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-   -   Ceiling fan remote control (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=1770)

  • Apr 26, 2004, 11:21 AM
    jolla
    Ceiling fan remote control
    ??
    Hi
    I have a hampton bay sidewinder ceiling fan that came with a wall mount remote control. I wanted to have a hand held remote control, so went and purchased a remote control that came with its own receiver (hunter). I replaced the original receiver with the new receiver. The hand held remote control that I purchased did not have the button that would allow me to reverse the blade on the ceiling fan. That was OK with me because I only needed the fan to operate in the regular mode (counterclockwise-cool air going down). But now that I turn the fan on , the blade are in the reverse mode (clockwise-warm air down). Is there anyway for me to make the blades go the other way (counterclockwise). My fan does not have any exterior switch that would allow me to change the direction of the blades

    Please help! Thank You
  • May 30, 2004, 10:53 AM
    Skeeterzirra
    Ceiling fan remote control
    I have 4 Hampton Bay hand held remotes, It may not be the easiest solution, but the automatic temperature- fan speed control IS worth the extra effort and money in my book.
  • Jul 9, 2004, 09:24 PM
    AKABoB
    Re: ceiling fan remote control
    That is a fun one.

    The fan will change direction by itself if it is running and the power snaps on and off a couple of times. Another, thanks to the power company.

    Here is how I fix it.

    Turn the fan off and spin it in the direction you want it to go.
    Then quickly snap the power on and of once or twice within a second or two.
    If you have a wall switch it makes it easier, but you might need to do this from the circuit breaker, with 2 people, one to spin the fan.

    Basically on the first snap, the fan will start to slow down because you spun it in a direction it does not want to go and it is trying to go the other way. On the second snap of the power, it should click, and pick up speed in the right direction.

    You may have to try 3 or 4 times with 2 to 3 power snaps, but it almost always takes. This works for almost any reversible Hampton Bay fan, BTW.
  • Jun 18, 2005, 02:39 PM
    Chief
    Hampton Fan doesn't work
    I just tried the turning the fan in the direction I wish it to go and then turn off the electricity at the switch on and off and IT WORKS! I am just amazed! Thanks for the advice!
  • Nov 16, 2005, 03:36 PM
    skydash
    Ceiling fan depression!
    I was in a funk! I had a ceiling fan(Hampton Bay) installed,with a wall switch and dimmer. The installer tossed the remote,and I found out later I had to have it to reverse the direction! I have 20ft.ceilings,so I had no way of bringing the warm air back down. I started looking for places to buy a remote when I happened onto this site and found akabob's sage advice regarding the "spin it and hit the switch" plan. I tried it 3 times and it finally worked! You saved me $40.00! THANKS!! :D
  • Feb 21, 2006, 06:20 PM
    ceilingfanrepair
    Ok, two things surprise me about this thread. I have been repairing ceiling fans for several years, but you can always learn something new.

    1. I have never heard of AKABob's solution before. Rest assured I will be trying it as soon as I have a chance. The one thing that surprises me is that you spin the blades by hand. Moving the blades by hand should have absolutely no bearing on how the remote receiver performs. Have you tried the same solution with just flipping the switch, without turning the fan blades? That part of the solution doesn't surprise me as much. Before the popularity of wireless remote controls, electronic ceiling fans that were controlled but numerous flicks of a wall switch were common, in the 80s. Casablanca's "FLIK MODE" comes to mind. Do keep in mind that remote fans are not meant to be controlled by wall switches and you do run the risk of causing a small power surge.

    2. I am surprised the original poster's replacement remote and receiver worked.

    I'll tell you why. There are two types of remote control ceiling fans. Those where the receiver is built into the fan assembly (either in the motor housing or switch housing) and those where the receiver is replaceable and/or sold separately (usually mounted in the canopy). In the vast majority of cases, fans of type #1 are reversible via the remove, and #2 are reversible by a switch on the fan. If your fan was originally reversible by the remote, I am surprised you were able to get it to work with a replacement receiver without the additional wires for reverse.

    I think the easiest solution to the original problem would have been to purchase a handheld remote that worked with the original receiver AND the wall control. A universal remote would have done it.

    For more information about ceiling fan remote problems, try:

    http://www.ceiling-fans-n-more.com/c...e-controls.php
  • Dec 21, 2006, 10:50 PM
    rsclottjohnson
    Comment on AKABoB's post
    Right on the money as to my problem a way to get around the remote not reversing
  • Jun 11, 2007, 05:47 PM
    Cope
    My fan was stuck on reverse when my remote broke. I purchased a replacement remote at Lowe's or Home depot, can't remember! BUT it didn't have a reverse button on it. I found somewhere on here reversing the pink and yellow wires on my Hampton Bay fan worked to get it to go the right direction. It was bugging me for 6 months until I finally googled all day trying to find a solution. Now I'm a happy camper my fan is blowing down instead of sucking up... :)
  • Jun 11, 2007, 05:53 PM
    Kathy123
    My remote for my hampton bay ceiling fan just quit working tonight. I changed the battery and the light comes on the remote but does not start the fan or turn on or off the lights what's wrong?
  • Jun 11, 2007, 09:16 PM
    ceilingfanrepair
    Did the light on the remote come on before you changed the battery?

