etc use standard wiring and switches. I'm a stickler for having a variable fan control on the wall, as I have never been a fan of pull chains.
Now to the point of the post. I am on the final stage of the renovation, which is the main floor. (living room, kitchen etc.) The living room, family room, and kitchen all have fans and lights. I'm nearing the end of the renovation and really trying to stay within budget, and still get the kitchen I want. I'd like to avoid tearing down any more sheetrock and running any more wires\electrical work. My question is, what solutions, if any, are available to separately control a fans lighting and fan speed without changing the wiring. For example, I know there are such things as digital fan lighting controls whereby you connect a small box just above the fan in the ceiling, so all you need is a single power line. However, I still don't think that will work with the relay system. Anyone have any experience with fans\lights that use remotes?
Maybe I'm just trying to avoid more work or getting burned out, but I really want to avoid any further electrical work. Any ideas are welcome. : )
I've finished remodeling the upstairs, and finished the basement. As we have been moving along we have been removing as much of the low voltage system as possible. I guess back in the 70's it was state of the art, but now it's just a pain. After doing some research I discovered parts are becoming harder to come by, and replacement relays are in the area of $40. Not interested, so I have been pulling it out and replacing it with standard wiring.
Upstairs we ran dedicated circuits from the basement to the attic, then down to the bedrooms. Now all lights, fans etc use standard wiring and switches. I'm a stickler for having a variable fan control on the wall, as I have never been a fan of pull chains.
Now to the point of the post. I am on the final stage of the renovation, which is the main floor. (living room, kitchen etc.) The living room, family room, and kitchen all have fans and lights. I'm nearing the end of the renovation and really trying to stay within budget, and still get the kitchen I want. I'd like to avoid tearing down any more sheetrock and running any more wires\electrical work. My question is, what solutions, if any, are available to separately control a fans lighting and fan speed without changing the wiring. For example, I know there are such things as digital fan lighting controls whereby you connect a small box just above the fan in the ceiling, so all you need is a single power line. However, I still don't think that will work with the relay system. Anyone have any experience with fans\lights that use remotes?
Maybe I'm just trying to avoid more work or getting burned out, but I really want to avoid any further electrical work. Any ideas are welcome. : )