Having a broken ceiling fan in the middle of the day is inconvenient. But spending money to have it fixed can even be more inconvenient.
Unless the problem involves delicate electrical wiring and technical support, most of the glitches you experience from time to time can easily be fixed in just a number of steps.
Today, we’ll look into common ceiling fan issues and their easy-to-remember troubleshooting steps you can always do by yourself along with some basic hand tools at home.
Be ready with your toolkits and let’s start fixing the glitch with…
Ceiling fan is not working
Troubleshooting:
- Check for a tripped circuit breaker.
- Double check the connections on your fan canopy.
- Ensure that the fan blades spin freely without any obstructions.
- Make sure that the reverse switch IS NOT in a neutral position.
- Check if the switch housing connection is secure.
- Check your wall switch for power.
- Check if your fan’s remote control has batteries on it.
- Ensure that there’s power from the breaker to the wall control.
- After ensuring everything’s fine, turn your fan on.
Ceiling fan wobbles
Troubleshooting:
- Clean your fan blades by removing any debris or dirt that could hamper its movement.
- Check for loose screws and tighten them.
- Verify that the hanger ball is firmly seated.
- Confirm that the outlet fat is ceiling-fan rated and can support the fan’s weight.
- Confirm that the outlet box is attached securely.
Ceiling fan is noisy
Troubleshooting:
- If your fan is new, give it 24 hours to adjust and let it be.
- Check the light kit and check for loose screws. Tighten them.
- Ensure that the wall control is not a variable speed.
- If your fan has an oil bath, check it and replenish oil.
- Ensure that wire connections are not rattling.
- Make sure the fan’s canopy is not touching the ceiling.
- Verify that the blades are not cracked.
Ceiling fan speeds are not working
Troubleshooting:
- Clean and lubricate the ball bears.
- Replace the fan capacitor as needed. This should do the trick but if not resolved, continue with the next step.
- Run the ceiling fan for a couple of minutes.
- Turn off the ceiling fan and give the blades time to stop.
- Touch the motors. If hot, there’s a problem with the bearings and possibly need replacement.
Ceiling fan is not reversing
Troubleshooting:
- Ensure that the reverse switch IS NOT in neutral position. Flip the switch several times until you find the right position.
- For older ceiling fans, there is a possibility that the switch is worn out and needs to be replaced.
- For remote controls, confirm that switches on the control and the receiver are of the same frequency.
- For a brand new ceiling fan, you may need to contact your manufacturer for product replacement.
The list of glitches could go on but one thing you need to remember every time you decide to troubleshoot or dismantle the unit is to turn off main electrical power.
What are your latest issues on your ceiling fans? How did you handle them?
Share your experience on our comments below!
