I have a ceiling fan opperated by a remote, and there was a quick power outage and it quickly came back (with a possible spike in voltage / amperage).
Now the fan and light remain on and the remote will not opperate the fixture any more. Is it possible that the remote switch inside the fixture fried? If so, can that be replace, or do I need a whole new ceiling fan?
I’m not sure of the manufacturer of the fan, but it wasn’t a home cheapo.
I tried removing the power source, and then put it back, hoping that would “reset” the device, but noting changed.
Thanks
Tony
Replies
I'm pretty sure there are after-market remote control systems you can buy, if you can't find the exact replacement.
Well there are several types of remote controls for fans.
One type is the fan designed with the remote control builtin. They don't have any switches on them.
Some Casabalanca's are like that. And you can get replacement boards. And for the Casablancas some of the older ones you need to replace the wall controll with newer one to work with the new fan board. Don't know what the work is to get into the fan as the client did not want to spend the money. In his case only the light feature was out.
With those system the controller board is intergal to the unit and it can't be replace with a generic or the fan operated without it.
Another system is retrofit. It works with any standard fan (if there is space). The receiver mounts in the canopy and the "remote" is either a handheld (but some have a bracket for wall mounting over the wall switch) or replaces the wall switch. That type can be replace with a kit from the home horror stores.
I have not looked at them, but I think that there are 3 types. They are the "common" variety ($100-200) from the box stores that come with a remote control. I don' tknow for sure, but I an thinking that they are made using common parts and basically are a standard fan with the remote kit included in the same box.
A basic clue is that if the remote will reverse the direction of the fan then it needs controller specific to that fan.
If it does not then most likely it can be replaced with an OEM remote kit.
The fan brand and model are typically listed on the TOP of the motor. You might be able to read it with a mirror.
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Edited 7/2/2007 12:15 pm by BillHartmann
There is also a after market remote sold (ours was from Sears) that sits between the down tube to the fan and the ceiling junction box. I don't know if they are still available any more or not. If they are still available, don't buy one. :D Ours started smoking and charred the beam before I could run to the switch. Good thing we were home at the time.
All is possible and the remote inside the fan may have fried. By sheer hapenstance the battery in the remote may have died at the same time as the power outage.
The retro fit unit which BillHartmann describes in his post sounds like a Hunter, also distributed under the name of "All Fan".
Remote control unit mounts inside the fan trim ring at the ceiling; remote is hand-held or bracket mounted on a wall. Seem to remember they were about $70. - under $100 in any event.
Good luck
Jim
Never underestimate the value of a shrp pencil or good light.
If your fan has three wires, neutral (white) - Lights (blue) - Motor (black) plus ground, of course, then you can easily replace it with an aftermarket setup.
The nice Hunter one we have can only be run by remote control. However, they are pretty nice about replacing the parts free. I had one on wall remote go bad and also needed to replace the other portable remote cradle. Both Fed-Exed to me for free.
Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
Parenting has always been a mix of sage life advice and inexcusable laziness.
If you can remove the shroud, the remote sensor should be fairly easy to remove. It should have a name and model number which would guide you to the manufacturers website.
One other possibility is replacing the battery in the remote switch. Mine usually last for years, but they do die eventually.
I once installed a ceiling fan with an RC switch since I didn't want to re-wire with 3-conductor. That thing would fry just from the static electricity spark from your finger. First time it happened, I was surprised that it would fry so easily and thought it was a fluke. Second time, I was pizzed. Third time (slow learner), I tossed it and did what I should have done to begin with -- put in 3-conductor and a real fan control. Is it possible your unit fried? Pretty likely, I'd say.
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
Sorry if this is too basic, but I once had the same experience with a fan remote, and removing the remote battery, cutting power to the circuit, installing the battery and turning the circuit back on fixed it. My equivalent of a FAN reboot. HTH
Gulf Coast Fan, you can find them on the internet, has every replacement part you could ever want. If you ship them both sides of the RC unit they will diagnos for free.
We've been using those really nice and very pricey Minka Acero and San Francisco fans, $300 to $400 price range and we still have problems with the remotes. So now we just throw out the remotes hard wire them to work with the old fashioned in-the-wall systems we get from the box stores. problem solved.
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"You cannot work hard enough to make up for a sloppy estimate."
I've not had good luck with remote controlled fans. They have a circuit board in them that fries very easily. I wouldn't install one in a house that I have to warranty.
Bought a RC unit at HD about a year ago that you can use to control lights and fan speed with only two wires, instead of three. It's got a transmitter in the wall fixture and a reciever in the fan. $50. We retroed a Hunter, and it's worked great for a year. Hampton Bay makes all kinds of RC controls for fans. They usually fit in the housing next to the ceiling and hook into the feed wires going to the motor and lights.