Do you like saving money? Of course you do, right!!!
A few weeks back my awesome tenant called to say her ceiling fan light wasn’t working.
At the time I was way too busy to fix it and tried calling my electrician. Turns out he was knee deep in work, which is often the case in July.
After a little investigating I was able to replace the pull chain for a meager $4 but only after making a fatal mistake that cost me $50.
Today you’ll discover how easy ceiling fan light repair can be and how you can save a lot of dinero by DIYing.
And YES, I’ll share my expensive bone-headed blunder.
Unexpected Ceiling Fan Repairs!
Broken pull chains and ceiling fan repairs, while rare, can still be a costly project if you have to pay someone else.
I’ll show you two different ways to fix your ceiling fan light.
Although the second option was how I lost money.
Here’s your supply list
- Phillips Screwdriver ($5) or
- Drill with Phillips Bit ($105)
- On/Off Fan Light Switch, aka Pull Chain ($10)
- Ceiling Fan Light Kit ($50)
- Step Stool
- Camera or Smart Phone
- These Amazon Affiliate links help support HRT…muchos gracias
Here’s what you’ll learn
- How to do a ceiling fan light repair
At the end of this tutorial you’ll be able to teach someone else how to fix their ceiling fan light 😀
Ceiling Fan Safety Tips
Yah, getting shocked isn’t a hobby I recommend.
Turn the power off to the ceiling fan before you do anything. Do this at the electrical panel or fuse box.
Flip the breaker to off or remove the fuse that controls the electricity of your fan circuit.
Remove all the shades and light bulbs because you’re going to disassemble the light kit from the fan.
The shades will have 3 to 4 set screws. Simply turn them counterclockwise with one hand while holding the shade.
There will be 3 screws holding your light kit to the ceiling fan.
In my case there were 2 screws that needed to be completely removed and 1 slotted screw that only had to be loosened.
Turn your light kit slightly to disengage the slotted screw and pull it down from the fan.
Newer fans have light kits plugged directly into the fan. Older fans have hardwired light kits.
Take a picture of your electrical configuration so you’ll know how to reassemble it.
The Hunter fan I’m working on is from 2010. It’s light kit simply plugs into the fan but don’t be scared if you have a hardwired configuration.
Find the wires connecting the light kit to the fan, snap your picture, then unwire the kit.
With the darn light kit down you can replace the pull chain.
Ceiling Fan Light Repair: $4 vs $50
Don’t be a dummy like me.
I initially assumed my ceiling fan light wasn’t working because there was something wrong with the entire light kit.
Bad assumption.
I ordered the $50 replacement light kit from Hunter before seeing if the pull chain was the culprit.
You can slap me now. Maybe it’ll knock some sense into my thick skull.
Here’s my advice: if your ceiling fan light isn’t working try replacing the pull chain first.
It’s hardwired to the light kit. Again, take a picture of the wiring then undo the two wire nuts that wire it to the rest of the light kit.
There’s one nut holding the pull chain to the light kit housing. Turn it counterclockwise to remove the pull chain assembly.
You can buy a $4 pull chain in the lighting section of any hardware store. Make sure it has the correct number of wires that match your ceiling fan’s existing pull chain.
My video tutorial shows you how easy this is. You don’t have to be an electrical wiz to fix your fan. Trust me, I’m no Nikola Tesla.
And that my friend is how you save $90 by doing a ceiling fan light repair.
What’s Next
This was a small project that saved me a ton of money. Learning how to patch drywall can also be a great cost savings!
If you’re doing a bathroom remodel and need help, join one of our online courses – they’ll make your bathroom renovation much easier!
Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll do my best to help.
Thanks as always for reading, watching, and being part of our awesome community.
Cheers,
Jeff
