Ceiling fan installation issue

[Handymong]

Backstory:

Installing a new ceiling fan in a 45 y.o. house, rewiring to an existing switch. The leg was for a switched outlet, which was wired in a peculiar way - on a 14/2 copper, both leads are hot (no neutral). I haven’t opened the sheetrock at the baseboard to see where they wired the return, just ran another length of Romex from the attic between the source and the brace. Then installed the fan, turned it on and got bamboozled - with the switch wired the same way, the current alternates between the fan and the outlet, but only when there’s a lamp plugged into it and turned on. Otherwise, everything turns off. Even if I screw the bulb out, it seems that it breaks the circuit.

Here’s my train of thought: from prior experience with installing old work chandeliers off of rewired switched outlets, I usually had to deal with legs that ran on 14/3’s with alternate hot wires; that wasn’t the case here. Could it be that this is the issue ? Also, I’ve never ran into a double-hot 14/2 before and at a zero ideas as to where the return is.

Could someone provide an insight into this, please ?

 

[telectrix]

sounds like you have the fan wired in series with the light, so that the light has to pass the current for the fan to work.

 

[Megawatt]

Backstory:

Installing a new ceiling fan in a 45 y.o. house, rewiring to an existing switch. The leg was for a switched outlet, which was wired in a peculiar way - on a 14/2 copper, both leads are hot (no neutral). I haven’t opened the sheetrock at the baseboard to see where they wired the return, just ran another length of Romex from the attic between the source and the brace. Then installed the fan, turned it on and got bamboozled - with the switch wired the same way, the current alternates between the fan and the outlet, but only when there’s a lamp plugged into it and turned on. Otherwise, everything turns off. Even if I screw the bulb out, it seems that it breaks the circuit.

Here’s my train of thought: from prior experience with installing old work chandeliers off of rewired switched outlets, I usually had to deal with legs that ran on 14/3’s with alternate hot wires; that wasn’t the case here. Could it be that this is the issue ? Also, I’ve never ran into a double-hot 14/2 before and at a zero ideas as to where the return is.

Could someone provide an insight into this, please ?

You have 1 cable that is your switch which will be black and white and the white should be taped black since it is a hot from your switch leg. The black should be tied to the live hot and the white is what turns on the receptacle. If it was working before then you have a wire crossed up