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    gretchen71's Avatar
    gretchen71 Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
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    #1

    Jan 11, 2007, 10:42 AM
    Electric smell when ceiling fan light is on
    Hi,
    About a year ago we converted a ceiling fan without lights to a ceiling fan with lights. The ceiling fan has always worked fine, but when I turn on the lights it emits an "electric" smell. The fan part doesn't smell at all. We haven't used it much for that reason but I have had it on for a few hours at a time and the smell hasn't gone away. Any ideas as to what is happening?

    Thanks
    ceilingfanrepair's Avatar
    ceilingfanrepair Posts: 5,733, Reputation: 109
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    #2

    Jan 11, 2007, 12:08 PM
    What type of light is it? Normally I'd tell you to use it until it goes away, but you've tried that. Take it apart and inspect for burning or melted wires, if you don't see any, you should be OK.
    Merkhi's Avatar
    Merkhi Posts: 5, Reputation: 0
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    #3

    Jan 13, 2007, 06:00 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by gretchen71
    Hi,
    About a year ago we converted a ceiling fan without lights to a ceiling fan with lights. The ceiling fan has always worked fine, but when I turn on the lights it emits an "electric" smell. The fan part doesn't smell at all. We haven't used it much for that reason but I have had it on for a few hours at a time and the smell hasn't gone away. Any ideas as to what is happening?

    Thanks
    By "electric smell" do you mean ozone or burning insulation?
    mikeandstephanie's Avatar
    mikeandstephanie Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
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    #4

    Jan 19, 2007, 01:20 PM
    I am having this same issue with a recently installed Hunter ceiling fan. One light bulb burnt out prematurely, and I don't know if this is related to the smell issue, though the smell has continued with a new bulb in place. I don't know how ozone or burning insulation smells, but the smell from my fan light is more of an electrical smell than a real burning smell. Any help would be appreciated!
    ceilingfanrepair's Avatar
    ceilingfanrepair Posts: 5,733, Reputation: 109
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    #5

    Jan 19, 2007, 07:13 PM
    New fans often smell when the lights are on due to the heat. If it doesn't stop over time or you see smoke, then you need to take a closer look.
    msampson's Avatar
    msampson Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
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    #6

    Jun 19, 2008, 06:48 PM
    MikeandStephanie,

    Does your recently installed fan happen to be a Hunter fan from Costco? I ask because we also recently installed two Hunter fans from Costco which have been emitting a mechanical or electrical odor. To me, it actually smells like a strong magic marker. I've climbed up on a chair to try and locate the smell and it seems to be coming from the lower portion by the light... not the top portion where all the electrical wires are.

    Hopefully, the smell is just from the "newness" and will go away in a short amount of time. I am going to call Hunter tomorrow and ask some questions.
    ceilingfanrepair's Avatar
    ceilingfanrepair Posts: 5,733, Reputation: 109
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    #7

    Jun 20, 2008, 11:09 PM
    Hunter is pretty good with quality and quality control, issues are uncommon (unlike other 'H' brands). If it doesn't go away, contact them.
    jdhartmann's Avatar
    jdhartmann Posts: 2, Reputation: 1
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    #8

    Jun 23, 2008, 01:58 PM
    What did Hunter say when you contacted them? I have the same "problem" with a fan I just purchased at Costco last week. I am trying to contact Hunter now but have been on hold for over 12 minutes already. Any assistance would be appreciated. Thank you.
    marcelle333's Avatar
    marcelle333 Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
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    #9

    Jul 5, 2008, 07:10 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by jdhartmann
    What did Hunter say when you contacted them? I have the exact same "problem" with a fan i just purchased at Costco last week. I am trying to contact Hunter now but have been on hold for over 12 minutes already. Any assistance would be appreciated. Thank you.
    I too just installed a Hunter ceiling fan purchased from Costco and I cannot get rid of this smell. It is not electrical because the odor was quite apparent from when I unpacked it and waited for it to be installed. Does anyone know anything?
    jdhartmann's Avatar
    jdhartmann Posts: 2, Reputation: 1
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    #10

    Jul 6, 2008, 06:52 AM
    marcelle333, good news, the smell went away after a few days and the fan works perfect!
    I did contact hunter and they apparently had not heard anything about this smell and told me to take it down and return it. Before I did all that extra work, I waited a day and the smell started to go away. After about two or three days the smell was pretty much gone. No idea what caused it but happy to have it gone and have a working fan :)
    ceilingfanrepair's Avatar
    ceilingfanrepair Posts: 5,733, Reputation: 109
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    #11

    Jul 7, 2008, 12:56 PM
    Yes we've had several reports of this. The smell will go away.
    kds177's Avatar
    kds177 Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
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    #12

    Sep 24, 2008, 01:57 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by jdhartmann View Post
    marcelle333, good news, the smell went away after a few days and the fan works perfect!
    I did contact hunter and they apparently had not heard anything about this smell and told me to take it down and return it. Before I did all that extra work, I waited a day and the smell started to go away. After about two or three days the smell was pretty much gone. No idea what caused it but happy to have it gone and have a working fan :)
    Just wondering if everything is still okay with your Hunter ceiling fan. We purchased one recently from Costco (with the light) and installed it. Our ceiling is 19' high, so my husband rented scaffolding to install it. We are now smelling a strange electrical smell when running the fan and are worried about using it. We would need to rent the scaffolding again just to check it! After reading all these comments, sounds like we aren't the only ones that have had this problem. I'm hoping it will be okay. Did anyone else have any more issues?
    Washington1's Avatar
    Washington1 Posts: 798, Reputation: 36
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    #13

    Sep 24, 2008, 02:12 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by ceilingfanrepair View Post
    New fans often smell when the lights are on due to the heat. if it doesnt stop over time or you see smoke, then you need to take a closer look.
    I agree!
    ceilingfanrepair's Avatar
    ceilingfanrepair Posts: 5,733, Reputation: 109
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    #14

    Sep 24, 2008, 05:50 PM

    Let it run for a while, the smell should go away.
    tommigdal's Avatar
    tommigdal Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
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    #15

    Feb 17, 2009, 07:20 AM
    I recently installed two identical Hunter ceiling fans, one in each kid's bedroom. Each fan had a burning rubber/chemical smell after the light was one for while.

    I found the following answer on bobvilla.com and removed the rubber bands. The smell went away. Just use care in tightening the screws so you don't crack the glass. I kept the rubber bands in case I decide to put them back in later (if I have vibration problems).

    **************************

    Hunter fans are well aware of a problem with a 'burning rubber smell' with their fans.

    The problem is that there is a rubber band that goes around the glass globes of their light kits.

    These rubber bands protect the glass from the turn screws that hold them in place to the light fixtures and these rubber bands also keep the glass globes or shades for rattling during fan operation.

    The problem with these "rubber bands" is that they smell like burning rubber when warmed from the lights.

    Hunter recommends simply removing the rubber bands and discarding them.

    Been there. Done that. Got driven nuts to get the tee shirt over it.

    But it is a non-safety problem that is easily ignored or corrected however you approach it.
    HowieD's Avatar
    HowieD Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
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    #16

    Sep 3, 2010, 11:22 AM
    I had the same electrical tytpe smell on our Hunter fan we purchased from Menards. This was happening after the lights would be on for an extended period. After googling around a little, one site said to remove the rubber bands from the light shades. The lights have been for 3 hours now, and no smell!! I hope this helps others with smell coming from there lights

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