Why does my Ceiling Fan Light Turn ON by Itself?
The main reasons behind a ceiling fan light turning ON by itself could be faulty wiring or due to similar signals received from another remote control nearby.
Table of Contents
- Faulty Wiring
A ceiling fan light may turn ON by itself when there is a defect in its wiring circuit. When the wiring is loose, the current circuit tends to get completed even without the switch turned ON. That can turn the light ON by itself.
- Identical Remote Control Nearby
In case the ceiling fan light is remote-controlled, an identical sensor remote in the neighborhood can also be behind the light turning ON by itself.
- Faulty Sensor Receiver
In very rare cases, the receiver in remote controlled ceiling fan light can be at fault and might switch the light ON when it receives signals meant for other devices nearby.
Why does my Ceiling Fan Light Turn OFF by Itself?
Overheating is often the main reason behind a ceiling fan light turning OFF by itself. That’s, of course, after you rule out faulty wiring and sensors.
Here, I have listed out some of the major reasons for the ceiling fan light getting turned OFF by itself.
- Overheating
Most ceiling fan lights tend to go OFF upon overheating. The lights overheat if the fan is abused or overused. Most ceiling fan lights do have cooling bearings, but they tend to come off with age.
- Loose Wiring
A slightly loose wire in the circuit is enough to turn OFF the light. When the fan rotates, the movement is enough to loosen or even disconnect an already loose wire.
- Defective Connection Point
In case the connection point is clogged, rusted, or shorted the ceiling fan light may turn OFF at times.
How to Fix a Ceiling Fan Light that Turns ON by Itself?
A ceiling fan picking up signals from another ceiling fan’s remote control is often the cause behind its lights turning ON by itself. To stop this from happening, you can change the frequency of your remote-control setup by following the steps given below.
Step 1 – Turn the Power OFF through the circuit box.
Step 2 – Unscrew and remove the canopy from the mounting bracket.
Step 3 – Change the DIP switch settings on the fan’s receiver.
Step 4 – Screw the canopy back on the mounting bracket.
Step 5 – Remove the battery from the remote control.
Step 6 – Enter DIP switch settings on the remote control.
Step 7 – Set the frequency combination to what was set in the receiver’s DIP switch settings.
Step 8 – Turn the fan back ON to sync the remote control and test the new settings.
How to Fix a Ceiling Fan Light that Turns OFF by Itself?
By fixing the wiring of the ceiling fan lights and the receiver underneath it, the ceiling fan lights that turn OFF intermittently can be controlled. Faulty wiring or receiver is often the cause behind such an issue.
The following steps help to check the wiring across the ceiling fan light and receiver:
- Disconnect power to the fan.
- Remove the canopy by unscrewing it from the mounting bracket.
- Check the wiring between the source outlet and the electrical box of the fan with an electrical tester.
- Remove the bulbs and check for the threading inside the holder.
- In case of damaged threading, get the holder replaced.
- In case of a loose holder, tighten it up to the mounting bracket with a screwdriver.
- Fix the bulbs back into their holder.
- Reassemble the canopy on to the mounting bracket.
- Turn the power back ON.
Important note: If you’re not good with electrical wiring, call an electrician!
Why a Ceiling Fan Light Turns ON then OFF?
The wattage limiting circuit in ceiling fans is the primary reason behind a ceiling fan light turning OFF after being ON.
You can fix it by either using bulbs that are within the wattage limit or by bypassing the wattage limiting circuit. For bypassing the wattage limiting circuit, you can follow the steps given below:
- Switch OFF power to the fan.
- Unscrew the bottom of the fan where the light is plugged in.
- Cut off the connections between the light and black box by slicing the wires as close as possible to the wattage limiting box.
- Cut off the connection between the wattage limiting box and the plug-in connector.
- After checking on the user manual, wire the lights to the plug-in connection with the correct polarity.
- Fix the lights back in position.
- Turn the power ON.
Most of the top models including Hunter’s 53237, Emerson CF205VS, Haiku’s Home L Series, and Harbor Breeze Mazon have wattage limiting circuits that can suit a large range of bulbs. The best solution is to use bulbs that are within the wattage limit of your ceiling fan model.
Why Ceiling Fan Light Stays ON Only for 1-2 Seconds?
The ceiling fan light can go off after 1-2 seconds because of a possible fault in wiring or supply or if the bulbs used, exceed the wattage limit.
It is best to ensure that the bulbs that are used do not exceed the wattage limit set for the fan lights by the manufacturer.
