Hi everyone. Here's my first question. I hope someone can help. My ceiling fan works fine on the fastest and medium speed but just yesterday the slow speed got very slow and last night stopped altogether. The slow speed still works but not very well. Any ideas? Thanks
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06-03-02, 08:27 PM
Walks On Water
May I ask how old this fan is?

06-03-02, 08:54 PM
saffy123
Hi Walks on Water. Hope I am posting this in the right way. I don't know exactly how old my ceiling fan is because it came with my condo but it's at least a few years old and could be as old as 10. It gets used a lot because I have it on every night winter and summer. Thanks for your time.

06-03-02, 09:56 PM
Walks On Water
This is sounding to me as the bearings are drying out. This causes more drag on the motor and a low speed, does not have the power to over come that drag to get up to speed. When you us medium and high speeds, the motor puts out more, there by over coming that drag.

I have never had to oil one of these as of yet so I can not tell how to begin. One thing I am sure of, the manufacturer did not ever expect you to oil it.

Hope that helps, and thanks for joining us at Pool Side.

06-04-02, 09:12 AM
DaveMac
Hello, here goes a stupit answer, I agree with Walksonwater smile. That being said (in good humor, Walks), it has been my experience that most problems with fans nowadays is best (cheapest)solved by replacing the unit. I say this because they're soooo cheap ($20 and up) and have become so easy to install that most of the time my sons assemble them and my wife installs the fan/light combo. If it's 4-5 years old and "been rode hard", it's time for a new one. Lowes and Home Depot have amazing selections, incuding new type hanging brackets that don't require taking down a ceiling for the heavier models. Good luck. (of course, you could probably get a few more seasons out of yours by NOT using the low speed) smile big grin

06-04-02, 12:23 PM
Fritzzs
Like the other two answers said, the bearings are sick...and like the one said, Just go to your local home away from home and buy a new one for 20 buckos....You can oil the bearings, but for the trouble , it won/t last that long....

06-05-02, 09:35 AM
sae501
I don't know, guys. This doesn't sound like a bearing problem, although it certainly could be. If the bearings were binding as it appears is the scenario here, when the fan was turned off and as the blades slow they would reach a point at which they would come to a somewhat abrupt stop and subsequently be hard to turn by hand. I am thinking more a problem with the speed control circuit. Regardless, as another respondent mentioned these fans are NOT made to be repaired. Go fan shopping and pick out a nice one.

06-05-02, 11:25 AM
Walks On Water
sae, Good answer. I thought of that but I "assumed", and we know what that means, that they were using the pull switch on the unit which, if I am not mistaken, just changes the motor windings. Very little to go wrong there.

Of couse, if you were using some sort of alternate speed control, I use remote controls, then that would be the case.

You observation is a good one. If it is the bearings, the fan would not coast as long to a stop and would stop with a little jerk.

06-05-02, 11:37 AM
DaveMac
Hello again.
I too wish to say "good answer,SAE". You could very easily be 100% correct, and I concede your point about the motion if bearings are bad. I would think that the problem just hadn't gotten THAT BAD yet, but probably would in the future. In any case, I think a replacement is in order, or maybe just use the fan on Med or high. Thanks for your input.
smile

06-05-02, 02:15 PM
Kati99
Hi, I have a probably rather silly question: does a fan really lower the temperature in a room considerably? Or does it just swirl the air around and it just feels cool because of the motion of the air? I'm asking because it always gets really, really hot in my room during summer, so I'm thinking about purchasing a fan (but a smaller one for putting on your desk). Could such a fan lower the temperature in a rather small room by several degrees? You all seem to have some experience with fans, so I hope one of you can answer my stupid question.

06-05-02, 02:47 PM
DaveMac
Hello,
Here's MY thoughts on this question:

Our bodies are cooled by evaporation. We sweat, it evaporates and cools our skin. In low-humidity areas of our country, such as Arizona, this principle is used to cool entire buildings. They're called "swamp coolers".

So, IMHO, yes a fan can make a room seem cooler. Whether or not the temperature is really lowered, I don't know. But the principle works.

Hope this helps., more so hope I'm right. smile roll eyes big grin wink cool red face

06-05-02, 09:09 PM
saffy123
Hi Everyone. Thank you all so much for all your ideas. The fan in question seems to have gotten it's second wind because it's working again but I think you're right. When it poops out again [and I'm sure it will] I will just replace it. Kati99, I want to tell you I wouldn't be without a ceiling fan in the bedroom. It probably doesn't bring down the temperature of the room but it is so refreshing. And if it is on the ceiling you don't have to worry about your cat knocking the fan over.

06-06-02, 08:32 AM
sae501
Saffy: I would suggest that you go ahead and replace the fan. I guess my concern is if in fact there is an electrical problem then you may have a fire risk. However small the risk is, it's too big. Go ahead, buy yourself something cool....... Oh my, bad pun.

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