DIY - Easy ceiling fan light diagnosis and repair! (with dmm)
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- čas přidán 3. 01. 2018
- DIY - Easy ceiling fan light diagnosis and repair!
Get these wire strippers here! - go.magik.ly/ml/8qco/
Get a Fluke multimeter here! - go.magik.ly/ml/8qda/
Get a cheap multimeter here! - go.magik.ly/ml/8qdc/
Buy a replacement XL190 wattage limiter here - go.magik.ly/ml/8r5l/
Brontosaurus - Topher Mohr and Alex Elena (No Copyright Music)
• Brontosaurus - Topher ...
Get a tab and slot welding table kit here - weldtables.com/#_l_9u - Jak na to + styl
Thank you for your help. I was able to change out light switch in the fan and get fan working. Really informative video.
Finally someone who intelligently explained how and why and what they were doing
Exactly what I needed. This worked perfectly and took about 5 minutes in total. Thanks!
this video helped alot, I took the light fixture down and come to find out the homeowner did this exact same thing and I had to just tighten the wires up and good to go.
Great video. This just happened to my ceiling fan lights. I have a weekend project now, thank you.
Thanks! You have a great name by the way ;)
Thanks for your video. It helped me figure out what was wrong with my ceiling fan lights.
This video is old, but thank you for posting it! Bypassed that little box and my lights now work. I’m no electrician so this video was extremely helpful. My application was slightly different in wire color variation but figured it out.
Glad it helped
How can u bypass this and still have working lights on fan
thanks. Detailed. Very well.
Thanks, Tim! Worked like a charm!
Thank you so much! 6 years later and this video is still helpful
I think I have that same fan. And I just recently had the same problem. And now I’ve found an easy fix. Thanks, man. Have a good day and stay safe.
Thanks for the info. I had a three light setup under my fan. All of a sudden lights stopped working. I take out one bulb and the other two turn on. Replaced all three with same 60 watt bulb and worked for a month. I will check for loose wire or that black box.
Nice video. Great step by step explanations. Thanks
Perfect! Thank you so much! Was able to get in there and see what I needed to do! 😊
The dog at the end with the "you don't know me like that playa 🤨" stance 😂😂
If your fan has a white quick disconnect, you shouldn't have to remove power, just undo the QD and remove the lower half.
make a quick drawing of the switch and show which wires go where, or take a pic. so you know where to place the new wires
when cutting wires for the new switch, strip off only about 1/4" otherwise the wire will be too flimsy to wiggle it in (haha) and gently wiggle them in one at a time, give a lite tug on each connection at the switch so you know it's gonna hold, then reassemble, test before installing the lower half.
Thank you so much, you save me a lot of money.
You just saved me quite a bit of money good sir. Thank you.
Worked like a charm
Thank you so much Tim! Our light in the den had been out for over 8 years and had some time to research the problem and sure enough it was a bad voltage limiter. I do have a dumb question though, is it okay to operate the lights without the limiter? You saved me some with $$ with your tip! thank you again and happy 2023!
I can't say it's ok but I have yet to replace mine.... I'm using low power led bulbs
Great Information! Thanks Tim!
My Hampton Bay ceiling fan had a similar problem (light would flash on very quickly then stay off, until switch toggled again). Voltage to light was only from 2-20 watts. Turn out my fan does not have one of the little regulators, the culprit was a broken wall light switch (plastic literally crumbled when removed).
Great video, thank you.
thank you; excellent!!!
Much appreciated.
I dropped light assembly & was fortunate to find a "reset switch" on Hunter light assembly.
😂😂
Yep, mission success. Thanks Tim
Thanks. I removed mine and problem solved!
It helped, thank you!
Can't see what you're doing
If 120v is bad can you tell us what good is? I'm getting 24vac and my lights don't work. Brand new honeywell fan. Ty
Thanks for the video. I wonder how you disconnected the cables at 0:33. I think I have the same connectors, but can't get out of it. Should I press somewhere with something? I tried pull out hard but it wouldn't move. Please help me. Really appreciated.
There should be a plastic tab in the side of the white connector, you just have to depress the tab to make it slide out.
