Ceiling Fan high speed real slow

4756 Views 5 Replies 3 Participants Last post by homeby5, Feb 15, 2016

homeby5

Discussion Starter · Feb 15, 2016

Hey Guys,
My ceiling fan has been sitting in a box in the garage for about three years while I was building my new home. I installed it today and my high speed turns real slow.....like the slow speed. I do not hear any excessive humming. Also the fan turns free and the middle speed and slow speeds work properly. I say "properly" but I believe both speeds take longer to achieve rated rpm.
BTW...I only use a regular light toggle switch to turn the fan on....seperate from the light kit. Nothing solid state.
Would it be the capacitor? Maybe it needs oiling.........but why would the high speed only be affected? I haven't put a clamp on amp meter on it but I have one if needed.
It's a Hampton Bay.
Thanks for all suggestions

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jmon

· #2 · Feb 15, 2016 (Edited)

homeby5 said:
Hey Guys,
My ceiling fan has been sitting in a box in the garage for about three years while I was building my new home. I installed it today and my high speed turns real slow.....like the slow speed. I do not hear any excessive humming. Also the fan turns free and the middle speed and slow speeds work properly. I say "properly" but I believe both speeds take longer to achieve rated rpm.
BTW...I only use a regular light toggle switch to turn the fan on....seperate from the light kit. Nothing solid state.
Would it be the capacitor? Maybe it needs oiling.........but why would the high speed only be affected? I haven't put a clamp on amp meter on it but I have one if needed.
It's a Hampton Bay.
Thanks for all suggestions

Because it sat in a box in the garage for three years, I'm thinking the motor bearings may need some oil. Isolate motor (see pic below) and put a drop or so of motor oil on the top shaft and spin it around, work it in, then flip it over and do the same for the bottom of shaft. It's a special oil sold in the ceiling fan area of big box stores. See if that helps any. If not, then the problem will be electrical and you will need a mm to do voltage checks. Could be toggle switch as well. You will have to check that out to.

It could possibly be the capacitor is failing or getting ready to fail. Easy to replace if it is. You will need a mm to check this out.

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jmon

· #5 · Feb 15, 2016 (Edited)

homeby5 said:
I have a mm as I've worked electrical all of my life. I also have a clamp on amp meter so the current should be high if friction is the cause. So...the bearings are not sealed huh? The only thing is that I would think the motor would hum in high speed mode if it was friction induced? But what do I know.... Thanks for the tip and I'll test with a little oil first to see f it helps and then I'll use the correct stuff if needed.
BTW, if it's the cap, do they use one cap for each speed or just a starting cap? Again, if it was a single starting cap I would assume that no speeds would work well. Maybe it's the switch....I'll check things out and get back with you guys and let you all know my findings.

As greg mentioned and you suspected, most if not all, are sealed bearings. My bad there. I said bearings when I meant to say both ends of the shaft going to motor. Probably won't do any good but you can try.

One cap usually runs all speeds, usually located in the nose. Hamptom bay is owned by homedepot so you may want to try there first for a cap if it's bad. Make sure cap has same specs as the one you're replacing. That's where you may run into trouble.

I'm thinking the three years it sat in the box in the garage did it in.

Agree with greg, not much you can do at this point but buy a new one. At least it works for now. If it were me, I would just live with it till it crapped out then buy a new one. Lol.

Good luck homeby5. Let us know if you were able to fix it. Thanks.

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