do ceiling fans have an expiration date? mine stopped working this weekend and i'm not sure why. pulled the cords to make sure somebody didn't turn it off wrong. hit the circuit breaker on it. all the other electrical devices in the room work fine. this is bogus

5/2/2011 5:23:24 PM

Have you tried reinstalling the fan OS?

5/2/2011 5:24:25 PM

does it have a light (and if so does it work)? Does it make any noise at all when you flip it. Maybe you have a ghost

5/2/2011 5:24:48 PM

light bulbs on it don't work either. no noises when i turn it on/off

5/2/2011 5:25:25 PM

is it low on fan fluid?

5/2/2011 5:25:35 PM

make sure punchmonk is in there fanning you manually as you repair it

5/2/2011 5:28:43 PM

did you try magnets?

5/2/2011 5:29:05 PM

The switch itself is probably at fault. I'd check power there first and at the fan second. Got a multimeter or test light? You can rule out the switch if any of the outlets operate off that switch.

[Edited on May 2, 2011 at 5:30 PM. Reason : l]

5/2/2011 5:29:19 PM

^

5/2/2011 5:29:52 PM

Have you recently thrown feces at it?

5/2/2011 5:30:36 PM

the ceiling fan/light has its own wall switch. i don't have a multimeter but i guess i'll go buy one

what would be wrong with the switch itself?? seems like they'd be less prone to failure than the fan unit itself

[Edited on May 2, 2011 at 5:33 PM. Reason : .]

5/2/2011 5:32:24 PM

I've never dissected a light switch, but they're dirt cheap (like a dollar) and like most dirt cheap things they break.

I use one of these to check to see if a wire is hot:
http://www.mcfeelys.com/product/KLT-9019/Klein-Non-contact-Voltage-Tester/?ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=KLT-9019

You can get it at Lowes or Home Depot for under $15.

I've never used it to test a switch, but hot on one side of the switch and not hot on the other side with the switch in the on position would mean that the switch is bad.

My only concern is that it might not be accurate enough to work in that small of a space...i.e., it might think the wire is hot because it's picking up the voltage from the other side of the switch a couple of inches away. It would definitely tell you if the fan wires are getting voltage and if the switch is getting voltage, so it's probably a good start.

[Edited on May 2, 2011 at 5:40 PM. Reason : l]

5/2/2011 5:36:44 PM

the voltage detector i use is accurate enough to give you an indication on the hot side and no indication on the other side of a switch in the off position. i've used it for that a few times.

5/2/2011 5:51:49 PM

check for those sockets that have a breaker built in, sometimes they are on the same circuit as random other stuff

5/2/2011 9:03:44 PM

OH SHIT! INTERNAL FANNING ERROR

5/2/2011 10:00:07 PM

Did you change the fan fluid?

5/2/2011 10:04:57 PM

just put Maya up there and tell her to swing around. It'll be a lot less hassle.

5/2/2011 10:06:34 PM

How old is the fan, did you install it yourself?

Fans are built with stranded wire, houses are wired with solid copper... sometimes these connections are made with wirenuts, and they don't hold together very well.

Also, I'd check the switch in the wall, sometimes those can go bad

5/2/2011 10:38:25 PM

The fan is 4-8 years old, I didn't install it

So if I get a multimeter tomorrow, I assume i can stick it into the light bulb outlets on the fan and determine whether or not the fan should be working. Or do I stick the multimeter just above where the fan motor is? Or can i stick it in the wall switch wiring and figure outnsomething there? I haven't looked up how multi metering works yet and I can't remember from science class

5/2/2011 10:46:41 PM

burned out motor?

5/2/2011 10:48:58 PM

Is the fan properly suspended? If not, do you know how to suspend it?

5/2/2011 10:52:49 PM

^ well I've got this button here that I usually use....

5/2/2011 11:02:10 PM

It probably broke when you hosted that orgy last week

Btw who was that guy with the moustache?

He seemed a little too intrigued by my cumshot

5/2/2011 11:04:03 PM

sounds like the subscription is up.

time to pony up that $25 for another year.

5/2/2011 11:04:24 PM

Quote :

"So if I get a multimeter tomorrow, I assume i can stick it into the light bulb outlets on the fan and determine whether or not the fan should be working. Or do I stick the multimeter just above where the fan motor is? Or can i stick it in the wall switch wiring and figure outnsomething there? I haven't looked up how multi metering works yet and I can't remember from science class"

From the sounds of it, it's almost a certainty that the bulb outlets on the fan aren't getting power (The only other option is that all of them burnt out simultaneously....and that still doesn't explain the fan itself not working).

You need to test the actual switch at the wall. It sounds like the whole damn fan apparatus isn't getting power if the fan and the lights aren't working. I'd guess you should start by opening the switch (Turn the fan/light on) and make sure both sides of the switch have power

Quote :

"burned out motor?"

