Troubleshooting a ceiling fan

[Smokin Okie]

My Hunter ceiling fan refused to start. The light does not work either. Which tells me its not getting power.

I checked the breakers. But there's little chance this fan is on a breaker by itself and there were no breakers closed.

So I'm thinking possibly a loose wire. But I doubt that. If vibration would've caused a loose wire it would've quit while in operation. This fan worked fine until one day I tried to turn it on and nothing happened. I doubt a wire became loose while it was not running.

Any other possibilities ?

Its not easy to work on, its hanging from a 12 foot ceiling. I'm ready to pull the trigger on a new fan. I figure if I pay an electrician to service the fan, I'm probably already near the price of a new fan.

But I'm giving this old one , a last chance. Thinking it might be something simple.

 

[smokerjim]

Maybe the switch on the wall?

 

[Smokin Okie]

Maybe the switch on the wall?

I would not look there, its a relatively new switch, about 5 years old.

 

[Fueling Around]

Batteries in the remote?

 

[Smokin Okie]

Batteries in the remote?

Won't work manually either. It has chains to turn it on and control speed.

 

[JLinza]

Maybe the switch in the fan or capacitor. You'd have to take it apart to see.

 

[Smokin Okie]

Maybe the switch in the fan or capacitor. You'd have to take it apart to see.

That's the direction I was leaning. Some electrical component that controls power to the fan and the light. If that's the case, I'm just gonna buy a new fan.

 

[chopsaw]

It would be a very strange thing to see it on a GFCI circuit , but you never can tell what someone else does .
Might be worth a walk through the kitchen , bathrooms and garage / patio .

 

[02ebz06]

Since it is 12' up, I'd pull the switch(es) out and see if they have power.
A wire may have come loose in another location that is feeding this room.

 

[JckDanls 07]

Since it is 12' up, I'd pull the switch(es) out and see if they have power.
A wire may have come loose in another location that is feeding this room.

Exactly what I was thinking... Check switch first (so what if it's only 5 YO)... That will tell me where to go from there... Either back to breaker panel or towards fan... Pending the switch result...

No power to switch.. breaker panel...
Power going in switch but not coming out... Switch...
Power in and power out of switch.... fan ...

 

[02ebz06]

No power to switch.. breaker panel...

Not necessarily. They daisy-chain from one room to the next most often, especially light circuits.
It would be somewhere between the switch and the panel, but could be in another room.

 

[R Blum]

Just buy a new one.

 

[JLinza]

That's the direction I was leaning. Some electrical component that controls power to the fan and the light. If that's the case, I'm just gonna buy a new fan.

You can replace them pretty cheap, but like you said... if it's a pain in the butt to get to. It may be worth it.

 

[912smoker]

Do you have separate wall switches for the fan/light? Or controlled with the pull chain with wall switch on?

Keith

 

[Nefarious]

Just buy a new one.

I think the testing would indicate if buying a new one is a waste of money?

 

[JckDanls 07]

I think the testing would indicate if buying a new one is a waste of money?

I agree... Testing has to be done before declaring dead...

 

[Winterrider]

Like chopsaw said, check all gfci thru out the house.
Brother had no power out to patio. Found out it was a gfci tripped in the bathroom that is never used.

 

[Nefarious]

Like chopsaw said, check all gfci thru out the house.
Brother had no power out to patio. Found out it was a gfci tripped in the bathroom that is never used.

This ^^^^
Has similar event,I found a couple of GFCI switches in the garage. For a long time I wondered what they were for.

 

[mike243]

Well I have been through 6 of them, the electronic board goes out on most of them and the fan will only run slow, I quit buying that brand.

 

[chopsaw]

Has similar event,I found a couple of GFCI switches in the garage.

It wouldn't be normal for that fan to be on a GFCI circuit , but that doesn't mean someone didn't wire it up that way . I just tend to check all things , from simple to more involved .