Are you having a problem with your ceiling fan? The most difficult, or perhaps most time consuming part is diagnosis. What is the problem with the fan? What kind of behavior is your ceiling fan (or fans) experiencing? Is it the same behavior all the time – is it intermittent, or does it change? The easiest problem to diagnose is one that is easy to spot, or so the saying goes. Once you’re able to diagnose the problem, then you can fix the problem. To this end, we offer as much troubleshooting and diagnosis resources as we can. Sometimes you can have a conventional, or even unconventional problem. For instance, many people are not familiar with the dipswitches that you find inside of a fan, with matching dipswitches on a ceiling fan remote.
Having Ceiling Fan Repaired by Manufacturer
Depending upon the fan you’ve purchased, and the warranty that is available (or not) from that manufacturer, you may be able to get your fan repaired without having to do the work yourself. The first place to look (we know we say this a lot) is your manual. The manual will have information for contacting the fan manufacturer, such as a 1-800 number. The manufacturer, once on the phone, may tell you to take the fan to an authorized dealer / repair center. Or the manufacturer may tell you that they will replace a required part, but you have to do the work to install it or pay someone else to do the work.
This is certainly true of wear and tear items, such a blades. A fan manufacturer is not going to replace a blade unless it is defective from the factory. You can’t buy a fan and then a few years later, due to a blade problem, call up the manufacturer and say “this is a defect.” At that point it’s considered regular wear and tear.
Here’s the most common issues that can come up with your ceiling fan:
- A blade breaks on the fan. When this happens, you just need to buy new blades, and by removing a couple of screws, you can install new blades. Installing new blades is not difficult at all. It’s finding the replacement blades you need to make it happen, which is a more difficult task.
- The fan wobbles or makes humming sounds. This is usually an issue with blade balancing. You can use a blade balancing kit or try cleaning the top of the blades to remove dirt. Excess dirt buildup over time can cause a blade to warp or break.
- Ceiling Fan Light Kits, globes and shades can be dropped and break. If a light kit, globe or shade smashes, you need to replace said globe. Luckily, replacing one of these is also easy. However, it can be helpful to get help from a friend or family member when changing a piece of glass as it’s possible you may break or drop the replacement also, by accident. You don’t have 4 hands, and removing the globe in order to mount a new bulb requires two of them at times!