If that's the case, then the lights would still work, right?


[Edited on May 2, 2011 at 11:11 PM. Reason : ]

5/2/2011 11:06:20 PM

Qfred, Sticking a multimeter into the bulb sockets isn't going to do anything. Stick a fresh bulb in, they're pretty good at testing whether a fixture is getting power

Are the lights and the fan on tHe same switch? If so, there's one common line, and I'd say its most assuredly in the connection of fan to the line, or the switch itself.

Swapping a switch is easy as shit, go pick one up for cheap and install it before you go dismantling the fan and multimetering a live circuit. There's less than can go wrong, there.

[Edited on May 2, 2011 at 11:25 PM. Reason : .]

5/2/2011 11:24:22 PM

Quote :

"Qfred, Sticking a multimeter into the bulb sockets isn't going to do anything."

Good point. I guess my mind was just in where-can-I-stick-it mode

Speaking of...Slave Famous that kind of content is neither relevant nor appropriate to this discussion. I'll thank you not to make a mockery of chit chat, this thread or my moustache ya little prick

5/2/2011 11:54:18 PM

I thought this thread was safe.









I WAS DEAD WRONG.

5/3/2011 12:10:53 AM

Swap the switch, let me know how it goes.

5/3/2011 12:15:45 AM

the correct answer is "pay your power bill"

5/3/2011 1:57:58 AM

Pretty sure there's a service pack for this.

5/3/2011 1:00:04 PM

ok finally got around to doing some stuff

replaced both switches at the wall, didn't fix anything
dismantled the ceiling fan (which was a pain in the ass on an angled ceiling about 15 ft high)

turns out i was getting 30 volts instead of 120 at the ceiling outlet box. getting 120 volts at the wall switches. i dont know what that means, but i'm guessing the problem is somewhere between the wall and the ceiling. anybody else have any suggestions before i call an electrician??

5/21/2011 5:44:09 PM

Quote :

"I guess my mind was just in where-can-I-stick-it mode "

And what does punchmonk have to say about this?

5/21/2011 5:50:39 PM

reboot it

5/21/2011 5:55:05 PM

I'm no electrician, but how the heck do you lose 90 volts from the 'out' terminal of the switch to the ceiling box?

Are you sure you're getting 120 volts on BOTH SIDES of an open switch? (ie. 120 volts going in, 120 volts going out towards the fan) or is it 30 volts on the 'out' side of the switch?






[Edited on May 21, 2011 at 6:02 PM. Reason : ]

5/21/2011 5:57:35 PM

^ how do i know if i'm testing the in or out side of a switch?

[Edited on May 21, 2011 at 6:18 PM. Reason : i tested ground+red and ground+black. that what you mean?]

5/21/2011 6:11:13 PM

Hanging w/ an electrician right now... its likely a loose connection on the line somewhere, as evidenced by the massive voltage drop.

Basically, unless you're comfortable pulling breakers, checking the connections at the panel.... you need an electrician to come out.

5/21/2011 6:27:39 PM

^ thx that's what i figured. i'm really curious now how an electrician will figure out where the problem is. guess i'll find out soon

5/21/2011 6:39:24 PM

Holler, i'll get my buddy to roll out there. He'll be square and charge you what's reasonable.

5/21/2011 8:57:30 PM

Remember we are only capable of appreciating motion relative to ourselves. A true appreciation of true motion in the universe is unobtainable as we ourselves are bodies in motion.
I hypothesize you are spinning at the exact same RPM as the fan turret thus rendering all observation of the operation of the fan unappreciable commencing at the exact moment of completing the circuit to activate the motor.

I recommend you stop this behavior. Just because you're not observing it doesn't mean it isn't happening.

[Edited on May 21, 2011 at 9:15 PM. Reason : if I had studied engineering instead of philosphy I would have recommended replacing the rheostat]

5/21/2011 9:15:12 PM

Quote :

"why doesn't my living room ceiling fan work? "

...maybe he's not a fan of yours.



[Edited on May 21, 2011 at 10:07 PM. Reason : .]

5/21/2011 10:06:17 PM

Quote :

"why doesn't my living room ceiling fan work? "

It'll stop receiving food stamps.

5/21/2011 10:09:05 PM

Quote :

"why doesn't my living room ceiling fan work? "

It does work. You're just drunk and the room is spinning at the same rate.

5/21/2011 10:12:20 PM

Triple unfunny post suspend!

5/21/2011 10:13:47 PM

Quote :

"why doesn't my living room ceiling fan work? "

Answer: Merbig's on strike.

5/21/2011 10:14:58 PM

FINALLY had a professional come out - turns out there was a loose wire in not the switch for the light/fan, but on a different outlet a few feet away. $80 well spent

7/5/2011 11:37:03 AM

i spent some time in Fargo with a fan repair shop

their website may be able to offer some insight

7/5/2011 11:40:29 AM