I have a problem with a ceiling fan capacitor I hope you can help me with. My daughter's fan was barely turning and according to the internet it was probably the capacitor. I removed it but was distracted a couple of times and apparently did not write down everything as I took the wires off. Bad me! I took it to Lowe's hoping they would have a replacement which of course they did not. He said it was the speed switch which he carried so I bought one to install.

Now my problem. The capacitor is a 5 wire --2 gray on one end and 3 wires, a brown, purple, and red on the other end. I have everything connected back except the red which connects to the red on the fan but I have 2 wires left, one brown, one gray, with only a gray wire coming from the fan. Do both of those connect to the gray wire.

My capacitor reads as follows.

4.5 uf/ 280v
6uf/25 ov
5uf/25ov

These guys have a 4.5, 6 and 5, but don't know if the connections are right.

The capacitor is siuspect, but usually at least one speed will work properly.

This Ceiling Fand wiring Diagrams
Offers some idea as to how they might be connected.

I first recommend connecting everything to the ORIGINAL parts, so you can see where everything goes in case the colors are different on the new parts.

It Wasn't the switch, leave the original switch in there.

Some fans, everything matches up i.e. red-red, grey-grey, purple-purple, etc. There is often more than two of certain colors and they all connect together in these cases.

Ceiling fan pull chain replacement and repair - Ceiling Fans N More

I highly doubt about the disagree. I guess your just trying to promote your own website: Contact the webmaster - Ceiling Fans N More

Note that the email [email protected] is identical to that in your signature.

The diagrams are better than nothing. A five wire cap would be for a start and multiple run capacitors.

The next to the last figure on this page: Leeson Single Phase Electric Motor characteristics and applications

Is more likely for a 5 wire capacitor. The "rotary" switch may not be used. The switch is usually a centrfiugal switch and opens when the motor is running. The characteristics of a start cap can be entirely different than a run cap that for these lossy motors, can be eliminated.

A note on capacitors and speeds:

What happens is that for the 3 lead run cap there is a common lead to two capacitors. The capacitor value add when paralleled and thus the common and the other two wires have the largest value. This is the highest speed. The lowest value is the lowest speed. The next highest value is the middle speed.

The cap common usually goes to the line and the switch in LOW selects the lowest valued cap. MED speed selects the high valued cap. HIGH selects HIGH and LOW caps together thus making the highest possible capacitance

The 4.5uf cap is probably the start cap based on the odd voltage rating of 280 vs 250V.

If you want to play, insert a 60 W light bulb in series with the line of the fan. It should prevent smoke from appearing.

Dude, you're way off base. None of the stuff you're posting is even relevant to the original problem, and most of it is barely relevant to ceiling fans in the first place.

Ceiling fans do not have separate start and run caps. One capacitor is used for both functions, and in some cases, the value changes to dictate the speed. In other cases, such as the diagram you posted, multiple winding taps are used to dictate speed. That clearly isn't the case here as he has a 5 wire cap.

I do not believe that these diagrams are better than nothing. Because they are likely to mislead someone into hooking their fan up incorrectly, thinking their wiring will match the diagram. Then we have a bigger mess to sort out. This is why, on "my" site (and if you read the link you posted you will learn I am not the site owner) there are NO diagrams posted. As I have stated many times, including the last time you posted these diagrams, there are HUNDREDS of different wiring setups for ceiling fan motors. The likelihood that an internet diagram will match the specific fan someone is asking about is slim to none. Before posting wiring instructions, get the make and model, and/or the specific wiring that is already in place. If you can find a diagram that matches exactly, GREAT. Certain fans are standard such as Hunter Originals and Casablancas.

Otherwise, the advice I give to EVERY poster: hook everything up HOW IT WAS. Replace one component at a time. *I* cannot successfully replace a double layer pullchain or 4+ wire capacitor any other way, and if I, who has worked on thousands of ceiling fans, cant, it will take a very lucky break for anyone else to.

Here Ceiling Fans are two DISECTED Ceiling fans. One with a 5 wire capacitor and one with a 3 wire.

Wouldn't life be so much easier if it was packaged with the instructions?

Those diagrams will work if you have a Hampton Bay Littleton, whatever the second fan is, or any other fan with identical wiring. BTW the Littleton is made by SMC.

Why capacitor use in fan