My ceiling fan has a burning smell. Where does the burning smell come from and what should I do about it?
If the fan smells burning, it’s usually best to unplug it and not use it for now. A burning smell coming from the fan usually indicates a wiring or motor fault.
One thing you may notice about the fan is that it can wobble. Check if the burning smell is coming from the engine. If the smell is coming from the motor and the fan is wobbly or not working properly, it could be a fault within one of the motor’s coils. You may need to replace the motor. You can repair the engine, but be very careful, you must know what you are doing. And the motor may hold some charge if there are also capacitors in the motor, make sure you don’t touch them with the screwdriver as it may discharge them into your body.
Another place the burning smell can come from is the wiring in the wall. If the odor is coming from inside the wall or other components of the fan, be sure to turn off the fan immediately. If the smell is coming from inside the wall, it could mean that some of the wiring is getting too hot and is catching fire. This can happen if there is too much power on an old line. You may have very old wiring in your house, which can also cause this to happen with any appliance, not just a fan. Sometimes houses may have old aluminum or other wiring.
Other times, the burning smell may only come about if you switch the ceiling fan to higher speeds or use a certain lighting kit. This can also happen. Your motor has different coils that run on different things, so it’s possible that one coil has blown. This would cause the fan to work incorrectly for some things, but still work fine for others. Most of the time, replacing the motor (if the smell is isolated to the motor) can solve the problem.
It’s usually not a good idea to run the fan when it’s emitting odors, so turn it off for now until you have time to look at it.