There's videos for just about anything isn't there? Definitely trying this tomorrow.
Question the lights wont turn off what needs to be done sir thanks
Thanks for your video. I have a Hampton Bay Ceiling Fan. The fan works fine but the lights do not work. I've been trying to locate the wattage limiter but cannot find it. My ceiling fan is about 10 years old, so I am not sure if they mandated the wattage limiters after this time or not. I know that I should be able to fix it instead of buying a new one. Do you have any other suggestions, if my fan does not come with a limiter?
Thank you!
i'm not sure what year they started - if it's 10 years old and hasent had an issue, it's probably your switch, these wattage limiters don't last long....
Thanks. You made it simple to fix.
Good video - thanks.
My older Hampton Bay fan had the same problem - fan worked fine but the lights all four suddenly quit working. In my case, it turned out to the the light control pull-switch had failed. I got a generic replacement from Home Depot with the same number of connections for about $5, swapped it out, and the lights worked perfectly again.
I think my trouble is going to have a similar problem. My son turned the light off by pulling the chain pretty hard instead of just flipping the light switch off on the wall. There’s a fan switch and another for the light that I’ve always used, so I’m guessing he yanked it too hard and broke it off inside. I hope that’s a visible indication in my case. In this video, this guys cutting some wires loose in the dark and his hands are blocking the vie entirely so idk what he’s really doing. The first part of his instructions seemed to be explained well enough and I was able to follow along, but my compliment goes right out the window when he wrecked it by concealing whatever he’s doing with his hands covering up that seemingly important step! So I hope my prob is like yours and the chain’s the culprit. I’m glad I happened upon your reply!!
Hi Tim,
I found this very helpful, but I think you've left out some info. The white wire to the voltage limiter is going to be cut and tied off with a wire nut, but not be tied to another wire.
I put electrical tape on my wire nuts. I thought that was preferred. I'm not an electrician, but I thought taping was good practice.
The music is not helping the video.
The written graphics you added were very useful. Thank you.
Thanks for the feedback!
Thank you . Blue wire is light power
Hi! Im looking for the lamp assembly with those exact quick connects. I can't seem to find it on line. Any suggestions?
Just a guess but it may be cheaper to buy a whole new fan assembly - the one in the video came from Lowes.
I learned from another video that possibly you could install low wattage led bulbs. Might that work too?
Only if the limiter is working right. In my case the bulbs were working then the limiter went out several months later
So two out of our four sockets don't work any idea? I currently have the power off from the breaker. The sockets done seem loose and screw in the socket seems tight.
If you have a meter, start by checking the front and back of the two dead sockets for power. possible that you just have a bad connection.
Hi Epic, your video is very informative. However, I have Hunter ceiling fan with different current limiter. It has two white wires (in and out) and one red wire. The white wires is easy fix but the red wire is a question. If I cut the red wire and remove the limiter now what wires I need to connect the red one to
What does the other end connect to?
OK thank you sooo much this worked and saved me $. from buying a new fan..... My Limiter was reading 108 , after the Box and 120 before..
So my question is what is it even there for ? seems pointless if both ends have to read 120+...... Also to be honest I am not going to order another limiter 🤣 so knowing this ahead of time.what is the " hazard" of this if any ? T hank you 🙏
it just keeps you from running high wattage bulbs and burning up the wires.
@@EpicTim so essentially if you use the same type bulbs that came with it, then to bypass the limiter is safe to do? I know that is what it the issue because I've not changed anything and the fan works.
Yeah the lights work
hey mine has the limiter already out
HI, I just wanted to leave a question, hoping you could help me here. Hunter LED 52" Avia II Ceiling Fan and replaced it with my older ceiling fan. everything seemed perfect except, one of the light bulbs constantly goes off after a few minutes of lighting. I thought maybe it's the light bulb issues, so I changed each bulb from onside to the other to check if the problem was the bulb. However, I figured out that it wasn't the bulb, but one side (of the bulb socket?) had an issue and constantly (after few minutes of usage) goes off no matter what. I am so frustrated, and wanted to ask what i can do from here.
could be alot of things, you should call their customer support
You can turn off the light and fan switch at the wall so you do not have to be in the dark while working. You definitely do not want to put the light housing back on the fan base with power on because you could pinch the wire(s) and cause a shock. Better to be safe.
