On Sun, 22 Aug 2010 21:51:14 -0400, Jeff Thies
wrote:

On 8/22/2010 5:34 PM, PE wrote:
I have an oscillating table fan that recently stopped working. I'll
probably just buy an new one, but wondered if anyone here might have any
useful suggestions. The fan's performance didn't degrade over time; it was
working properly and then suddenly it just wouldn't turn on. I've tested
the 4 way switch (Off-1-2-3) and it's working properly. And when the
control is switched to any of of the "on" settings, the motor doesn't even
make a humming sound and rotation can't be started by giving the fan blades
a shove, so I assume the problem is not with the motor starting capacitor.


Actually fans almost never have motor start capacitors, they have a
"shaded" winding to give them a kick in the right direction. The
starting torque required needs little more than that.

This is sort of related. I have an old 8 or 10 inch fan, -- to judge
its age, almost everything that shows is plastic -- and I use a remote
switch on a cord to turn it on and off, and a light dimmer to have it
run a little slower than speed 2 iirc. (at full speed 2, the noise
bothers me) When I had tried setting the dimmer below the current
setting, it wouldn't run at all, but it's been running at this setting
almost every day for hours all summer for 5 or more years.

Early this year, after I turned it, on it would run a quarter turn,
then slow to a stop, and could take up to a half hour before it got
moving again, first slowly and within a couple minutes the normal
speed.

This went on for 2 or 3 months, even on cool days, but about a week
ago, it stopped and now it turns on correctly right away. Like it
used to.

LIfe is so strange.