DIY & Home Improvement

Auggie

(31,801 posts) Mon Sep 4, 2017, 08:58 AM Sep 2017

Power surge knocked out a ceiling fan. Can it be repaired?

I understand the circuitry in some of these is pretty fragile, and an outage/power surge can knock them out of commission. I know it's not the wall switch (it has power) or remote (new).

Anyone have experience with this? Is it an easy repair or is my unit toast? Thanks.

13 replies

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Power surge knocked out a ceiling fan. Can it be repaired? (Original Post) Auggie Sep 2017 OP

It would probably cost more to repair than replace. Cattledog Sep 2017 #1

You might try goigling the fan using its brand nsme + troubleshooting. CentralMass Sep 2017 #2

Thanks. I'm guessing it's the receiver in the fan ... Auggie Sep 2017 #5

If it's the fan - replace it. demosincebirth Sep 2017 #3

I learned too late to help us cyclonefence Sep 2017 #4

Perhaps the remote receiver burned out. The light switch feeds the receiver Wash. state Desk Jet Sep 2017 #6

Yeah -- I think it's the receiver inside the fan Auggie Sep 2017 #7

SOLUTION FOUND Auggie Sep 2017 #8

You probably tripped a GFI...that happened to me...and we used to have cut the power to get it our Demsrule86 Sep 2017 #9

No Auggie Sep 2017 #10

What do you think it was some mechanism in the fan to protect the engine? Demsrule86 Sep 2017 #11

That sounds like a better guess ... Auggie Sep 2017 #12

Right that has happened to me... Demsrule86 Sep 2017 #13

Cattledog

(6,338 posts)

1. It would probably cost more to repair than replace.

Reply to Auggie (Original post)

Mon Sep 4, 2017, 09:01 AM

Sep 2017

CentralMass

(15,539 posts)

2. You might try goigling the fan using its brand nsme + troubleshooting.

Reply to Auggie (Original post)

Mon Sep 4, 2017, 09:17 AM

Sep 2017

Sometimes thet mfg offers replacement boards (i'm assuming the surfe fried yours). If so, if you know how to work around ekectricity (shut the breaker off), they are not too difficult to replace.

Auggie

(31,801 posts)

5. Thanks. I'm guessing it's the receiver in the fan ...

Reply to CentralMass (Reply #2)

Mon Sep 4, 2017, 01:09 PM

Sep 2017

unit is 16 years old so it's a toss up to fix or replace. Problem is, similar fan costs $200.00. And I need two.

demosincebirth

(12,740 posts)

3. If it's the fan - replace it.

Reply to Auggie (Original post)

Mon Sep 4, 2017, 09:33 AM

Sep 2017

cyclonefence

(4,873 posts)

4. I learned too late to help us

Reply to Auggie (Original post)

Mon Sep 4, 2017, 11:03 AM

Sep 2017

but our electric company reimburses customers for appliances damaged during power surges. I don't know if it's worth the trouble, but a phone call can't hurt.

I've had to replace dishwashers, tvs and coffeemakers. After we were struck by lightning, we had to have our house rewired, with lightning protection. Even with surge protectors and new wiring, we lost appliances to the surge.

Wash. state Desk Jet

(3,426 posts)

6. Perhaps the remote receiver burned out. The light switch feeds the receiver

Reply to Auggie (Original post)

Mon Sep 4, 2017, 02:50 PM

Sep 2017

So your question is does the receiver distrubite the power or is it history.Replaceable part. OK so, if the switch is sending power to the receiver and the fan does not work ,since you know for sure you have power at the fan ,you will assume the receiver is toast. To be sure you can hard wire the fan light to switch as you would without a remote. At that stage in it, it works or it don't. Of course you look for any fried wiring before you conduct the tests.
replacement receivers are sold because those items do burn out over time anyway .

Auggie

(31,801 posts)

7. Yeah -- I think it's the receiver inside the fan

Reply to Wash. state Desk Jet (Reply #6)

Mon Sep 4, 2017, 03:32 PM

Sep 2017

Thanks

Auggie

(31,801 posts)

8. SOLUTION FOUND

Reply to Auggie (Original post)

Thu Sep 7, 2017, 01:21 PM

Sep 2017

Last-ditch effort before I called an electrician: flipped the circuit breakers. Now they're working.

Other stuff on the same circuit worked all along, so it's a mystery why the fans reacted to a simply on/off of the breakers. Whatever ...

THANK YOU to all who responded.

Demsrule86

(71,023 posts)

9. You probably tripped a GFI...that happened to me...and we used to have cut the power to get it our

Reply to Auggie (Reply #8)

Fri Sep 8, 2017, 03:51 PM

Sep 2017

jetted tub to work...couldn't find the damn thing. We finally redid this house and put GFI's in logical places and made a list too.

Auggie

(31,801 posts)

10. No

Reply to Demsrule86 (Reply #9)

Fri Sep 8, 2017, 04:30 PM

Sep 2017

It wasn't a GFI

Demsrule86

(71,023 posts)

11. What do you think it was some mechanism in the fan to protect the engine?

Reply to Auggie (Reply #10)

Fri Sep 8, 2017, 06:13 PM

Sep 2017

Just curious. In my case it was a GFI...used to drive us crazy.

Auggie

(31,801 posts)

12. That sounds like a better guess ...

Reply to Demsrule86 (Reply #11)

Fri Sep 8, 2017, 06:59 PM

Sep 2017

everything else in the room was powered. I'm just glad I tried the circuit breakers. There was no reason to suspect that would turn them back on. Had the electrician discovered it I would have been embarrassed as hell, not to mention $100 poorer.

Demsrule86

(71,023 posts)

13. Right that has happened to me...

Reply to Auggie (Reply #12)

Sat Sep 9, 2017, 09:19 AM

Sep 2017

I am a techie but once I failed to notice that WIFI was in the wrong slot...so embarrassing.

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