I’m glad there’s a few posts sharing your/our opinion here. The helpful instructions went out the window when he’s suddenly in the dark and uses his hand to shield whatever he cuts off twice! I stopped watching immediately and luckily found plenty of others with the same comments. Especially when yes, he could have turned off the light connection had he flipped a wallswitch. Then I found many others that explain how to fix the problem if the culprits the chain pull switch. And oh, that’s the correct way to repair a faulty light, not just bypass the culprit part unless it’s an emergency and you’re living an hour or more from the nearest watering hole!
@Aleta King which other videos did you find? I am wanting to replace that limiter and not just bypass it..
New subscriber here
thanks❤
Red to black right ? That should do it ?
Dear Tim, I have the same fan with just 1 regulator in it, My light and fan won't work. What is the solution? Do I buy the regulator as I have to order online, home depot or lowes do not carry instore. Thanks
First check for power then check the switches, if both fan and lights dont work you probably have a different problem
Thank you I'm gonna get to work
What if the fan or light doesn’t work ?
I love how I found the car mechanic to help me with my lamp XD
Did you write that tune in the background of the wire switch?
Hello Tim I have a different issue my light works but I can smell something burning while the light is on but when I cut it off everything is fine and the smell goes away and the fan stays on with no burning smell what could this be?
if you smell burning, check and see what's getting HOT - could be a short or a bad bulb or fan motor
You sound like a cool dad man😂
Hah! This video was before I had a kid lolz
Thank you for your video. My limiter and harness are a little different. I have a red wire coming from plastic wiring block (connector) to limiter, and then two white wires at limiter, one coming in from plastic wiring block to limiter on right side, and one going out to fan up/down switch for flow direction. Any info on how to bypass limiter, which wires go where after removal? Thanks very much.
Check your power in and out and link those together
@@EpicTim I’m sorry. Link what together? That was my question. In what area would I test the power? Thank you.
120v before and after the limiter
Thanks so much! There was no power to it, removed canopy at top and found worn wire coating. Respliced and everything is working! Thanks for your help!
I would like to know how I can put the blade that is falling out of my Allen Roth remote control ceiling fan how can I get to it please help
sorry i cant help you with that one - try calling the manufactuer
On my current limiting device one side I have blue red and yellow wires going in and then on the other side I have black wire going out.
How do I cut all the wires off
The current limiting device and join them together with a wire nut?
if your wire colors are different you will need to test the in's and outs
Great video, thank you! Just curious - what is the purpose of that limiter? Does removing it present any safety concerns?
protects the cheaper wiring in newer fans expected to run CFL or led lights, prevents you from overpowering the circuitry with high wattage conventional bulbs.
@@EpicTim so, is this a fire hazard. Are my wires gonna get hot now???
If your fan has a remote to turn on the light, try holding down the light on switch for 3 seconds to control the brightness of the lights
It's a Harbor Breeze Springfield II. It's better to remove the Wattage Limiter than buying a new Limiter on the Fan and being in the Fan, Wattage Limiters are useless, description of the music is wrong, it was Brontosaurus by Tophr Mohr & Alex Elena.
thanks, I'll fix that right now!
Thanks
Hi epic tim I have the exact fan and I’m looking for the insides were the two orange wires go to no videos shows that can you make a video on that and take a screen shot
Howdy, I'm just a guy with a fan, I don't sell fans, I'm not a contractor. Sorry I couldn't be more help
One bulb of three out and it's not the bulb(s). Probably the wire joints under their crimp, so I need to re-do that with wire nuts. But more importantly, while standing on a ladder with a flashlight, how did you get the light fixture wire connectors apart exactly! Thanks!
