Ceiling fans are a great feature of many bedrooms, family rooms, sunrooms and even screen porches. They help circulate the air in summer and winter. Modern ceiling fan/light units even come with remote control, for convenience. Remote controls can not only turn the fan on and off, but also control the light with premium models providing a dimmer feature.
While a remote controlled ceiling fan is a great product, there is one issue that recently came up with a client’s fan. Gettum Associates, an Indianapolis area remodel contractor, recently constructed a covered porch for a Carmel Indiana homeowner. The owner selected a nice ceiling fan light unit that came equipped with a remote control. After installation of the fan, a few random issues began to crop up. It seemed at certain times the fan, the light, or both would not operate correctly.
An inspection by a licensed electrician did not turn up any causes or answers. Everything looked to be wired correctly. However, I received an email from our client this morning saying the mystery was finally solved! And yes, it was an embarassingly simple answer, it was due to the default frequency of the remote control! As it turns out, the homeowner’s neighbor also had a remote controlled ceiling fan. Unknowingly, his remote was interfering with and controlling our clients fan! Funny, none of this even considered this possibility but I do recall seeing this occur with overhead garage door units.
So, the moral of the story is that ceiling fans are a great feature and the addition of a remote can be a nice convenience. However, be sure you change the default frequency setting to avoid having your fan controlled by someone else! You can consult the owner’s manual of your fan to find out how to do this.
