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What’s Wrong With My Fan?!

wrong fan
24
May

Find the answers you need to common problems with ceilings fans.

Why doesn’t my fan move air?!

There are a number of reasons this could be:

  1. Problem:Most fans spin in two directions; either clockwise or anti-clockwise. When they spin anti-clockwise, they push air down, and when they spin clockwise they pull air up. This is useful in winter as by pulling air up it pushes the hot air which is above the fan back down the sides very gently. This means you keep the hot air lower and therefore can use the heating on a lower setting.
    Solution: Turn the fan off, and then check the motor for a summer/winter setting switch. If it is on the winter setting, flick the switch and hopefully you will soon be feeling a nice breeze!
  2. Problem:The blades have very little pitch or bad design.
    Solution: Unfortunately, there is not much that can be done in the situation apart from get a new fan. Make sure when you get a new fan, it moves as much air as you need. To ensure this, the best way is to visit a showroom with ceiling fans which are installed and you can test, or at least speak to a trained salesperson and explain your situation.
  3. Problem:The motor is slow; either purposefully, or due to a fault.
    Solution: If the motor moves slowly on purpose (some fans are designed to create a gentle breeze but not move a lot of air), than as above, you will need to get a new fan if you really need more air in that area. Hopefully you will have another area you can install the slow fan in which requires less air movement. If it is due to a fault, look into your warranty details to see if it is covered.

My ceiling fan remote is not working

This could be due to a variety of reasons:

  1. The batteries are dead! Change the batteries and test!
  2. The remote handset is not working. This is the part you hold. If you can buy an exact replacement, you can just replace this part. Check the instructions on how to set it up. Most remotes work on a radio frequency system so you will just need to set it on the matching frequency. If you can’t get an exact replace, you might be able to replace the whole remote set. You will need an electrician and it is best to first check with a specialist whether it will be possible.
  3. The remote receiver is damaged. This is the part you don’t see, that sits in the canopy of the fan and receives the signal. If you have a radio frequency remote, you can replace the whole remote set in this instance. You will need an electrician to wire the new receiver to the fan.
  4. It’s actually the fan that doesn’t work. In this case, you will need to see whether it is under warranty or can be fixed, or you may need to replace it.

Why doesn’t my fan light work?

Your fan light is on its own wire, so it is like any other light. Therefore, if it stops work, one reason could be that the globe has burnt. Another reason could be that a wire has come loose. It is probably best to get an electrician to check it for you.

I can’t get the glass shade off the fan light!

Different lights have shades that come on and off in different ways. Usually they will either twist off or pull off. If you have the instructions, invoice or know the light model, try investigate first how the shades comes off. If you don’t have any information, very gently try each method.

Why does my fan wobble?

Wobbling occurs when the fan blades are out of balance with each other. There are three principal causes of this. One is that it is simply a low quality fan, the second is that it has been installed incorrectly and the third is that the blades have somehow been damaged.

If your fan is wobbly due to low quality, unfortunately there is not much that can be done. If it is only a small wobble and doesn’t bother you, and can just leave the fan as is as it is not dangerous. If you are uncomfortable with the wobble, you will need to get a new fan. If you have a light on the bottom of your fan, it is not good if the fan wobbles excessively as this can cause the light to become loose.

If your fan has been installed incorrectly, check the instructions and see if it something simple such as a loose screw, or whether the blade has been screwed in straight. You may also have some balancing magnets that came with the fan that you can add if the installer did not use them. If you can’t fix it yourself, call your installer or the warranty number if you believe it is due to a fault with the fan.

If your blades have been damaged, you may be able to buy a set of replacement blades. This will depend on the model and manufacturer, firstly whether it is still a stock item, but also whether the manufacturer makes spare sets of blades. If you can get a set, replace all the blades carefully following the instructions and hopefully there will be no more wobbling!

My wall control or pull cord has broken. Can I replace it with any ceiling fan wall control?

This is possible but can cause problems if the capacitor of the new wall control does not match the motor in the fan. It can cause damage to the motor and often make the motor very noisy. If you know the fan model, you may be able to call or email the store where you bought it to get a wall control which will have the right capacitor. Remember that you will need an electrician to install the new wall control.

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