I think i used a zip ty to hold the weight if i remember correctly
@@EpicTim Got it figured out and it's done! Thanks to you!
what if some lights are working some are not? the bulbs are ok
what is the use of the black box if you just bypassed it? why do you need to replace it?
its a wattage limiter, prevents over wattage bulbs from being used
Hi. My ceiling fan works fine but the lights doesn't work. I find it quite weird because when I put my test pen on the bulb sockets, the test pen lights up but if I put a bulb there in the socket, it doesn't light up at all. I'm quite puzzled when this happened.
Possible that the socket wore out or the voltage is way off
Nice vid , if I bypass it, there is no problem??
Potential liability since you would be permanently defeating a safety advice
why does it need a power limiter? do the lights exceed the power allowed by the fan? is it because of the resistance of the wire? why?
They had to add that to reduce fire risk when people were putting multiple 100 watt incandescent bulbs in their fans.
Hi. Thanks. When I look at my Westinghouse ceiling fan's rectangle capacitor, it has two red wires. How would I know which is the negative and the positive wire?
The capacitor is a 1.5uF 450v but I've connected in series two 3uF 250v so that it'll be more durable (it'll become a 1.5uF 500v).
Thank you in advance.
God bless, Proverbs 31
great question, it should be labeled on the cap itself.
It's working now. I connected two 3uF 250 in series, so that it's got more allowance (it effectively now a 1.5uF 500VAC, up by 50VAC). This capacitor is AC, can be connected to either end (thank goodness it's not the DC kind of capacitor). It feels great fixing something that's been dead for more than 6 years.
You da man Tim! Thanks!
PS. Why does the light have a voltage limiter in the first place?
It's for modern wiring standards, keeps you from installing 100w or larger incandescent bulbs and burning things up.
do u wire black red & WHITE TOGETHER?
this is dependent to your model of fan, you will need to check the circuit. ultimately you want power in/out, ground in/out connected from the wall straight to the fan motor to temporarily bypass the wattage limiter and see if that is the issue you are having.
Do you really need the power box?
I tried to cut that delimiter off and hardwired the hot wire straight the blue one which is connected to the light, and nothing works anymore.
different brand and models of fans can be wired differently, thats why i broke it down with the volt meter.
What if you only have a white and red wire coming out of it what do you do then?
you need to test the in's and out's to determine what lines up with what
Sir, I have a Hampton Bay fan with lights & it just stopped working. I turned the power off at the source, I installed switches at the wall, took the fan off, tightened the caps at the ceiling & nada! I still don't have a rotary fan, no lights! What gives. Can you help? Also: does the capacitor on the fan also controls the lights or no? Please...
If your fan motor and lights are not working, check for power before and after the wall switch and pull chain switches.
@@EpicTim Oops! I forgot to mention that mine is Remote control! I also changed batteries on the remote! (I did not check for power after installing the wall switches; I don't have a tester! Wow! And thanks for the quick reply!
There goes the us congress getting involved with something to regulate. Gas cans and now ceiling fan light watt regulators that break. My fan is two years old and it broke already.
i have a ceiling fan that comes on with the separate light switch. There's a red wire which i connected to the blue but same thing happened. Then I capped off the red wire but still same problem. Any ideas? 💡 🙏🏽
Check for power on both sides of the wall switch
Wife flopped the switch to the fan/light. It didn’t come on. So she pulled the light chain, and then went and flipped the switch and she heard a pop. She didn’t smell anything, but now the entire new fan doesn’t work. Breaker didn’t trip, but I cut it off for the time being bc I could still detect power at the light sockets. What do I need to fix? Something in fan or in attic?
Could be a few things, check for power at the fan motor connection. if your fan has a start capacitor see if it discharged anything.
My fan was working and my light was working but my fan pull cord broke. I bought a new pull cord and replaced it - the light now works and now my fan doesn’t 🤦🏼♂️. All connections look okay and when the fan is on, it hums, but doesn’t turn. Thanks for the help.
My light pull cord broke, not fan**** my bad
Sounds like you have something on wrong and its holding the fan back, could be a screw in the wrong spot or the cover touching the blades. Can you spin the blades by hand? Smoothly?
Hi Tim, thanks for the response. I have not put the unit back together yet so I don’t think it’s a screw and nothing is touching the blades.
