Feb 6
I have a hampton bay ceiling fan with a bulb base stuck in it. I took the glass bulb off and attempted to unscrew it with a pliers but the metal is so soft that is just bends in and does not give me a grip to unscrew this base of the bulb. So now the metal is all bent in the fixture. How do I get this out of the fan fixture? Do I drill into it? and then how turn the bulb base to unscrew it? My concern about drilling in is that I might damage the fixture of the fan beyond the bulb base. Any suggestions?
First turn off ALL power to the light fixture. I know you will get the suggestion to use a potato, and that’s just silly.
I have found that using a lineman’s pliers, or any pliers you can jam into the base works the best. What you are trying to do is use the sharp edges or the pliers to grab the sides of the socket and turn it out.
If that doesn’t work, take a screw driver and gently pry the bulb base away from the fixture socket. Then use a needle nose pliers to curl the bulb base metal. It will probably break off, but keep going around the base removing more metal until it loosens. These can be a pain, but if you are patient, you will get it out.
Feb 6
I have a Harbor Breeze Springfield 52" fan. Also have a Maestro IR dimmer to control it.
The configuration is pretty straight forward. 14/3 runs up to the light from the switch, and there is a hot in the box. Hooked the fan control up just fine (it’s a 4 position fan control switch) –> Hot in to red in the 14/3. Fan works just fine.
The same hot goes to one side of the maestro, then the black in the 14/3 goes to the light.
Doesn’t work. No ceiling fan light comes on, no green indicator lights come on on the switch.
Replaced the switch with another Maestro IR, doesn’t work.
Replaced the switch with a Maestro SP dimmer, doesn’t work.
Replaced the switch with a standard SP switch, works great.
When the Maestro IR is hooked up, taking two screwdrivers and jumping out both screws makes the light come on.
And yes, the ceiling fan light kit chain is in the on position (or it wouldn’t come on by jumping the terminals).
The bulbs are standard 40W candleabra bulbs (incandescent).
There is NOTHING SPECIAL going on here, why is it not working?
Tested both Maestro IRs on a circuit with 5 60w incandescent recessed lights and it works fine. The Maestro Single pole switch currently controls my kitchen lights, it works just fine. Tested.
Therefore it seems like there would be something going on in the fan to prevent the Maestro IR from working. Lutron Tech Support says to replace the fan.
But why? It’s just a wire connecting four lightbulbs together, right?
I haven’t disassembled the fan yet to do some testing, hoping someone else has a solution before I tear the thing apart.
I tested on another Harbor Breeze Springfield fan, and same problem.
I use a Maestro multi-location dimmer (3 locations) on a Harbor Breeze Halstrom fan, and it works just fine. Different light kit, but same light bulbs.
BTW, this is new construction.
I am thinking it must have to do something with the fan. Even though I jump it out and it works, there is something in the circuit (the fan) that is causing the "computer" inside the Maestro IR to not work properly. For example, the Maestro IR will not work at all if you have compact flourescent bulbs.
I already tried flipping the wires, thinking that may have something to do with it. Didn’t fix it.
Try flipping which terminal your wires from the 14/3 are connecting to on your switch. Since the lights come on when you jump the connection it sounds like there isn’t a connection being correctly made at the switch, rather than the fan being the culprit.
Feb 6
I noticed the living room getting dimmer everyday, now the ceiling fan lights are just barely glowing orange. I changed the bulbs and it does the same thing. The house/fan are only 3 years old, not really sure what it could be, any ideas?
More info… the light is not on a dimmer, it has a remote with lights on/off, and low/med/high for the fan. There are no dimmer switches anywhere, it just has been getting dimmer and dimmer everyday now, the fan still works fine though.
Since I don’t know what type of set up you have or if the fan is running correctly …..here is a few ideas
One possibility is the connection at the switch
Another is the wiring under the fan canopy @ the ceiling box.
Still another possibility….. and I am not questioning your intelligence ….. just checking. There are many different types of switches …..many with concealed dimmers like the kind that Leviton puts out. These can have almost unnoticeable dimmers on the side of a normal looking switch {little slide bars} the would control the lighting.
Jan 23
I purchased a Hampton Bay Ceiling Fan (472-219). Separately I bought a Hampton Bay Remote. The fan did not come with a fan at all. They both allow for a light at the top, a fan and a light at the bottom. If I can wire this remote to this fan, where does it go. How do I wire it. I have misplaced the install instructions for the remote. I appreciate any help, Thank you!
