If certain ceiling fan speeds are not working, there are a few things that could be the problem. Luckily, finding out the source of the problem is not all that difficult. Essentially, we’ll use process of elimination to get to the root of the problem.
The first thing to try is to clean and lubricate the ball bearings. You probably don’t know what those are, so let us help with this. See below for picture of what ball bearings look like:
As with all problems where the fan won’t turn at all, won’t turn on certain speeds, etc. you need to look at what could be causing enough friction – to the point where it impedes the fan from turning. The enemy of all ceiling fans is friction – too much, and the fan won’t turn properly. Not only do you want to clean the ball bearings, but lubricating them with some oil is a good idea too. WD-40 or a similar variant will typically do the trick. Be careful not to use thick grease or something that gets stuck or sticky – again, remember – we want to avoid friction. WD-40 is a good example of a good lubricant or variant because it’s very thin and pretty much dissolves right away.
Check screws and that there is nothing impeding the blades from turning
Do a visibility check – make sure you can turn the blades yourself without hinderance. Is there anything blocking the blades from turning? Is there a hesitation for the blades to turn, just from attempting to turn the blades yourself? If so, try to find where the source of the problem is. Is there a loose screw – or perhaps one tightened so tight, it’s causing additional friction or resistance?
Check the Ceiling Fan Capacitor
The next thing we need to troubleshoot is the capacitor. There’s an easy way to troubleshoot the capacitor and the motor – we listen for a humming. If the fan will run on a slow speed, but not on higher speeds, and you’ve checked all the fore mentioned items, then we need to consider the capacitor and potentially the motor next. Replacing the capacitor is generally cheap, so we’d recommend trying that next.
We just purchased a new Hunter ceiling fan about 4 months ago and the speed has slowed way down, no matter which button we push on the remote control for fan speed. This fan was purchased at Home Depot about 4 months ago and installed by a licensed electrician. The different fan speeds worked properly up until about 2 weeks ago. Of course we no longer have the receipt for the purchase. Why is the fan speed no longer working properly on the remote? The speed has slowed way down and stays on that speed no matter which button we push on the remote.
We have a Hunter Model 28679 ceiling fan that’s only 10 years or so old. It only runs one speed no matter how many times we pull the chain. If the capacitor is the issue, how do we order a replacement? Our contractor installed the fan and didn’t keep any of the paperwork when he built our sunroom. Is this a warranty issue?
We have an older Hunter fan that’s close to 40 years old that runs perfectly, so we were not expecting to have issues with this one.
My hunter 5 blade, which I have in all bedrooms, runs full speed on low and med as well high. What could cause this? It is 1 yr old and in a spare room rarely used.
I have an older white Hunter fan that runs incredibly well! Purchased in1998, Paperwork is Form Number 40999, REV 2/91, but there is no model number on the paperwork. I can get the fan to run on High and Low, but the remote will not make it turn off nor can I get it to work on the medium speed. Is there a replacement or universal remote that I can buy, or is it just time to replace the fan? FYI, I have 7 more Hunter fans in my house which are remarkable, but this is the only one with a remote control. Maybe this is the problem. Thank you
A new 60” Hunter fan. It hesitates briefly, goes in one direction for a split second, then reverses and runs fine, any concerns here?
I have a hunter 3 speed ceiling fan that runs high on high and only low on either medium and low speeds. I did try switching the wires between connection two and three on the switch but there was no change. Could this be caused by a defective capacitor?
Always buy Hunter-have them in our bedrooms(ceiling fans connected to electrical wall switch and have operated perfect whether using the wall switch or the remote the last two nights I would hear a loud bang. I thought the TV had gone back on and woke me up and it wasn’t the TV so I thought it must be the fan so I went to the switch and turned it off the next night. I turned it back on and it did this again. It put me in mind of when we were vacationing in Mexico, we had a lovely suite we had an overhead fan and in the middle of the night this fan came unglued and threw itself into the wall, so I have the nightmares from that and my husband said well it’s not the same fan and so forth, but I’m afraid to turn it back on, so what to do the other one seems to be fine at this point