Could it be something other than gremlins in my Fantastic Fan?

Katydid

Now that the gremlins have left my Jensen , I think they have moved to my Fantastic Fan. A month or so ago my fan just stopped working, I kept trying off and on for few days and it didn’t work and then presto it started working again. Well it’s happened again, has been working fine and tonight it won’t work. Any ideas?

Sharon_is_SAM

On shorepower or battery?  Have you checked the fuse to the circuit?  Anything else not quite right?  Is there a remote that you can change the batteries?

Katydid

I’m on shore power and I haven’t noticed anything else that’s not quite right. 

In full disclosure, I had no idea how much I had to learn when I bought my trailer last October so I’ve tried to do it little by little and batteries/ fuses,/ inverter etc etc I haven’t even attempted. 

I just now looked  into the fuse box for the first time and was happy I found the fuse for the “ceiling fan”. Yes it’s there but have no idea how to check it. And I really don’t know what you’re referring to when you say “change the batteries”

Thank you for trying to help.

SusanD

@katydid, I have no idea how to help you but I totally relate to you.  It's been quite an education but it's getting better - I'm getting better at this.  Speaking as someone that has never having changed a tire, never jacked a vehicle and generally does nothing to get her hands dirty - my partner is in shock.  Have fun!

ezusmanis

If you have the version without the remote, you may have a bad 3 speed switch

CharlieRN

 Checking to see if a fuse is blown is quite easy, as this image shows:

That's not the problem in your case, as a blown fuse would render the fan completely inoperative and yours works intermittently. It could that the fuse is making poor contact or is faulty however.

Replacing it is easy and inexpensive, so worth trying. I'd also suggest that you remove/replace the fuse a few times to help break up any corrosion there may be in the socket. Use a small amount of dielectric grease if you have some.

The more likely culprit is the fan switch. The switch itself may be faulty, in which case replacement is the only remedy. It could also be that the connectors are making poor contact (corrosion or not firmly connected), and you should probably check this first, before shelling out for a replacement switch.

webers3

Don’t know if your fan is the same as mine, but mine will not work unless the fan cover is opened past certain point

Katydid

Thank you all for your responses! 

@CharlieRN, thank you so much for Fuses 101, I now think I can deal with fuses in the future, and for  the clear how to step by step for diagnosing the problem.

@webers3 thank you for your idea of opening the fan cover higher! It worked! 😄

Being mechanically challenged I opted to try @webers3 idea first and it worked! Albeit with a new oddity, it now will not work on speed 1, only 2 and 3 which makes me wonder if the underlying problem is a faulty switch. The good news is that I have an appointment for warranty work in late October and can add it to the list.