It was the remote
Fresh batteries or a re-pair and it is back. Cost you nothing, and the fan was never the problem.
Ceiling Fan Not Working? What It Is Telling You
A hum, a dead remote and a wobble are three different problems with three different answers.
Ceiling fan stopped turning, humming without moving, or the remote has given up? Here is what each symptom means, what you can safely check from the floor, and when it needs an electrician. Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland and Port Stephens.
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Switch it off at the wall if
Do not keep running it
- It hums, buzzes or clicks but the blades do not turn
- You can smell burning or hot varnish while it runs
- It grinds, squeals or knocks, or the sound has changed
- The wobble has got worse, or you can see the canopy moving on the ceiling
- It starts and stops on its own, or changes speed by itself
- Anyone has felt a shock or a tingle from the fan or its switch
A fan that hums without turning is drawing power and going nowhere, and the heat has to go somewhere. Leave it off. A fan that has started moving on its mount is worse, because it is hanging over a bed or a lounge. Someone hurt or you can see smoke: call 000. Anything else here: ring us.
First, which kind of fan have you got?
It changes the whole answer, and you can tell from how you control it.
Controlled by a remote or an appA DC fan. Quiet, usually has more speeds, and often has no wall control at all. When the remote or its receiver fails, the fan looks completely dead.
Controlled by a wall switch or a pull cordAn AC fan. Older, three speeds, and when the motor will not start it is nearly always the capacitor.
So a dead DC fan is often a dead remote, and a humming AC fan is almost always one small part. Neither means the fan is finished.
Only one light switch in the room? That is normal, and it does not mean a new cable has to be run through your wall. Where there is no second switch wire we fit a DC fan with a remote, which runs the fan and the light separately off the one supply.
Checks you can do from the floor
No ladder. Nothing here needs the fan opened up.
If it is remote controlled, change the batteries
It sounds too simple and it is the single most common fix on a DC fan. A remote fading out gives intermittent behaviour first, so a fan that works sometimes is a classic flat battery rather than a failing fan.
If fresh batteries do nothing, look for a pairing or reset step in the manual. Many fans need the power switched off at the wall for about ten seconds and back on to re-pair.
Check the wall switch and the isolating switch
Even most remote fans still have a wall switch or an isolator that has to be on, often on the same plate as the light switch. If it has been flicked off, the remote will do nothing at all and the fan is perfectly fine.
- The light switch bankAn unlabelled extra switch by the door
- A pull cordOlder fans, sometimes tucked up against the canopy
- A speed dialWall dial turned to off rather than low
- Summer and winter switchA small slider on the fan body itself
Listen to what it does when you switch it on
This is the most useful thing you can tell us on the phone, and it usually names the fault before anyone attends.
Complete silenceNo power reaching it, or on a DC fan a failed receiver. Check the switchboard next.It hums but will not turnCapacitor, nearly every time. Switch it off and leave it off.It runs on one speed onlyAlso usually the capacitor, which has several parts inside and often fails one at a time.It starts if you nudge a bladeSame answer. The motor cannot start itself any more.Never nudge a blade on a fan that is switched on. If you have already discovered this, switch it off at the wall and leave it.
If it is silent, check the switchboard
Open the switchboard door only. Never unscrew a panel, and leave anything labelled Solar or Battery alone. A switch is ON when the lever points up. Fans usually sit on a lighting circuit, so if the room lights work too, the circuit is fine and the fault is at the fan.
If a lever is down, push it firmly up. If it snaps back, leave it off and ring us. Safety switch keeps tripping >
What your result means
It hums but will not turn
A failed capacitor on an AC fan. On an older fan it is often worth weighing a repair against a quieter DC replacement.
Ceiling fans >
It wobbles or has moved
A mounting problem, not a balance problem. It is hanging over a bed, so it gets fixed properly rather than packed out.
Too hot to sleep?
Tell us what is going on. We ring you back, usually the same day.
When to call an electrician about a ceiling fan
It hums, buzzes or will not start
The motor is trying and failing, and it is heating up while it does. We test it, and tell you honestly whether a repair or a replacement is the better spend on that fan.
The remote and the receiver are both dead
The receiver sits up inside the canopy, so replacing it is electrical work. On some fans a new receiver is not available and the fan gets replaced.
Ceiling fan installation >
It wobbles more than it used to
A fan bolted through plasterboard with no proper fixing loosens itself a little more every time it runs. We fix the mounting, not the symptom.
You want it replaced
We supply and install, or fit one you have bought. Worth knowing: never pair an AC fan with a DC one in the same house if a remote is involved, and on a rental a remote is one more thing to lose.
Fan replacement >
Renting, or managing rentals?
Renting? Try the batteries first, then tell your property manager what the fan does when you switch it on. Humming, silent or wobbling are three different repairs and saying which one saves a visit.
Property managers: tell us whether it is remote or wall controlled and we bring the right parts. On a rental we usually recommend a wall-controlled fan where the wiring allows it, because a remote is one more thing to go missing between tenants. Property maintenance >
Related home services
Ceiling fan installation
Repair, replace, or a fan where there has never been one.
Read more >Fault finding and repairs
No power to the fan, or a circuit that keeps tripping.
Read more >Lights not working
The fan light is out but the fan still turns.
Read more >Lighting and downlights
Light the room properly while we are up there.
Read more >Ceiling fan questions
Why has my ceiling fan stopped working but the light still works?
The fan and the light are separate inside the fitting, so one can fail while the other is fine. On a remote fan it is usually the receiver or the remote, and on an older fan it is often the capacitor.
My ceiling fan hums but the blades will not turn. What is that?
Almost always a failed capacitor, which is the part that gets the motor started. The hum is the motor trying and failing. Switch it off, because leaving it humming can cook the motor.
My ceiling fan remote has stopped working. Is the fan dead?
Probably not. Try fresh batteries first. Most DC fans have no wall control at all, so when the remote or its receiver fails the fan looks completely dead when it is not.
Why does my ceiling fan wobble?
Usually the mounting rather than the blades. A fan bolted to a plasterboard ceiling without a proper fixing will always wobble, and it gets worse. It is worth fixing rather than living with.
Can I have a fan with a light on a single light switch?
Yes. Where there is only one switch wire we fit a DC fan with a remote, which controls the fan and the light separately without running a new cable through the wall.
Can I replace a ceiling fan myself?
No. In NSW, connecting or removing a ceiling fan is licensed electrical work. It is also hung overhead, so the fixing matters as much as the wiring.