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Ceiling Fan Repair and Care (Troubleshooting and fixing problems)

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By hometips



You are back home on a hot day and want to sit down under your fan and chill out and you switch on the ceiling fan and find it either not working at all or giving all sorts of problems. This can be frustrating.

Let us now discuss some of the problems and their solutions related to ceiling fans.


The Ceiling Fan Doesn't Work at all

If your ceiling fan is not working at all, you need to make sure it is receiving electrical power from its switch and from the circuit breaker or the fuse box. You need to First check the circuit breaker or fuse. If the breaker and the fuse are OK then check the switch. Here is how you can check the fan switch:

1) Turn off the power to the fan.

2) Unscrew the screws that mount the switch to the electrical box.

3) Use a voltage / current tester to check the screw terminals on the side of the switch to make sure they are not hot or charged and then gently pull the switch out from the box.

4) Unscrew the wires from the two terminals and straighten their ends with a pair of pliers.

5) Twist the two bare ends together and screw a wire nut onto the twisted pair.

6) Turn the switch on. If the fan goes on and starts working, the switch is bad. Buy a new switch and install it. If the fan still doesn’t work, the problem is in the wiring or the fixture.

7) Turn off the power to the circuit, reconnect the switch and restore the power to the circuit, and check the fan fixture or call an electrician.



My Ceiling Fan Hums, How do I fix this problem?

If your ceiling fan makes a humming noise when it runs, you may be able to fix the problem by changing the control. Buy a control compatible with your fan with an anti-hum feature. Be sure the control has an amperage rating equal to or greater than the requirement of your fan. Please note that multiple fans or fans with lights may require special controls.

Here is how you can fix the problem of a ceiling fan making a humming sound:

1) Turn off the power to the fan at the circuit breaker.

2) Check the fan’s switch to make sure it is off.

3) Remove the faceplate and the switch. Use a voltage / current tester to make sure that the wires connected to the fan switch are not hot or charged.

4) Disconnect the wires from the switch.

5) Straighten the ends of the wires in the electrical box and twist them together with the wires of the new anti-hum fan control.

6) Add wire nuts, screw the control to the electrical box, reattach the faceplate, and restore power. You are done. If this doesn’t fix the problem, call an electrician.


My Ceiling Fan wobbles. How do I fix this problem?

Little wobble with any ceiling fan is common but significant wobble can be dangerous. Check the source of the wobble. In most cases, wobble happens when a fan has been hung from a regular ceiling electrical box instead of an electrical box that is rated for fans. Because of its weight and constant movement, a fan exerts far more force on the electrical box than a light. If a fan works its way loose, it could come crashing down and this can be quite dangerous and harmful. Here is what you need to do:

1) Unscrew and lower the bracket housing at the ceiling. Check the electrical box. Also check to see how it is fastened. U-bolts or lag screws should connect the metal box to a bracket or solid wood block in the attic.

2) If the fan hangs from the wrong type of box or is not properly supported, call a fan-installation specialist, an electrician to install the fan properly and solve the problem.

3) Check the support bracket and check if it is firm or not, if not, tighten it.

4) If your fan hangs from a drop rod, be sure the ball joint at the top of the drop rod is properly engaged with the fan support bracket.

5) Check and tighten all bolts and screws.

6) Check if the blade tips hang an even distance from the ceiling. If not, one or more of the blades may be bent or warped. Report this to the manufacturer for a replacement.

Comments

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Donna Estes  says:
11 months ago

We have two ceiling fans that were not used for about one year. We turned on the fans ...they hummed but the fan bledes did not turn. The lights attached to the fan work just fine,its just the fan itself doesn't want to work. I am thinking that the motor or such froze up from disuse. Is there any way I can remove the fan and check to see what the problem is,and if they are frozen is it fixable? Any help you could give me would greatly be appreciated. Thank you.

hometips profile image

hometips  says:
11 months ago

There is no problem with the power supply to the fan. Even I have such a fan in my house with lights and they look and work great. The Motor of your fan need some servicing. Also the condenser need sot be checked. Please call an electrician to do this. This is not a big or very expensive problem.

Nick Hanan  says:
6 months ago

I went to put a new bulb in my ceiling fan, but there was already a broken one in the socket. It made a large spark, and now the wall switch won't turn the light/fan on. Any way for a quick fix? Thank you in advance for any help you can give!

hometips profile image

hometips  says:
6 months ago

Most probably there is a sorting in the fan and something is wrong is the fan's circuitry. I cannot give any specific solution to this problem. If you have prior experience in home electrical repair, you can uninstall the fan, and see if some wire is burnt. Change any required wire and install and check. If you fail, call an appliance repair person.

anthony mc  says:
6 months ago

i installed a new ceiling fan switch in a old fan now the fan will not turn off anymore

hometips profile image

hometips  says:
6 months ago

There is problem in the way you installed the switch or the switch is faulty. It is NOT cutting the power supply when in OFF position. Look at it and change it if required.

Mark  says:
5 months ago

My ceiling fan does not work at all. When turning it on there is a sound which turn out to be a spark from the wiring in the box on the fan. There does not seem to be any loose wires. What is wrong?

hometips profile image

hometips  says:
5 months ago

The copper coil inside the fan is burnt. It needs replacement or recoiling.

ernest  says:
5 months ago

I replaced my ceiling fan according to the manafactuer's directions. Connected all of the wires to the appropriate colors, and nothing happened. I brought a voltage tester to see if there is power to the ceiling fan and light switch and there is. I don't know what else it could be.

hometips profile image

hometips  says:
5 months ago

Is power coming to the wire that you connect to the wire coming out from the fan? If there is power and the fan is still now working there is problem with the fan circuitry. Maybe some circuit is broken or some wire is not joint properly. It would be better if you can call an electrician.

Mike  says:
4 months ago

I have a mid 80's casablanca ceiling fan. the fan assembely (four blades attached to black plastic circle) has "dropped" about 1/2 inch down the shaft and now rubs against the lights. I can freely move it up and down the shaft by hand, but can't figure out if, and how, it can be tightened back up. Any thoughts?

Newton  says:
3 months ago

My fan will not operate on the high speed setting, and when I pull the chain to change speeds, it reverses direction, w/o moving the directional switch. The fan has been up several years and only recently started doing this.

hometips profile image

hometips  says:
3 months ago

There is surely problem with the internal wiring in the fan. With the help of a electrician or a fan repair expert, open the fan and check any problem with wires running inside the fan.

Newton  says:
3 months ago

I've done that and the wiring matches the second fan in the same room. Again, these fans have been up for several years and this only just recently started. Could it have anything to do with the fan capacitor or switches within the fan?

hometips profile image

hometips  says:
3 months ago

Even I have one of these fan in my living room. It ads decor to the room and is working great. I don't think it has anything to do with any of the electronic components in the fan. It has to be something wrong with the wires. Please get it checked by some expert since I can only help you with guesses. I is difficult to give solution to these kind of problems without actually looking at the fan.

Lance  says:
6 weeks ago

My ceiling controller only works on the #1 speed. I cannot move the dial onto the #2 or #3 speeds any more. Is that fixable or do I need a new controller?

hometips profile image

hometips  says:
6 weeks ago

The problem is easily fixable. You can do it yourself if you have little hands-on experience in electrical repairing or you may call a repair person.

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