A couple of years back, we had some ceiling fans installed.

They have remote controls with low, medium and high speed settings.

Now, two of them don’t work on low and medium, but only on high speed.

It’s not the remotes. I’ve interchanged them, with appropriate resets of switches, and demonstrated that all remotes are working ok.

Anyone got ideas as to causes and remedies, please?

mcgoon said:

A couple of years back, we had some ceiling fans installed.

They have remote controls with low, medium and high speed settings.

Now, two of them don’t work on low and medium, but only on high speed.

It’s not the remotes. I’ve interchanged them, with appropriate resets of switches, and demonstrated that all remotes are working ok.

Anyone got ideas as to causes and remedies, please?

So if you put them on high, they stop? Or they just don’t go over medium speed?

dv said:

mcgoon said:

A couple of years back, we had some ceiling fans installed.

They have remote controls with low, medium and high speed settings.

Now, two of them don’t work on low and medium, but only on high speed.

It’s not the remotes. I’ve interchanged them, with appropriate resets of switches, and demonstrated that all remotes are working ok.

Anyone got ideas as to causes and remedies, please?

So if you put them on high, they stop? Or they just don’t go over medium speed?

if use Triacs for speed control, gone short maybe

transition said:

dv said:

mcgoon said:

A couple of years back, we had some ceiling fans installed.

They have remote controls with low, medium and high speed settings.

Now, two of them don’t work on low and medium, but only on high speed.

It’s not the remotes. I’ve interchanged them, with appropriate resets of switches, and demonstrated that all remotes are working ok.

Anyone got ideas as to causes and remedies, please?

So if you put them on high, they stop? Or they just don’t go over medium speed?

if use Triacs for speed control, gone short maybe

Yep it will be the switches.

roughbarked said:

transition said:

dv said:

So if you put them on high, they stop? Or they just don’t go over medium speed?

if use Triacs for speed control, gone short maybe

Yep it will be the switches.

Though sometimes, the motors may be compromised in that the bearings are dry or there is too many spiderwebs and dirt. things like this may only allow the motors to turn on full speed.

Thanks for the comments.

I doubt that it it’s dust and cobwebs etc. Mrs. McGoon is very zealous about dusting, and every horizontal surface in these rooms gets a wipe down once a week – fan blades, window sills, picture frames, tops of doors, skirting boards, everything. To say nothing of daily vacuuming.

The fans run fine on high speed, just as they should on that setting. But, they don’t move at all on low or medium. Switch to those settings from high, and the fan stops.

Where would the triacs be? In the fan itself?

mcgoon said:

Thanks for the comments.

I doubt that it it’s dust and cobwebs etc. Mrs. McGoon is very zealous about dusting, and every horizontal surface in these rooms gets a wipe down once a week – fan blades, window sills, picture frames, tops of doors, skirting boards, everything. To say nothing of daily vacuuming.

The fans run fine on high speed, just as they should on that setting. But, they don’t move at all on low or medium. Switch to those settings from high, and the fan stops.

Where would the triacs be? In the fan itself?

https://www.engineersgarage.com/contribution/simple-triac-controlled-ceiling-fan-circuit

I take it you have no manual switch.

Peak Warming Man said:

I take it you have no manual switch.

Unfortunately, no.

mcgoon said:

Peak Warming Man said:

I take it you have no manual switch.

Unfortunately, no.

http://www.nxp.com/docs/en/application-note/AN3471.pdf

Back now from the Barely-Domesticated Wolf’s post-prandial patrol.

Lots of good inf, thanks for that.

I think i might just buy some new fans. Talk to the retailer, get a recommendation of which ones.

mcgoon said:

Back now from the Barely-Domesticated Wolf’s post-prandial patrol.

Lots of good inf, thanks for that.

I think i might just buy some new fans. Talk to the retailer, get a recommendation of which ones.

I got one from Bunnings for under $200

These kinds of things might also use capacitors behind the rotating switch

You can pick up a new fan and controller for 70 bucks at Bunnings. They will come with a wiring diagram.

Could be the switch contacts

wookiemeister said:

These kinds of things might also use capacitors behind the rotating switch

You can pick up a new fan and controller for 70 bucks at Bunnings. They will come with a wiring diagram.

Could be the switch contacts

Which are the weakest points.

Hard to say

The rotating switch contacts becomes a problem/ snapped off.

Open circuit motor windings

Its easier to put a new one in.

What i’d like to see is houses with socket outlets in the roof space and new fans with plugs on them.

The controller could be wireless and run on AA cells

When the fan dies you unplug it and unhook it and throw it away. If the controller dies you get another.

Hardwired lights and fans is a pain in the arse even if you have the licence