You can follow the steps given here to get the issue fixed.
- Check the wattage limit in the user manual.
- Check the wattage of bulbs that are used.
- Replace the bulbs with those that consume low wattage.
- As a general rule, the wattage should not exceed 190 watts for most of the fans.
Why is my Ceiling Fan Light Flickering?
Loose wiring is the primary cause of flickering ceiling fan lights. It can cause the ceiling fan lights to flicker and might even lead to a fire.
When it comes to loose wiring, the problem can be anywhere between the bulb and the main supply circuit. The problem of flickering ceiling fan light is common across fans from Hunter, Emerson, Hakui, Harbor, and several other manufacturers.
You can follow these steps to locate and fix the problem.
- Check the bulb socket and tighten it if it is loose.
- Remove the bulb and test it in another socket to see if the problem is with the bulb or the socket.
- Check the wiring of the switch to see if it is loose.
- Turn the main power supply OFF and inspect the wiring of the fixtures.
- If the wiring is found to be faulty, call an electrician to get it fixed.
There is the hazard of electric shock and fire when wiring is not done properly and therefore it should be carried out only by trained professionals.
How to Fix a Ceiling Fan Light that Flickers?
Inspecting and fixing the wiring connections of the circuit is the ideal solution to flickering ceiling fan lights.
This can be a time-consuming process and may take up to 4-5 hours for safe and sound execution. A ladder, screwdriver, and different types of bulbs depending on the problem will be required to fix the issue.
Following the steps listed below can help to identify the problem quickly and get it resolved.
- Tighten the Bulb in Ceiling Fixture
If the ceiling fixture is found faulty, try tightening the bulb. If that doesn’t help, get the ceiling fixture replaced.
- Change the Type of Bulb
In case you have dimmer switches and are using LED bulbs, the flickering can be resolved by simply replacing the LED bulbs with CFLs. Most LED bulbs respond to dimmer switches only with a constant flickering.
- Check the Switch
Remove the cover plate of a conventional switch and see if it has loose wiring. In case the conventional switch has toggling issues, it should be replaced to stop the flickering.
Why is my Ceiling Fan Light Dim?
A ceiling fan light can be dim because:
- The output settings are fixed to Dim through the remote control unknowingly.
- The connection between the bulb and the ceiling fixture is weak which results in low lumen output.
- The wattage limiting circuit is controlling the output of the bulb.
There is a solution for each of these possible three causes.
- Remote Control Settings
The user manuals usually do not mention about the Dim control settings. Keeping the light button or in some cases, the power button pressed for some time can help control the dimness of the ceiling fan light.
- Tighten the Bulb
In case the connection between the bulb and the ceiling fixture is loose, pick up a screwdriver and try tightening the fixture into the mounting bracket.
- Replace the Bulb
Using LED bulbs does lower the wattage significantly when compared to the conventional filament bulbs, but it can result in constant flickering in case of a Dimmer switch being used.
Hampton Bay Ceiling Fan Light Turns ON by Itself
In case there is another Hampton Bay fan using the same DIP switch settings nearby, the other fan’s remote control can turn ON your Hampton Bay Ceiling Fan Light.
This is a common issue in most of Hampton Bay’s models including the 184595 Sovana Ceiling Fan, Hugger Ceiling Fan, and the Reversible Ceiling Fan.
To avoid this, you can access the DIP switch settings on both receiver and remote controller and change the frequency to make it unique.
Hunter Ceiling Fan Light Turns ON by Itself
A Hunter Ceiling Fan Light may turn ON by itself because of faulty wiring or the presence of another Hunter fan close by.
As most of Hunter’s ceiling fan models, including the 59157, 59320, and 52153 have a common frequency setting in their remote-control receiver, the remote control of other Hunter fans can switch the lights ON in your fan.
To avoid this, you can change the DIP switch setting using a ballpoint pen and screwdriver.
Harbor Breeze Ceiling Fan Light Turns ON by Itself
The presence of another Harbor Breeze Ceiling Fan in the neighborhood can cause the ceiling fan light to turn ON without your knowledge.
Most Harbor Breeze models use similar frequency settings in their receiver and remote-control. This also makes it possible to control one fan with another one’s remote control.
You can access the DIP switch setting of the receiver in most of the Harbor Breeze models including the Sail Stream, Merrimack, Armitage, and Mazon by removing the canopy of the mounting bracket.
Once you access the controller, you can change the frequency to any unique number and sync the frequency of your remote control to get the issue fixed.