    Make sure the frequencies match. If that doesn't work, you probably need a new receiver.

    Ceiling fan remote controls - help and FAQ- Ceiling Fans N More
  • Aug 25, 2007, 11:44 AM
    Fannie07
    Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing this unbelievably effective solution to my reverse problem, AKABob. We installed a new Hampton Bay ceiling fan yesterday with remote operation only. The fan speed and tight work with the remote, but the fan was set to winter rotation and the reverse button on the remote doesn't do anything. With the fan off, my husband began rotating the blades in a counter clockwise direction. I hit medium speed on the remote, turned off power via the wall switch (that was in place for the light fixture we had before the ceiling fan), turned power back on via the wall switch, and hit medium on the remote--all in rapid succession. Voilą, the fan blades continued in the desired direction.

    This solution saved us a lot of aggravation and work and money. My only question is, how come Hampton Bay has not addressed this long standing problem? Persistence on the Internet and the generosity of humans willing to make the time to share information is the winner here.
  • Aug 29, 2007, 01:34 PM
    ceilingfanrepair
    Because Hampton Bay wants you to buy a new fan as soon as you have the slightest problem.
  • Sep 4, 2007, 03:55 PM
    Fannie07
    Just reporting that I called Hampton Bay about the remote not working to reverse the fan. I was told that I needed to have the fan running on low and then press reverse on the remote control. If that doesn't work, customer service told me to press reverse while running the fan on medium. (Some fans are set to reverse on low and others on medium.) Nowhere in the manual is this addressed. I had been pressing reverse with the fan turned off, which seemed to me a logical thing to do. Live and learn.
  • Sep 4, 2007, 04:58 PM
    ceilingfanrepair
    I assumed you could reverse the fan on any speed. Most fans you can.
  • Sep 4, 2007, 06:50 PM
    Fannie07
    Someone else wrote in that their 2 year old hit reverse on the remote when the fan was operating on high, followed by strange noises and complete malfunction. But who knows...
  • Sep 4, 2007, 09:12 PM
    ceilingfanrepair
    THAT definitely shouldn't happen.
  • Nov 9, 2007, 11:11 PM
    bradleytbauer
    AKABoB - YOU ROCK. I've put up with my fan operating in the wrong direction for months. I tried all the obvious thinks to get it to reverse; pressing the reverse button on the wall remote switch when the fan was off, holding the reverse and low fan setting, holding reverse and pressing all three speeds, NOTHING WORKED!!

    Thanks to you, I did the suggestion technique; spin the fan in the reverse (down) direction and switched the fan wall power switch off and on and then pressed low and WALLA- it keep spinning in the new direction (I had to do it twice)!!

    SO AWESOME! Thanks for your help. I'll be able to sleep much cooler now. A few degrees makes a big difference in the Phoenix, AZ heat!

    Thanks again! :D
  • May 25, 2008, 09:10 AM
    TXHOmeowner
    I could not get my Horchow fan manufactured by Ellington to reverse. I tried the manual method several times as prescibed by AKABoB and it actually worked. My fan is about 11' up. I used my telescopic lightbulb removal tool to push the fan in the clockwise direction (direction I needed) and flipped the wall switch on 1 time. First time it did not work and the fan would revert to spinning in the counter clockwise direction. I then pushed the fan faster and flipped the wall switch on again; still did not work. I tried this a few more times whereas I would flip the wall switch on every second as the fan turned clockwise, again it did not work. Irritated, I spun the fan clockwise, not to fast, and flipped the wall switch on and off just as quick as I could (not sure how many times I flipped the wall switch) and it started turning in the clockwise direction.

    As a warning, I do not think it is a good idea to flip the fan wall switch in a hurried fashion. I read in the string where the CeilingFanRepair person warned against building a surge that could cause damage. I recommend heeding his advice. My rapid succession of switch flipping may have been circumstantial.

    Thank you AKABoB!

    I would also like to thank CeilingFanRepair for his insightful and seemingly accurate answers on ceiling fans. I really appricate your efforts.

    TXHomeowner
  • May 27, 2008, 12:11 PM
    ceilingfanrepair
    Thank you.

    BTW Litex makes Ellington Fans and they have a website and customer support.
  • Feb 26, 2009, 09:54 AM
    dturner384
    ALTURA REVERSE PROCEDURE WITHOUT REMOTE

    AkaBob, you rock!

    I just wanted to add a few Google key words for other Hampton Bay customers who have purchased this fan and have lost the remote. The fan has no switches, and most would assume you would need a remote to control the unit fully.

    I had mine installed on 20 ft ceilings, and the installer forgot to install the remote receiver with the fan! I thought I was never going to be able to fix this without another service call, however, I just flicked my wall switch between HI and OFF 2-3 time in a row, and did not even have to spin the blades in the direction I wanted to go! Presto! The fan began operating in the other direction! Now, I can change directions by hitting the switch a couple of times in the future, and do not need the remote!

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