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    senorman's Avatar
    senorman Posts: 3, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #1

    Jan 10, 2009, 11:13 AM
    Light will not work on a ceiling fan
    I have a Hampton Bay ceiling fan that contains three light bulbs. I do not know the age as it was in the house when we moved in two years ago. Both the fan and light are operated by dimmer switches on the wall. Yesterday when I went to turn on the light, the bulbs flickered on and then went off. This happened every time I tried to turn on the light. The fan still works properly. I am wondering if this problem can be corrected or if I will need to purchase a new ceiling fan. Thank you!
    ducsauce's Avatar
    ducsauce Posts: 38, Reputation: 2
    Junior Member
    		  
    #2

    Jan 11, 2009, 03:48 PM

    Could be a bad dimmer switch. Take that dimmer switch out the box and touch the wire coming from the fan's light to a known hot wire in the box. If it comes on then you know you have a bad switch. Just be careful.
    ballengerb1's Avatar
    ballengerb1 Posts: 27,378, Reputation: 2280
    Home Repair & Remodeling Expert
    		  
    #3

    Jan 11, 2009, 06:01 PM

    The most likely problem is a loose connection at either the switch or the light fixture. Open up the boxes and tighten all connections. Put a test lead on the black wire at the fixture and ground your meter, tell us what reading you get when someone turns on the light.
    ceilingfanrepair's Avatar
    ceilingfanrepair Posts: 5,733, Reputation: 109
    Uber Member
    		  
    #4

    Jan 12, 2009, 09:53 PM

    Is it a remote wall switch with a lot of buttons, or two different switches, a basic dimmer for the light?

    If the latter it is probably a bad switch, easy to replace.

    If it's not the switch, check all the wiring from the switch to the light. A voltmeter can help.

    See:

    http://www.ceiling-fans-n-more.com/c...ng-and-FAQ.php
    senorman's Avatar
    senorman Posts: 3, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #5

    Jan 25, 2009, 09:20 AM
    Sorry for the slow response. Today is the first day I've had the opportunity to take down the box and test the wires. The volt tester lights up for both the fan and the light. Unfortunately I don't have anything to get a reading. So, I guess I'll try buying a new dimmer box and see if that solves the problem. Thanks for your help!
    ballengerb1's Avatar
    ballengerb1 Posts: 27,378, Reputation: 2280
    Home Repair & Remodeling Expert
    		  
    #6

    Jan 25, 2009, 09:39 AM

    If you opened the switch box and can't get a reading at all don't bother buying a new switch, check the breaker. Power must first reach the switch box for the switch to do anything.
    senorman's Avatar
    senorman Posts: 3, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #7

    Jan 26, 2009, 02:19 PM
    I don't think I was very clear on not being able to get a reading. As you can tell, this terminology is really my forte! We replaced the dimmer switch and that has solved our problems. Thank you all for the feedback. It is very much appreciated!
    ceilingfanrepair's Avatar
    ceilingfanrepair Posts: 5,733, Reputation: 109
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    #8

    Jan 26, 2009, 08:44 PM

    Glad you got it working.
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