@@mattbrewer3804 do the blades spin by hand? dont force them if they dont. if they do, does it grind or have excess resistance by feel?
They turn very smoothly.
Just found out the lights DO still work, after they seemed dead for long time but still the fan is dead ( in a heat wave!) Can it be saved please?
Its unlikely to rebuild the fan motor. You can verify my turning the blades by hand. If they dont spin freely, the fan motor is shot
Ok so I see you connect black and red together (mine is blue and red) but what about the white I couldn't tell what you did with it? Please help.
all depends on your model of fan and wattage limiter, you need to test with a voltage meter
Epic Tim do we need to test as to which two will give 120 reading?
If the lights flicker even with a new bulb or they just burn out at the same time. It’s usually the limited that has gone bad.
we disconnect the white and jump rd and black together?
from the wattage limiter yes, do not cap off the white quick disconnect you need that still!
Epic Tim thanks; works just great ;-)
the power was on after and the fan worked but the lights wouldnt
Hay guys my Regency ceiling fan capacitor is broken. Here's how I know. When I flip the light switch on the light comes on but immediately go off. How do I by pass it. The first video was spot on but nothing was to clear to follow & hands were in the way. The capacitor has five wires 2 gray, 1 beige, 1 purple, 1 red, 1 brown. Please can some one help👍🫶🤨
Mine the Hunter fan stopped working but light works .
sounds like the switch or fan motor needs checked out
is the ceilings and broke or something
my fan has a big black box. CBB61 All the videos that I had watched don't have what I have. How lucky am I?
Me too any suggestions
My Hunter fan lights stopped working. I don't know how you can remove that part and have the lights still work properly? That part has a purpose, otherwise the manufacturer would not have put it in there.
It's a wattage limiter, you for sure need it for fire code. I'm not advocating anyone remove it. This is just how you diagnose it's failure.
What if u have a remotely controlled fan with a dimmer switch on the remote would this still work
If your fan has a wattage limiter its worth testing it
@@EpicTim can I still bypass it
So the lights will work
@@cedricignatius its one of many reasons you light may not work. Worth a shot but may or may not solve your specific problem
@@EpicTim thanks for your help I will try it out
Limiter, capacitor, regulator.. I’ve heard all these terms to describe the only big box in the ceiling fan.
Are they all the same thing?
Those terms mean different things. A capacitor would help the fan start spinning. a regulator would limit voltage to either the fan, lights, or a controller. A limiter is for main level voltage but not allowing more than a set level of amps to protect wiring from high wattage bulbs
@@EpicTim got it. In other words I’m nowhere near electrically skilled enough to deal with a ceiling fan turning on haha rip. Thanks for preventing a huge disaster 😂
@@statichispanic6344 it's good to know your limits
That is a Harbor breeze Springfield ceiling fan
i did something wrong... my fan doesn't work but every time i pull the fan switch 3 times the light turns on and off
sounds like the switch for the light and fan are mixed up.
How about when the fan is the one that's not working?
Check relays, fuses, and wiring. Use a glove and see if it spins easy by hand when the car is off
But isn't the limiter there for a reason and should be replaced instead of bypassed? Asking from ignorante point.
Yes, my advice is to replace it. My video shows how to verify when it fails that everything else works
@EpicTim ok. I have that problem, and I didn't know what I was supposed to replace. Thanks so much.
What if the chain is not working on the light? In other words there is no give in the light chain
sounds like a stuck or bad switch, should be easily purchased from a hardware store. i recommend you take yours out and talk to them with your brand and model number ready.
i tried this and my fans ligt kit still wouldnt turn on
Do you have power on both sides of the switch?
Why do the put wattage limiters on these in the first place?
Hi Pam! The wattage limiter prevents you from running to high of a wattage lightbulb and overloading the wiring in the fan. this way the fan maker can't get sued for a house fire.
When you run candelabra LEDs there shouldn't be any concern of wattage getting too high and causing a fire though.. right?
@@EpicTim so technically if I Install 2-3 bulbs that are 40-60 watts each, there shouldn't be a problem.
@@FPR eventually i would imagine the wattage limiter will still fail. but yes, that's the goal from the fan manuf.