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Ceiling Fan Troubleshooting

How do I replace a ceiling fan pullchain?

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How do I replace a ceiling fan pullchain?

1> Find the circuit breaker panel in your home. Disable the power to the ceiling fan.

2> Gain access to the inside of the fan by removing the housing. In some cases you may have to remove the globe.

3> This may require taking off the three or four screws around the outside of the base/canopy.

4> This will get you access to the back of the switch where the pullchain attaches.

5> Next you will need a replacement switch from the hardware store. You may be able to purchase it from this page for Westinghouse ceiling fan parts as well.

6> Attach the replacement switch to the existing wires

7> Feed the new pullchain through the existing hole

8> Remount any screws which hold the pullchain in place

9> Put the canopy, base and chassis back together

10> Once you’re all done, you have to back to the circuit breaker and turn it on in order to get power. Now test

11> If the new pullchain you wired up is working, great! If not, then you didn’t wire it properly. See our wiring guide for help with wiring colors.

 

Why are my ceiling fan blades turning yellow?

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Why are my ceiling fan blades turning yellow?

What you will need to effectively remove the yellow tar & nicotine stains yourself:

  • Oven Cleaner
  • De-greasing agent
  • Bucket
  • Screwdriver to take apart the fan & blades
  • Ladder to climb up to the fan and remove
  • Rubber gloves to protect against the oven cleaner and other chemicals

Are you a smoker? The most common reason why a ceiling fan’s blades will change to yellow is from cigarette smoke. Cigarette smoke has a chemical in it called nicotine. Nicotine actually will change a smoker’s fingers from white to yellow at the tips. Smokers also wind up with yellow teeth – this is stains from the nicotine. In some people, they can use whitening or other to get rid of the yellow teeth – if they are able to cut down on the smoking, or quit.

Unfortunately, removing the yellow nicotine stains from your ceiling fan will not be as easy as using whitening toothpaste. To remove yellow ceiling fan stains, use an over cleaner. We know, right? An over cleaner? But it does actually do the job. Just keep in mind, breathing the stuff in can be bad for you. So it’s best to work in an open area with lots of ventilation when you are doing this.

Ok, so you’ve got an area with open ventilation – check. Next, you’ll want to take the blades off the fan (disassemble). Once you do that, saturate each of the fan blades in the oven cleaner fluid. You can do this by using a bucket or other. Saturate the blades in the oven cleaner for some time – 10 to 20 minutes at least. Rinse the blades off. After that, saturate the blades in a degreasing solution, and again rinse after that. Rinse, and lightly wipe with cloth/sponge (very lightly). This should help to remove tar and nicotine stains from your fan.

Pull Chain Light Fixture Not Working – How Do I Fix It?

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I have a newer Hampton Bay ceiling fan, which has an attached light fixture. The pull chain is working ok for the fan. But the pull chain I have for the light is not working. What should I do?

You’ll need to remove the light kit from the fan, and take out the light switch inside. First, shut off the power running to the fan. You can do this from the circuit panel in your home.

Once the power is shut off, look at the base of the fan where the light kit is attached. You’ll have to remove the light switch. However, make sure you take note first of what’s attached where. It’s a good idea to make a diagram of what’s connected where, because you’ll need to connect a new switch in place of the old one.

You can take the detached piece to your local hardware store, lighting store or other. Home Depot, Lowe’s, Home Hardware and other stores like that should work just fine. The switch does not have to belong to a Hampton Bay ceiling fan – generally, you can get a universal switch or etc. If you take the existing switch and housing to a local store, some of the staff there may recognize a replacement if they’ve been there long enough (or have a fairly good trade education).

Hook up the same switch to match the existing switch

If you have a two wire switch, you’ll need another of the same. If you have a three wire switch, you’ll need another of those. You get the idea. As noted previously, ensure that you took a sketch, drawing, diagram or picture of your existing switch housing. This is of the utmost importance, so you know how to hook it back up again.

I had a Power Surge in the home and now my Ceiling Fan is Not Working. What should I do? Is my fan fried?

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I had a power surge the other day. My power was out for a number of hours. Now my ceiling fan and light will not turn on. The remote nor the pullchain will turn on the fan. Is the fan fried – what should I do?

The answer to this means you need to check a number of things on the fan. First of all, when you turn on the fan – is there any kind of indication that it is getting power? Is there any noise, is there any motion from the fan or anything happens at all?

If nothing happens whatsoever, no noise, nothing – then the fan might be fried. Or, it’s also possible that your breaker needs to be flipped off and on. Are other electronics or home products on the same circuit functioning – are you able to test? Sometimes certain outlets in the same room will be on the same circuit.

Another thing you can do is open up the fan and start using a multi meter to test the voltage. If you open up the fan and use a volt meter to test the leads and wires on the fan. Because every fan has different wire colors, it’s difficult for us to advise you which leads or wires to test. For best results, refer to our wiring guide which has further information on different colored wires and what their purpose is in the circuit.

 

 

Can I make a fan with a down rod flush mount to the ceiling?

