DIY - Easy ceiling fan light diagnosis and repair! (with dmm) 

Glad it helped

How can u bypass this and still have working lights on fan

⁠thanks. Detailed. Very well.

Thanks! You have a great name by the way ;)

😂😂

Thanks for the feedback!

Only if the limiter is working right. In my case the bulbs were working then the limiter went out several months later

Just a guess but it may be cheaper to buy a whole new fan assembly - the one in the video came from Lowes.

I can't say it's ok but I have yet to replace mine.... I'm using low power led bulbs

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

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.

Hah! This video was before I had a kid lolz

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..

First check for power then check the switches, if both fan and lights dont work you probably have a different problem

Check for power on both sides of the wall switch

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???

What does the other end connect to?

thanks, I'll fix that right now!

Thanks

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.

Me too any suggestions

They had to add that to reduce fire risk when people were putting multiple 100 watt incandescent bulbs in their fans.

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.

if your wire colors are different you will need to test the in's and outs

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.

Will do

Thanks for the feedback, im still learning video editing and production

Thanks for pointed me towards Johnny the House Buyer. Appreciate Epic Tim too.

Possible that the socket wore out or the voltage is way off

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

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

Fire safety... As wiring gets thinner and cheaper it prevents you from putting a 100 watt bulb in there and drawing too much heat

could be alot of things, you should call their customer support

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.

you need to test the in's and out's to determine what lines up with what

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....

its a wattage limiter, prevents over wattage bulbs from being used

Potential liability since you would be permanently defeating a safety advice

if you smell burning, check and see what's getting HOT - could be a short or a bad bulb or fan motor

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!

sounds like the switch or fan motor needs checked out

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.

Check relays, fuses, and wiring. Use a glove and see if it spins easy by hand when the car is off

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.

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!!

different brand and models of fans can be wired differently, thats why i broke it down with the volt meter.

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!

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.

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.

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?

Maybe take off your sunglasses lol - in all seriousness, thanks for the feedback, I'm still working on better edits of my future videos.

@@EpicTim i actually liked the music.. it was cool

Epic Tim maybe turn a little light on the situation instead of a crack pot joke...sunglasses...please! Maybe listen to a good critique bro!

sorry i cant help you with that one - try calling the manufactuer

That sounds more like a bulb, socket, or wire issue

from the wattage limiter yes, do not cap off the white quick disconnect you need that still!

Epic Tim thanks; works just great ;-)

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

true story, to this date, it's still not been replaced lol

Spot on exactly! If you’re going to fix it then fix it!

😂😂😂👏👏👏

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!