Smokin fan remote receivers.

[chris kennedy]

I was asked to help out our best all around electrician today. I have great faith in this fellow's attention to detail so I found this call quite odd.

He installed two fans with light kits under a open porch ceiling. He then installed remotes with canopy receivers. One worked fine, the other never addresses/recognized the light kit. When he pulled the chain for the light kit the receiver smoked.

I was called after he went through two light kits, one whole fan and two remote kits. Bear in mind that the twin is functioning properly.

So I wire the fan directly to the branch circuit and fan motor works but light kit fails to come on. Take light kit apart and defeat the watt-limiter and it works fine. So at this point I have a perfectly functioning fan/light.

The electrician install another remote, which I read the entire installation instructions for and where followed to a T. Again during power up, during the learn mode the motor came on but the light kit was not recognized. Pull the chain and smoke. OK, take the receiver back out and all is well again.

Model numbers;

Fan: Fanimation FP4320
Remote kit: Fanimation CRL 4WH

My initial guess is that this home is located over an ancient Indian burial ground but i defer to you resi guys to see if you have experienced anything similar.

Thanks for reading a long post.

 

[480sparky]

Are you using CFLs?

 

[chris kennedy]

Are you using CFLs?

No sir, sorry, should have mentioned that. These remotes are CFL compatible, dip switch change but not applicable here.

 

[Sierrasparky]

aside from my first thought of a haunted house.
Where is the splice for the two lights, Could there be an open nuetral at the first light.
You said you replaced the whole thing, pretty weird.

I'd call Ghost Busters!

 

[chris kennedy]

aside from my first thought of a haunted house.
Where is the splice for the two lights, Could there be an open nuetral at the first light.
You said you replaced the whole thing, pretty weird.

I'd call Ghost Busters!

The functioning fan/light is the dead end down stream from the problematic fan. Voltage under load at the problematic outlet is fine.

 

[480sparky]

Are you sure you did black to fan, blue to light?

Also, you didn't mix up the input black with the output black? Or the blank antenna wire?

 

[chris kennedy]

Are you sure you did black to fan, blue to light?

Also, you didn't mix up the input black with the output black? Or the blank antenna wire?

This ain't my first rodeo.

 

[480sparky]

This ain't my first rodeo.

OK, are you sure you strapped the saddle down good?

The only thing I can see in the directions is the Learn function. They're a matched set, so "Learning" was not necessary.

Edit to add: Here's the problem, Chris,,,, the instructions state "have this unit installed by a qualified electrician."

 

[chris kennedy]

OK, are you sure you strapped the saddle down good?

The only thing I can see in the directions is the Learn function. They're a matched set, so "Learning" was not necessary.

And I apologize for my blunt response Ken, I realize you had to ask that question to eliminate the obvious. There are twin fans about 10' apart and during 'Learn' both fans cycled and the functioning fans work fine again after this process.

I'm busy with my own crap here and the last thing I need right now is to be trouble shooting some home-owners fan that wold appear to have some sort of electronic problem. Yet with the replacement of the parts and equipment in question, I posted the model numbers here hoping someone had experienced the same thing and had resolved this issue.

 

[chris kennedy]

Edit to add: Here's the problem, Chris,,,, the instructions state "have this unit installed by a qualified electrician."

LOL, I have no idea where to find one of those, Craigs List maybe??

 

[480sparky]

And I apologize for my blunt response Ken, I realize you had to ask that question to eliminate the obvious. There are twin fans about 10' apart and during 'Learn' both fans cycled and the functioning fans work fine again after this process.

I'm busy with my own crap here and the last thing I need right now is to be trouble shooting some home-owners fan that wold appear to have some sort of electronic problem. Yet with the replacement of the parts and equipment in question, I posted the model numbers here hoping someone had experienced the same thing and had resolved this issue.

I had never even heard of that brand until you posted it, but by the instructions, given it's just one page, I can't see how it could be screwed up.... unless you're a really really really stoopid DIYer. Heck, given what I see, I never would have looked at the instructions to begin with.

Have you tried swapping the remotes between the fans? See if the problem stays with the fan or moves with the remote?

If all else fails, there's always an 800 number.

 

[Sierrasparky]

I had never even heard of that brand until you posted it, but by the instructions, given it's just one page, I can't see how it could be screwed up.... unless you're a really really really stoopid DIYer. Heck, given what I see, I never would have looked at the instructions to begin with.

Have you tried swapping the remotes between the fans? See if the problem stays with the fan or moves with the remote?

If all else fails, there's always an 800 number.

Switching remotes , How would that have anything to do with the smoke signals the fan is producing.

ancient burial ground is the most likley suspect.

 

[480sparky]

Let us know what you find out, Chris.

 

[LarryFine]

Have you tried swapping the remotes between the fans? See if the problem stays with the fan or moves with the remote?

That's the logical next step. Better have a few spare receivers.

It might be faster to swap the light kits.

If all else fails, there's always an 800 number.

"Did you have this unit installed by a qualified electrician?"

 

[480sparky]

....."Did you have this unit installed by a qualified electrician?"

"Uh, no, ma'am..... my short-sighted boss fired Al."

 

[stevenje]

I'm busy with my own crap here and the last thing I need right now is to be trouble shooting some home-owners fan that wold appear to have some sort of electronic problem. Yet with the replacement of the parts and equipment in question, I posted the model numbers here hoping someone had experienced the same thing and had resolved this issue.

It is real easy to burn up hours on these type of problems. Stop trying to fix the fan and have the homeowner get a new one.

 

[GUNNING]

Career fan install!

Career fan install!

You might have a bad run of receivers or a bad run of their interpretation of instructions.

You could either get new stuff (fan and remote) or fool with this for weeks.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

Maybe I am missing something but it clearly sounds like a defective fan. If you switch locations of the fan I am sure you will get the same result- the same fan shorting. Sounds like in the pull switch possibly since it blow just when the switch is used or am I mistaken.

 

[Sierrasparky]

I think Chris stated that a new fan and light kit was installed with the same problem. I find it sasy to belive that a run of devices can be a problem and he just happed to get one good one out of the bunch. However a good look at the wireing of the good unit may solve the problem.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

I am unfamiliar with the watt-limiter. Can that be the problem? Chris stated that it worked fine without the watt-limiter.