Ceiling fan 3 speed switch question...

[ritelec]

Mom pulled the chain out of the pull chain high,medium,low fan speed control on her ceiling fan.

I replaced it with a 4wire switch from the supply house.
black -L
grey-1
brn-2
grn-3

High speed and low speed work fine, but it appears that the middle speed rotates as fast as slow.

Anythings possible, maybe the switch be bad?
I don't need high or low.... anyway I can use that switch just to operate the brown (medium) or is it more than line in and 3 separate load outs? Is the switch doing combinations of the 1-2-3 (gray-brn-grn) together?

thank you

 

[ritelec]

Opened up old switch. The way it came apart I can't tell but it does look like it does a combination

Will pick up another switch tomorrow and check continuity on both new switches.

If it works it works. If it doesn't , time for a new fan. ?

 

[ptonsparky]

Opened up old switch. The way it came apart I can't tell but it does look like it does a combination

Will pick up another switch tomorrow and check continuity on both new switches.

If it works it works. If it doesn't , time for a new fan. ������

I hate to tell customers that a new fan is probably cheaper then us making two service calls to find and install those wonderful little switches.

 

[Knuckle Dragger]

I hate to tell customers that a new fan is probably cheaper then us making two service calls to find and install those wonderful little switches.

Unless it's a Casablanca or similar it usually is cheaper to just replace the fan.
FWIW
I do tell my customers that because it's the truth.
Good luck.

 

[Little Bill]

Mom pulled the chain out of the pull chain high,medium,low fan speed control on her ceiling fan.

I replaced it with a 4wire switch from the supply house.
black -L
grey-1
brn-2
grn-3

High speed and low speed work fine, but it appears that the middle speed rotates as fast as slow.

Anythings possible, maybe the switch be bad?
I don't need high or low.... anyway I can use that switch just to operate the brown (medium) or is it more than line in and 3 separate load outs? Is the switch doing combinations of the 1-2-3 (gray-brn-grn) together?

thank you

That is not the switch that you pictured. Its the capacitor. You have to replace the capacitor with one that has the same number of wires.
But you said she pulled the chain out of the switch. What you need to do is put that cap back in and get a switch. Most Lowes and HD have fan switches. Just match up with the old one. Most are the same if the speeds are the same.

 

[MAC702]

That is not the switch that you pictured. Its the capacitor. ....

This was confusing me as well. I've replaced several chain switches. I did have one fan that had a bad cap. I junked the whole fan after two attempts at fixing it.

 

[ritelec]

That is not the switch that you pictured. Its the capacitor. You have to replace the capacitor with one that has the same number of wires.
But you said she pulled the chain out of the switch. What you need to do is put that cap back in and get a switch. Most Lowes and HD have fan switches. Just match up with the old one. Most are the same if the speeds are the same.

Original switch before removal, original switch before opening, new switch has same L-1-2-3 labeling.. did some googleing and they do have jumping happening in the switch... I'll mess with it, and as mentioned if it becomes more of a pain I'll replace the fan..
Nice fan and except for the switch it works like a charm (Hunter), But...10 or more years old.... we'll see
Thank you

 

[Little Bill]

Original switch before removal, original switch before opening, new switch has same L-1-2-3 labeling.. did some googleing and they do have jumping happening in the switch... I'll mess with it, and as mentioned if it becomes more of a pain I'll replace the fan..
Nice fan and except for the switch it works like a charm (Hunter), But...10 or more years old.... we'll see
Thank you

That is a switch, but your picture in your OP was the capacitor. The switch does wire through the capacitor. If you took wires off the cap. put them back like you found them. Then wire your new switch like the old one. Sounds like you tried to connect the new cap and the wiring is different and it eliminated the middle speed. If you just get a like for like switch and leave the cap alone, everything should work like original.

 

[ritelec]

That is a switch, but your picture in your OP was the capacitor. The switch does wire through the capacitor. If you took wires off the cap. put them back like you found them. Then wire your new switch like the old one. Sounds like you tried to connect the new cap and the wiring is different and it eliminated the middle speed. If you just get a like for like switch and leave the cap alone, everything should work like original.

yes I sent cap first thinking it would reveal if it had to be fed at several points at the same time...
the capacitor is original, I didn't touch it, I replace the switch matched same L-1-2-3... maybe (which I doubt) the supply house gave me a single pole triple throw switch ??? (as mentioned, some research looks like there has to be jumpers between 1 2 and 3 depending on pull chain position.

 

[kwired]

The switch is changing which portions of the capacitor are "in the motor circuit" at any switch position. Methods of how they get connected can vary a little from one unit to another.

The fan motor is a PSC motor and by changing the value of capacitance you put in the circuit you change motor output torque and get different speeds. Low speed simply doesn't have enough torque to reach higher speed but is otherwise same motor circuit with lower capacitance connected to it.

Sometimes you even run into needing a two pole 4 position switch, but from what I have seen there is more single pole 4 position switches out there.

Switch function - a switch designed to operate "3 way lamps" will not be same as a true single pole 4 throw, but the 3 way lamp switch only needs to have 3 leads though it has four functional positions.

 

[Electromatic]

These switches often connect the line (L) terminal to one or more of the other terminals. High speed might be L to 1, Medium L to 1 and 2, Low to 2 and 3...or any number of combinations. This relates to which capacitors it is connecting to adjust the motor speed. You could do continuity checks on the old switch. Then you still have to find a new one that matches. I don't think the new packaging ever actually gives a diagram. This is why a new fan is often a better way to go than several service calls, hunting down a specific switch, waiting for it to ship, etc.

Here is one site that is a little helpful:
https://www.ceilingfanswitch.com/ceiling-fan-switch-guide/

 

[MAC702]

So since the chain switch never moves (stays on high position), how do the remote or wall-mounted speed switches still work?

 

[ptonsparky]

So since the chain switch never moves (stays on high position), how do the remote or wall-mounted speed switches still work?

Perfectly, for all.the ones I've done.

 

[MAC702]

Perfectly, for all.the ones I've done.

I guess they could do the same capacitor thing on their own....

I think I'm tired...

 

[Little Bill]

So since the chain switch never moves (stays on high position), how do the remote or wall-mounted speed switches still work?

My understanding is they chop the top of the sine wave to reduce current.

 

[growler]

from what I have seen there is more single pole 4 position switches out there.

For the 4 wire three speed fan switches they make one for single capacitor and one for dual capacitor and they look exactly the same. If you get the wrong one you will not have the correct speed control.

For the OP. With that hunter fan I would call the manufacturer and see which switch is needed for that particular fan.

 

[kwired]

So since the chain switch never moves (stays on high position), how do the remote or wall-mounted speed switches still work?

The fan is a PSC motor. The capacitor that is used is multiple capacitors in one case, that is why there is more than two leads, using the pull chain switch you are simply connecting different capacitor values into the motor circuit which changes phase differential between main and aux winding of the motor and results in different torque output. Low phase differential results in less torque, more slip and lower speed.

The solid state wall control shaves off some of the voltage waveform, motor mostly sees this as lower voltage, doesn't develop as much torque as if it had full voltage, resulting in increased slip and lower speed.

If you put pull chain into the low speed position and then use a solid state speed control, you can get even more slip and even slower speed, or even enough slip that motor stalls.