Hi Folks.. .

One of my ceiling fans will not rotate. It will hum, and act like it want to turn, but that is about it. The lights at the bottom of the fan turn on so I assume it has power. (The hum I get also leads me to believe I have power when I turn on the "rotation switch".)

The blades turn freely by hand and there is no grinding sound or "feel" of grinding and/or resistance to turning when moving the blades by hand. The fan has worked previously.

What's your guess? Bad switch, bearing, bushings etc? How about my taking off the blades and engaging the power to see if at least the motor will rotate then? What about the basics of the motor itself (stator/core)?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

It may be the Capacitor or the direction switch, I would inspect and test if possible. Replacing capacitor is an easy try, Does it look deformed?

My guess would be a bad motor. I suggest replacing the motor if the replacement motor's not too expensive or hard to find. If that's the case, it may be time for a new ceiling fan.

Hope this helps,
Kevin
H-Mac Systems, Inc.

Ok, before you try any of the above, what make/model is the fan?

General ceiling fan troubleshooting and help FAQ- Ceiling Fans N More

Bad motor is almost NEVER the issue.