Ceiling fan capacitors

       January 1, 0000    2112

 

The majority ceiling fans use a type of motor known as a permanent split capacitor motor. These motors have two coils, a start and a run winding. A capacitor is linked in series with the start winding to insert a phase shift but once the motor is up to speed it becomes an supplementary winding. In order to reverse the motor, the capacitor is applied to the run winding which becomes the start winding. In some cases the windings may have taps to supply different speeds, in others the value of the start capacitor is lowered to give lower speeds. However, other designs will have additional capacitors agitated in series with the motor as a whole to regulate speeds.
Help of capacitor:
Symbols of a bad capacitor in a ceiling fan include fan runs slowly or not at all on all speeds. Fan will not start but will spin if started by hand. Certain speeds are slow and the motor hums and turns freely by hand but will not spin. The capacitor is usually a black box inside the switch housing of the fan. If this box appears burnt or melted in any way, that is also the sign of a bad capacitor and it should be replaced. Replacing a capacitor is easy, simply unhook the wires and hook the new one in it is place. The only trouble is finding an appropriate replacement capacitor. Within a certain degree of acceptance, the values of the alternate one have to match the values of the original capacitor. In fans with two wire capacitors this is simple, capacitors are measured in microfarads and install a replacement 4-microfarad capacitor in it is place. Yet fans that use more than one capacitor for speed regulation will often have a capacitor with more than one value and more than two wires.
For replacing the capacitor:
Determine the number of wires and appropriate value for the capacitor. When obtaining a replacement first check with the manufacturer as they may have a correct match. Capacitors can also be purchased from ceiling fan parts sites and at hardware stores, home centers and other places that carry ceiling fans. Lastly, big fans may use oil-filled capacitors mounted inside the motor housing. These fan be replaced with newer, smaller capacitors but the larger metal capacitors are available from electrical supply houses and motor shops.

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