It is simmple but difficult to explain.. YOu have to have a remote control hand held of course.. and INSIDE of the unit, you have t o wire in a receptor for the r emote.. The frequency of that receptor and the hand held r eport must be on the same frequency. I would suggest that you go on the intenet to hampton bay.com and get their contact number and ask them where you can buy the receptor that goes on the INSIDE of the fan canopy.. sometimes it will have a small antena hanging out but not to worry
Jan 23
I just got a Harbor Breeze fan with 50 watt bulbs. This was my first time installing a fan by myself. My problem is it came with three 50 bulbs that are really really hot! You can feel a small amount of heat 4 feet away. Is this normal? I’ve known about 100watts doing that but not 50. The bulbs aren’t the normal type. I’m not sure what they call them, but they look sort of like the ones in some flashlights(triangle shaped/flat on top).
Those are halogen, and they do throw off a ton of heat.It’s "normal". Hope this helps.
Jan 23
Had victorian shades in living room and I painted three small white hat boxes and gave the fan a more modern look. Now I want to do something with the three brass lights (they look like track lighting) on my ceiling fan in my bedroom. I don’t have any ideas. They can’t be removed, I just need to cover them with something. I can’t find anything online.
give them a Groucho Marx nose and glasses
Jan 16
Unscrew the lightbulb in a counterclockwise direction. Screw in a new lightbulb in a clockwise direction.
I hope this sheds some light on the subject.
Jan 16
my ceiling fan is a harbor breeze cheshire from lowes when I turn on the fan the light fixture spins with the fan what should I do. cant find a website for this fan
Whoa! That’s kinda odd….who put the fan in and how long ago? Does the fan light spin briefly and then stop or is it continuously spinning?
I would try spinning the light in the opposite direction that it was going and it should sit into a groove and then your problem is gone. Inside the canopy of the fan there is a ball that surrounds the downrod (generally, unless it’s a hugger), that sits inside a bracket that mounts onto the ceiling. On that ball there is a small groove and on the mounting bracket there is a small, what I call a tit sticking out. The groove will kind of fall onto the tit and you will hear and feel it. Then all should be well. If that’s not it can you tell me more about it?
Jan 16
I plumbed conduit on my patio for three boxes. 2 of the boxes on the ends I hung ceiling fans on. The box in the middle I want to put a light. But, I want to match the ceiling fan lights. I thought I would buy the matching light kit and hang it in the middle of my patio.
You can buy a mounting strap for your box that will work with the ceiling fan light kit.
Jan 13
Many home design magazines have perfect rooms that express the best of today’s home trends and designs. People spend hundreds of dollars on home decorating magazines piecing together a collage that will transform their home into a showplace.
After spending ten to fifty thousand dollars, most homeowners give up and settle for second best. This is unfortunate, because with a few designer tricks, any home can be turned into a showplace.
The first trick to creating a magazine quality room in your home is to understand the concept of direct and indirect lighting. Many of the rooms in magazines use ambient lighting with soft bulbs, often golden hued, to give the room a warm glow.
A white light can leave the most beautiful room looking garish. In fact, if you take a look at many ‘before and after’ photos, the ‘before’ room is flooded with a harsh white light. The window treatments are pulled back so that the outside landscape contaminates the room.
Any richly decorated room will be ruined if a large picture window floods the room with bright greens and street black. Take a second look at the after pictures. Often, the outdoors is filtered out. This could be accomplished by putting a reflective coating on the window, or photographing the room at night and then ‘imposing’ the outdoor scene back in the window.
Graphic artist play a major role in creating those perfect rooms. A careful look at some rooms may show that the artist put a blue, gold, or beige film over the picture. While this cheating can result in a major disappointment for most home decorators, it does not mean that you cannot recreate the same effect in your home by playing with light, changing light shade colors, exchanging direct light for ambient light.
Many rooms can be improved by eliminating the ceiling light, or drastically changing it. Think mood when looking for a ceiling light. Most decorators think of ceiling fans, or decorative ceiling lights.
Color should be the first focus when purchasing a light. The room defines the type of light. A bedroom should have the lowest lamination in the light. The dining room and kitchen should have the brightest.
The shade has a major impact on the light’s ability to create mood. Many rooms can be improved by removing a clear glass, or white gloss, ceiling light for a dull, gold shade.
Lampshades that refract light add color to the room and highlight dull areas. Smooth, mute shades blend the colors in a room, letting the eye rest and creating warmth.
Before changing the furniture and lighting, take a look at the walls. The slightest color change on the wall will change a room dramatically. Many ‘perfect’ bedrooms have textured walls that absorb the light instead of reflecting it back into the room.
There are several easy ways to add texture to a wall. Adding a thin coating of stucco and sand to the wall, then painting over it, will destroy a large wall’s ability to reflect light. This type of treatment is used in rooms that need to be dark – even when illuminated.
The opposite is true for bright rooms. Use gloss paints, bright colors, and glass or metals that will twist and refract the light, breaking up the colors, and adding an almost invisible brightness to the room.
Patricia Taylor
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/using-lighting-to-create-the-perfect-room-110902.html
