Why have my ceiling fans started running slower?

Question

We have had these ceiling fans for about 9 years. They worked great at first at very high speeds. But now even on high they are going as slow as on low speed. I have a wall switch for the fan beside the light switch. What could be causing this?

Why does it matter that your wall switch for the fan is beside the light switch? — Unihedron, Aug 26 '14 at 15:27
Are you saying the fans have gradually slowed after 9 years, or that they suddenly slowed down one day? Do you ever clean the fans? Have you made any changes to the electrical in the house recently, that might have caused this? — Tester101, Aug 26 '14 at 16:14
Have you ever oiled the motors? Many fans require occasional lubrication. — bib, Aug 26 '14 at 17:31
Has the low speed also dropped off, or are all settings now about equivalent? Does that fan use an electronic speed controller? Is anything else on that branch circuit experiencing what might be described as a "brownout" condition? — TDHofstetter, Aug 26 '14 at 18:43
Does ur fan have a speed regulator? Trying setting at lower speeds if u have the regulator. If there is no regulator then locate the capacitor mounted on the fan and change it. See if this helps — Prasanna, Aug 26 '14 at 19:41
Capacitors going bad? See http://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/53010/how-can-i-repair-a-ceiling-fan-that-hums-but-doesnt-turn/53036#53036 — Wayfaring Stranger, Nov 25 '14 at 12:56

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Dec 25 '14 at 06:57

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The fan itself is on low speed. Pull the chain, twice. Once will turn it off. Once more will set it to high.

answered Dec 25 '14 at 06:57

Mazura

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Definitely possible. Not sure why you got downvoted! – Steven Dec 25 '14 at 17:24
I agree. I've seen this happen more than a few times. People swear they didn't pull the chains but we go up and check and sure enough, someone did. – Speedy Petey Jan 24 '15 at 13:12

score 1 · Answer 2 · edited Jan 02 '16 at 15:53

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The ceiling fan capacitor in the motor is out. Replace the capacitor.

edited Jan 02 '16 at 15:53

Niall C.

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answered Jan 02 '16 at 14:47

royjones

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score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Aug 27 '14 at 03:10

To me, the fact that all the fans (you did not state how many there are) are slow probably indicates something other than the fan motors. Check to see if they are overly warm or hot to the touch, which could indicate a voltage problem. Turn off the circuit breaker or fuse and check the switch that controls them. You could wire the hot lead and switched-hot to the fan together temporarily (bypass the switch) and see if anything changes. I have encountered fans with light dimmer switches being used to control the speed, which will damage the switch and fan motors. Look upstream.

Why have my ceiling fans started running slower?

3 Answers3