I have four 9.5W LEDs in a ceiling fan fixture that won't fully light. Each bulb I screw in makes the others dimmer.

I checked the voltage on the sockets, and each is showing 100v plus or minus. Is that low enough to suggest a wiring problem, or is the fixture just not cut out for LEDs? Other ideas?

I would put in regular incandescent bulbs and see what happens. Try just 25w or so. Is the fan only rated for LED?

What is the make and model of the fan?

It's a generic make that was here when we moved in.



Looks like it's rated for 128w

100v seems suspect. 110ish-125ish on low/high ends isn't unheard of, but 100 is low.

If possible (and if you feel comfortable doing it) unwire the fan and see what your voltage is at the source. Or easier, check the voltage at the switch to see if it matches. That'll rule out any possible problem with the fan/fixture.

No switches. It's on a remote only, but I'm ok with pulling the fan unless something weird is hiding up there.

Thanks for the help, hopefully I can report back tomorrow.

By the UPC I find that it is a Hampton Bay fan rated for 60 watts total. So, your issue likely indicates a short in the fan. Definitely replace it as Picard says.

Hecho in China as it were.

Any outlets on the same circuit? Check their voltage too. As said see if you can isolate the voltage to the fixture.

Yeah, there's actually a lot going on with this circuit, now that I think of it. I'll dive in deeper tomorrow.

Could be a bad wattage regulator

"Hecho en China"

CapeAggie89 said:

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Could be a bad wattage regulator

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Or a flux capacitor...

Gary, I applaud your humor and got a good chuckle. Unfortunately, they are a real thing that our wonderful government mandated on all ceiling fan lights. Though I misspoke and they are normally called wattage limiters.

Manufacturers don't sell them directly to the public but you can buy them here

http://www.ceilingfanparts.net/Ceiling_fan_parts_-_Light_limi/ceiling_fan_parts_-_light_limi.html

There is another option and that is to yank them but you didn't hear that from me.

CapeAggie89 said:

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Gary, I applaud your humor and got a good chuckle. Unfortunately, they are a real thing that our wonderful government mandated on all ceiling fan lights. Though I misspoke and they are normally called wattage limiters.

Manufacturers don't sell them directly to the public but you can buy them here

http://www.ceilingfanparts.net/Ceiling_fan_parts_-_Light_limi/ceiling_fan_parts_-_light_limi.html

There is another option and that is to yank them but you didn't hear that from me.

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Oh I knew exactly what you were talking about CapeAggie89...was just trying to be a little funny. Sorry about that!

All good !

Just an update. We found a fan we can live with, so I replaced it last night. A couple conclusions:

1. Voltage out of the ceiling was ~122v, so it was definitely a short in the fan. Good news on that front.
2. We've got hyperloops under development and self-driving cars on the road. Is there really no technology out there that doesn't make hanging ceiling fans a royal PITA?

To answer your question, not that I've found.

6 years ago we did spring for a much more expensive fan for our patio than what you'll find at home depot, and I can say that having hung 20 or so fans in my life, it was definitely better, it still sucks.

BQ75 said:

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"Hecho en China"

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With the exception of some of the high dollar Big Ass and MacroAir, they all are, to the point that the Air Force has a document specifically excluding ceiling fans from the Buy American Act provisions in the FAR. Otherwise, they couldn't source fans.

My parents have some of the 5 minute fans. Fantastic pieces of ****. The remote crapped out in one and the replacement process was 5 minutes of cussing and screaming with a tenfold increase in installation time to get it back up.