[dp3]

I have a Hampton Bay ceiling fan that is hooked up through a dimmer switch. The fan blades seem to operate as expected. However, the lights over the last few months have faded to the point where they are very dimly lit even though the dimmer switch is turned to the 100% on position. In this position only the fans still appears to spin at its appropriate speed, but the lights remain dimly lit. Does this signal the end of this fan or is there a problem (ex. Faulty wiring) that I can fix to return the lights to their normal state? (I am using 60 watt bulbs, which is allowed for this model, and I have replaced the bulbs to make sure they weren't the issue) Please advise.

[ballengerb1]

So let me get this straight, your dimmer operates both the fan and the light, just one switch for both? This would be a bit unusual to wire the fan this way unless you plan to use the pull chains quite a bit, it does have pull chains, right? The fan is not dead so don't think about throwing it out just yet. There is some fault which should be repairable once we do some detective work. Ceilingfan repair will be here later and have additional questions. Do you possibly also have a remote for this fan in addition to the dimmer switch? Back to you.

[dp3]

There are no pull chains. There is a remote that operates the blades with a forward/backward button and then high/medium/low buttons and obviously an off button. The remote also has a button called 'light' that you press to turn on and off the lights. Once the lights and/or the fan are on, there is a dimmer switch that you can turn to lower the speed of the fan or lower the brightness of the lights if only one is on. If they both happen to be on then the dimmer switch will lower the speed of the fans and the brightness of the lights at the same time. The problem is that as of right now, the fan seems to be working fine, but the lights remain dim. If I turn the dimmer switch back and forth quickly the lights actually go bright momentarily before returning to the dim state that they will then stay in. But even though the lights remain dim, the fan will still spin at full speed. So even though the dimmer lowers them both at the same time, while the fan is at full tilt, the lights remain dim.

Let me know if you still have some questions. Thank you.

[ballengerb1]

I don't know what model you have but try to hold down the light button on the remote for about 6 seconds. This is a factory remote and holding the button down may not work.

[ceilingfanrepair]

Ok, you have a remote control AND a dial dimmer switch on the wall? This is BAD and will likely fry the fan receiver. Remove the dimmer from the wall immediately, install a regular on/off switch, and dim the lights from the remote.

Ceiling fan controls - help and FAQ- Ceiling Fans N More

[dp3]

I can definitely fix the dimmer switch and make it a regular on/off switch. However, there is no dimmer feature on the fan remote for the lights. The button on the remote for the light is simple an on/off button. The fan itself has three buttons (high/med/low) for the fan speed, so the dimmer switch is a little redundant in that regards, but there is no redundancy with the lights. Does this make sense, and is it still the problem you indicated? Thanks.

[ballengerb1]

Ceilingfanrepair is 100% correct and that's why I questioned the dimmer from the start. The fans 3 speed remote is designed to be operating on a full 120 vac but your dimmer is dropping that voltage. It is not actually redundant, it's more an in series voltage regulator. Bad idea, frys components. It was a long shot but did holding down the light button on the remote have any affect?

[ceilingfanrepair]

Your remote does have a dim function, by holding down the light button as Ballenger says.

[ceilingfanrepair]

And make sure you remove the wall dimmer ASAP, currently it could cause a fire.