Quote Originally Posted by PharmaCan
Light dimmers aren't designed for much of a load and most of them start (turn on) on the low side and progress to high. A fan dimmer, on the other hand, is designed for a heavier load and it starts on the high side, which is better for the motor. Taking these factors into consideration, you DON'T want to use a light dimmer on a fan.

However, since you will most likely just set the rheostat (dimmer) and turn the fan on and off with your timer, where/how the dimmer turns on is not a consideration and your concern should be to get a dimmer that is designed to handle the load from your fan. If going to Lowe's or Home dePot, unless you have a really big fan, just get the mid-priced dimmer with the slide bar not the knob; around $10 if I recall. Using a rheostat on your fan won't hurt the motor. It could theoretically shorten the useful life of the motor by a small percentage, but so what? The bearings in your fan will wear out long before the motor ever does.

PC :smokin:
I dont mean to be a pain, but all the dimmers in my house Start on high, and go to low, and all of them can also be pressed to start the light (at whatever speed you want). Dimmers come in all shapes and sizes- not to mention you only set the dimmer once if its on your timer circuit, so at most this would benifit once

also, i would assume a light dimmer is rated for more than a fan dimmer, a PC fan consumes 1-2w tops, most heavy duty fans max out at not much higher. where a light is an easy 60-120w (old style)

I could be mistaken, but it doesnt seem right to me.