New Ceiling Fan Smell

jerseyguy1996

I just installed two Hunter ceiling fans that I purchased from Lowes. One of them is giving off a peculiar odor. It doesn't smell like anything burning but it is hard to describe what it is. Almost like an oily or lacquer smell. Any one else have any problems with this?

Wildie

The fans should smell the same! Over-heating on electrical equipment does give off a weird odor as the insulating lacquer starts to burn.
On a fan it could be shorted turns in the windings.
I would suggest that you would return the fan as defective!

jerseyguy1996

thanks......looks like I will be making another trip to Lowes.

Thurman

I also agree to remove and return the fan. I've installed many a ceiling fan and the only odor I can remember would be from the packaging materials. This will dissipate quickly when the fan starts running and the packaging is taken outside. I've also worked around hundreds of industrial electric motors which have "burnt-up". If you are smelling a hot oily or hot tar like smell, this does indeed sound as if it may be the insulation on the motor windings. This insulation is put on as a heated liquid form and then baked to harden it to prevent wires from vibrating against each other. Any problem within the wiring which would create a heat build-up will make this insulation start to smell like hot oil or hot tar. Please return the fan. David

Captflx

Do you perhaps have aluminum wiring? When I installed my new dishwasher about 2 years ago, I failed to get the wirenut tight enough and an odor developped about 6 months later. I never could find the "fishy odor" until the unit finally stopped working and I discovered the burned wire insulation and wirenut smelled like fish. Funny but true.

fyrefyter794

I have this problem coming from a ceiling fan, that smell is the over heating of those "plastics" resins whatever is in the fan, and it is outgassing formaldehyde! That is what the fishy smell is! This has made my 15 yo daughter VERY sick for the past 3 months and I just figured out where the smell was coming from last week. She has every test under the sun and has been having seizure like episodes since July. I just stumbled upon other post about the mystery fish smell and decided to have her room checked for formaldehyde. It was about 4 times over the limit for exposure to this gas which is very toxic and can cause a multitude of weird health problems!!! Please get rid of it NOW! It's very dangerous for persons who are sensitive to these fumes.
fyrefyter794 at yahoo. com

Jerrkyd

I just purchased a Hunter fan and noticed a really strong odor coming from the plastic hanger ball right when I took it out of the package. I have noticed this smell from cheaply made platic products from China. I believe it meets the description of the odor descrbed by JerseyGuy (oily lacquer smell), but it does not smell like formaldehyde as described by fyrefyter794. The problem with this cheap Chinese plastic smell is that it does not seem to dissipate over time. If you google "Made in China Smell" you will see similar reports or descriptions of plastic products made in china. I have only smelled this odor from black plastic products like cheap platic sandles and a handle on a cheap piece of luggage. You can leave these things outside for days and the smell will not go away!

ajaxel

I have the same issue with a newly installed Hunter fan. I called the company and they immediately said it is a bad capacitor. They are sending me a capacitor to replace the old one. Hopefully its easy to change.