Ceiling fan - blades not turning

[eliz]

I have a 30inch (approx) ceiling fan in a bedroom and it has stopped
working.
It does not have a remote.
The light is working fine.
The blades do not turn but I can hear the motor running when the blades
are turned on.

So, the power seems to be going to the blade motor(or whatever) but the
blades aren't turning.
The blades will spin easily by hand. They are well balanced and they
have never been noisy.

I cannot remember the make.

What might the problem be?

eliz

 

[Meat Plow]

I have a 30inch (approx) ceiling fan in a bedroom and it has stopped
working.
It does not have a remote.
The light is working fine.
The blades do not turn but I can hear the motor running when the blades
are turned on.

So, the power seems to be going to the blade motor(or whatever) but the
blades aren't turning.
The blades will spin easily by hand. They are well balanced and they have
never been noisy.

I cannot remember the make.

What might the problem be?

eliz

Motor might be bad wouldn't you think?

 

[jakdedert]

Motor might be bad wouldn't you think?

Sounds more like a bad startup capacitor. These are mostly generic and
available in the lighting department at Home Depot (assuming the OP is
in the States).

Usually repair involves demounting the fan and some disassembly.

jak

 

[Meat Plow]

Sounds more like a bad startup capacitor. These are mostly generic and
available in the lighting department at Home Depot (assuming the OP is in
the States).

Usually repair involves demounting the fan and some disassembly.

Didn't know that kind of motor had a cap in it.

 

[James Sweet]

Didn't know that kind of motor had a cap in it.

Some probably use shaded pole motors, better ones are likely to be PSC
which use a cap. There really isn't much else to go wrong, if it turns
freely by hand and hums when power is applied, there's gotta be a second
winding that isn't powered.

 

[Meat Plow]

Some probably use shaded pole motors, better ones are likely to be PSC
which use a cap. There really isn't much else to go wrong, if it turns
freely by hand and hums when power is applied, there's gotta be a second
winding that isn't powered.

Did you know the first Hunter fans were water powered?

I have two Hunter and two Hampton Bay fans and they both employ shaded
pole motors. Seen plenty permanent split cap motors tho with my HVAC
background just not one in a for home use fan. However some of the larger
industrials I've seen must be PSC because they don't display the SP motor
housing characteristics.

 

[Homer J Simpson]

I cannot remember the make.

What might the problem be?

Might be anything.

 

[kip]

I had on doing the same thing..
Turned out to be the Line Locking Wedge Phase Shifter.
Very Very common..
frank

 

[Michael Kennedy]

Very funny.

 

[Meat Plow]

I had on doing the same thing..
Turned out to be the Line Locking Wedge Phase Shifter. Very Very common..
frank

You don't say....

 

[Homer J Simpson]

You don't say....

It's true. The Line Locking Wedge Phase Shifter can cause all sorts of
problems, esp. if they put an anti clockwise one into a clockwise fan.

 

[Jim Land]

You don't say....

Yeah, although my first thought was the dilithium crystals might need to be
repolarized and straightened...

 

[lsmartino]

eliz ha escrito:

I have a 30inch (approx) ceiling fan in a bedroom and it has stopped
working.
It does not have a remote.
The light is working fine.
The blades do not turn but I can hear the motor running when the blades
are turned on.

So, the power seems to be going to the blade motor(or whatever) but the
blades aren't turning.
The blades will spin easily by hand. They are well balanced and they
have never been noisy.

I cannot remember the make.

What might the problem be?

eliz

Probably a bad run capacitor. You should dismantle the lamp kit of the
ceiling fan. The lamp kit is usually attached to circular metal
housing. Inside the housing you will find the cap, the two switches of
the ceiling fan (one for the lamp and the other for the motor fan) and
the reverse switch. Normally these capacitors have three wires, two of
them goes to the motor switch and the third one goes to the reverse
switch. Just replace the cap with other of similar specs, and you will
have your ceiling fan operating again.

 

[Homer J Simpson]

Yeah, although my first thought was the dilithium crystals might need to
be
repolarized and straightened...

God's teeth don't do that. ALWAYS polarized and restraightened.

 

[William R. Walsh]

Hi!

Did you know the first Hunter fans were water powered?

Now that's an interesting idea. Who knows, it might even still be practical
in buildings with water circulation systems. (Chilled water, etc...)

I once saw some ceiling fans that were actually ceiling mounted furnace
vents. The air came out through a squirrel cage like fan device with paddles
attached at four points on the bottom.

What's a Meat Plow?

William

 

[Jim Land]

God's teeth don't do that. ALWAYS polarized and restraightened.

Gee, Homer, now you've got me wondering. I believe I used to straighten
first and then repolarize, although it's been so long since I've done
it.... but then, I didn't use God's teeth. Do you?

 

[Meat Plow]

Hi!


Now that's an interesting idea. Who knows, it might even still be
practical in buildings with water circulation systems. (Chilled water,
etc...)

I once saw some ceiling fans that were actually ceiling mounted furnace
vents. The air came out through a squirrel cage like fan device with
paddles attached at four points on the bottom.

What's a Meat Plow?

The name of a song.

 

[Rob Mills]

I had to replace the cap in one of our older fans. I just took the old cap
to a local shop that sells and repairs fans and they matched one up for me.
The caps for the ceiling fans come in several mfd values and according to
the repair guy need to be replaced with a like value. Didn't cost much but
that was 10 yr ago. RM ~

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

I had to replace the cap in one of our older fans. I just took the old cap
to a local shop that sells and repairs fans and they matched one up for me.
The caps for the ceiling fans come in several mfd values and according to
the repair guy need to be replaced with a like value. Didn't cost much but
that was 10 yr ago. RM ~

Home Depot had some the last time I needed one.


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

 

[stuart2z9sl]

More than likely to be an out of phase non reversing clack valve.
They tend to get a bit rusty and give up the ghost - especially in we
climates like the UK.
Best of luck with it