I am troubleshooting a ceiling fan that will stop for no apparent reason. It has a "Homestead Products" wall control (two wire) with two knobs. One is a dimmer for the lights. The other is speed control for the fan. The speed control will also reverse the fan direction if you turn it all of the way off, then back on. Did these fans have a built in thermostat for heating and cooling, causing them to turn on and off by itself? The fan runs like a champ (no noises or anything) and then quits. You can let it sit for a bit and then turn the knob and it will take off. Thanks for your answers.

Since you know which way the blades will spin when you turn it on, spin them in the opposite direction and then turn the fan on so it runs in the reverse direction. If it does not reverse itself while spinning, suspect the capacitor.

Sorry KISS, but normal troubleshooting doesn't apply in this case.

Jim, what model is the fan? Is it a Superfan?

This was at a friend's house and I was in a hurry- I didn't take the fan down. I only pulled the switch and saw "Homestead Products" on the side of it. I was hoping someone would tell me that this is normal for this particular fan because it has a thermostat that controls it.
The only other thing I can tell you is that it is about a 30 inch fan with 6 blades and no pullchains. In the switchbox there is a hot/neut that comes in from the bottom. The hot ties to the fan control black and to the black in the 3 wire going up to the fan. The red from the fan control ties to the red in the 3 wire going to the fan. The neuts tie together.

The next time I get over there I will check the fan model and repost.

Please do NOT hook the fan up without the control, in case it is a Superfan.

Really? I was thinking of doing just that to see whether it was the switch that is going bad.

With certain model Homesteads it can damage the motor.

Ok I I finally checked and it is a Superfan. Model HP 3000
115v 60Hz
10a
25W
Serial # is 030494

Once again the fan will suddenly stop for no reason. Other times it will slow down and the "twitch" from forward to reverse for maybe 5-10 seconds and then it will quit. After letting it sit for a while it you can turn the control knob and it will start back up.

Sorry, it is a Superfan, so you are out of luck. You can see if CeilingFanParts.com Home (http://www.ceilingfanparts.com) or Ceiling Fans parts & repairs online (http://www.efanparts.com) has parts for you, but if they don't send you specifically SUPERFAN circuit boards or wall controls, then they don't know what they are talking about. I can only assume you will end up replacing the fan.

Ceiling Fan Brands - Homestead Ceiling Fans (http://www.ceiling-fan-brands.com/homestead-ceiling-fans.php)

If you do replace the Superfan, I would be interested in it, for parts.