Post by davidw on Jul 11, 2024 7:40:38 GMT -5
I have a Hunter Original Ceiling Fan (serial 192404) purchased around 1990, and a few days ago, the fan blades were not turning on medium speed. I changed to high speed, and the blades seemed to be rotating as usual but then alternately speeded up and slowed down. Within about fifteen of testing other speeds, the blades ceased to turn at any speed. I took the end plate off exposing the switch and wiring and immediately noticed a burning electrical smell. When power was supplied using pull chain, there was a a fan body "hum" that could be heard and felt, and I noticed the 3-speed pull chain switch body (Zing Ear ZE-208s) was hot to the touch. I ordered and installed a switch replacement, and the fan now is working again. I took the original switch apart, and there was an obvious burning deterioration on the under side of the "rotor" near where the metal contacts to complete speed contact was, but the "ears" on the the top side were still intact to change speed when switch was reassembled. My question is what caused this type of switch issue. Most of what I read, using Google search, is that pull chain switches are replaced due to the pull chain breaking, not for an issue such as this. One odd thing I noticed when I pulled the old switch apart is that there was a slightly oily deposit between the contact/rotor bottom and the pull chain/spring top of the switch. If this were some type of spray to make the pull chain action smoother, it was done during the fan assembly at Hunter, not by me.
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