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Can I make a fan with a down rod flush mount to the ceiling? In essence, this would turn a normal ceiling fan into a flushmount ceiling fan.

No, usually you cannot do this. The reason for this is a flush mount fan has a plate that mounts both to the box, and to the down rod. This plate also has a hanger. You can try looking for a shorter down rod though. The places you can find the shorter down rod are Lowes and HD. You should be able to find a short down rod all the way down to 4 inches.

You can also look at our hugger & flushmount ceiling fan pages, in order to find a replacement fan as well. You may not like your normal ceiling fan as much and just thinking of replacing it with a hugger or flushmount replacement. No problem. Browse on the left hand side to the <a href=”https://www.ceiling-fans-n-more.com/hugger-ceiling-fans.php” title=”Hugger Ceiling Fan Reviews”>Hugger Ceiling Fan</a> page and try taking a look at that, in order to find a fan that you’re interested in. We do our best to find the right models for you as well. Please let us know on the contact us page if there is a certain fan that you’re after and unable to find here. We also respond to part requests as well.

Hampton Bay Ceiling Fan Turns on by itself

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My Hampton Bay Ceiling Fan turns on by itself. What should I do to fix this problem?

Whether you have a Hampton Bay ceiling fan or other, having the fan turn on by itself can cause a problem. There are a few reasons why this might occur. Below we analyze each part of the ceiling fan that could be causing this problem, and the steps you can take to attempt to rectify it.

1. Check your ceiling fan remote

Is your ceiling fan remote with you at all times? Did you lose your remote? Are you 100% certain that your remote is not the thing turning on your fan? Perhaps someone in the home is playing a prank on you. Ensure your remote is not turning the fan on without your knowing about it.

Try troubleshooting your ceiling fan remote as well. You can read more about this on our article on troubleshooting your ceiling fan remote.

2. Ceiling fan receiver issues

The receiver on your fan could be the issue. What can happen is, your fan’s receiver can be set to the same frequency as other devices in your home. When this happens, turning on another appliance in the home can also turn on the fan too. Or, your neighbours might have a fan or another appliance where the frequency is the same, or it could also be a dip switch issue. Read this article for more information on troubleshooting ceiling fan receiver problems.

How to Troubleshoot Casablanca Ceiling Fans

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How do I troubleshoot a Casablanca Ceiling Fan?

Below are point form notes for troubleshooting your Casablanca ceiling fan. Please do check out our page on general ceiling fan troubleshooting, as most of this information comes from there. Our general troubleshooting guide has all of the steps you should try when experiencing fan related issues.

Fan Not Working

    • Check controls on fan are set correctly
    • Pullchain should be set to a speed (low/medium/high)
    • Check reverse switch
    • Remote has battery securely in place, and have tried changing the battery as required
    • Check if light kit is working
    • Do blades turn freely

If light kit is not working AND the Casablanca fan is not working

    • Connection issue: check all wires are connected inside the housing.
      See wiring guide
    • Check there is power from the supply – could be a switch or breaker that is off, or connection issue with the wiring
    • Open switch housing, check white wire is connected to both the light kit and the fan components

If light kit is working and fan is not

    • Is the black wire disconnected inside the canopy?
    • If connected, what is it connected to?
    • Fan motor could be on a seperate circuit and may not be receiving power/amperage
    • Check in the switch housing too. Ensure no wires are disconnected and/or loose

Do blades turn freely

    • Problem could involve stuck bearings. See our page on oiling, also check flywheel page for more information
    • Is it something stuck in the path of the blades, or the motor?

How to fix squeaking Ceiling Fan

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How do I fix a squeaking ceiling fan? What should I do to troubleshoot this problem?

 

Note: The below steps are for checking a squeaking noise on your ceiling fan. You should be aware that there are no bent blades or other noticable problems on your fan. If your fan has noticeable blade problems, you will have to replace a blade. Do not try to bend blades back into place or etc. as this can lead to bodily harm.

If your fan is making squeaking noises and you don’t know why, read on. Here are instructions to try. This should solve most, if not all ceiling fan squeaking noises.

1> Turn the fan off, let the blades come to a stop. Make sure they are completely stopped

2> Check each blade. Grasp it, wiggle a little (not hard) see if any of the screws or fasteners are loose. If so, fasten them with a Phillips screw driver.

3> Look on the top of the blade surface of each blade. The weight of the dust can cause an imbalance – yes, it can! Even though the dust is light.

4> Check the globe, if your ceiling fan has a globe. Your light kit (if your fan has one) may have a fastener that looks like a rubber band.

5> Tighten any screws that hold the globe in place as well. Be careful though not to break the glass. It can break from applying pressure.

6> Check the fan. Did any of the steps help to resolve the problem? Test the operation of the fan and see how it’s working.

7> If the problem still persists, you should try balancing the blades on the fan. Use a balancing kit, and see if that helps with the problem. Balancing your fan
by following instructions, and using a balancing kit should solve 80% of remaining problems at this point.

8> If there is a blade that is badly bent, like noticeably, you are better off to replace that blade or blades.