You'll find electric fans in many places throughout your home. Besides ceiling and portable fans, they are in air conditioners, range hoods, computer power supplies, and bathroom vents. They are in just about every room of your home. If they decide to not work, here's what you can do about it.

How Does It Work?

A fan is a device that produces a current of air. There are many kinds of fans--freestanding, oscillating, box, ceiling, and more--but they all function in the same way. An electric fan uses a motor to rotate a blade assembly. The blades are angled and shaped to move and direct air currents. The fan will have one or more control switches to turn it on and off as well as to control its speed. The fan may also have a gear assembly to move the fan from side to side, or oscillate, for greater air movement.

What Can Go Wrong?

Simple in operation, fans are easy to troubleshoot. The electrical cord may need replacing. Switches can be dirty or faulty. The motor may fail. The clutch knob and gear assembly may be faulty. Blades may be unbalanced, loose, or need lubricating.

Fix-It Tip

Multispeed fans can quit working on one or more speeds. If so, you either can repair it (see the Appliance Controls Fix-It Guide) or live with it, using the other speeds.