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Subject - Ceiling fan light dims but doesn't turn off
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davish
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Our ceiling fan has a Hunter 3 speed, light dimming, wall mounted switch which I installed. After working perfectly for a year, the light will only dim to about half but not go out without switching off current. This problem began after a bulb blew. Question: does this sound like a problem with the controller or the wiring? I've checked the connections I could reach & replaced the remote's battery. When we moved into the apartment last year, I replaced a non working remote unit which looked like it came with the fan.
Fan installation is no fun, and before I remove the fan again, I'd appreciate any advise. Thanks in advance. davish
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JimmyDee
| The light bulb blowing probably caused a short circuit for an instant and damaged the controller. Surges in current or voltage will do that. The controller probably needs to be replaced. The remote is probably OK. Jim
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Scott Vickrey
| I agree. Most problems with ceiling fans that have a controller are usually due to the controller. They have a solid state switch that switches the 120 volts line voltage on and off 60 times a second. That's a tough job. Anyway, they have a really high rate of failure.
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davish
| Fan controller confusion
Thank you JimmyDee and Scott, but I think I've confused myself. By controller I meant the remote control unit I installed in the fan. I assume you mean that square black gizmo which has "YCE / 10MFD/5MFD/250VAC / GY/5R/5BR/5GR" on it. I didn't realize that was on the same circuit as the light but I suppose it must be. As I wrote, the three speeds are working fine. In any case I'll start by replacing the gizmo if I can. Thank you very much. davish
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Scott Vickrey
| Have you tried killing the power to the fan, like at the wall switch? Was this controller combination working in the past? If it was and you have already tried replacing the batteries in the remote. You will have to get a new one. This system uses the same circuit as a wall controller with the added complexity of a little computer, it's power circuit and a radio frequency circuit. I'm sure it's susceptible to the same high rate of failure as described above for wall controllers.
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davish
| Okay. Thanks. Makes sense. For a while, I thought you were talking about the capacitor (I've just learned what the gizmo is). Yes, the remote is wall mounted (wired into the fan circuit) with a receiver which is wired to the fan. All was fine until my wife turned it on (at wall) and the bulb blew. Rather costly if the controller is that sensitive. davish
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Scott Vickrey
| Make sure the new one you purchase is grounded when it is installed.
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David Hyatt
| Yea the unit inside the fan canopy is probally defective. I have seen them go out alot. What is it, it is a transformer mounted inside the fan canopy the remote works it, all on the same circuit. When dimming the lights and fan speed alot it wares down the unit. Some people on wall dimmers, instead of turning it off completely they will just dim it down. This creates heat and causes the unit to fail. When not in use turn remote off if equiped with an on and off feature, this will prolong the life of a dimmer as well as a fan control.
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