Installed a Z-Wave GE/Jasco Fan controller in a box and had it control an outlet and plugged a portable fan in the outlet. Basically wanted to have speed control over the portable fan in my home automation app.
So far I have killed two fans, one was an expensive Vornado the second one was a cheap Honeywell. Both were 3-speed fans, with a mechanical switch for selecting the speed (low, med, high);
It took almost a year for each of the fans to die. At first they would take longer and longer to start-up and then they eventually stopped working. And once the symptoms developed they behaviour was same whether connected through the GE fan controller or directly in wall.
BTW I have 3 other switches controlling ceiling fans and they have been going great for 3+ years.
Anyway now that I have learnt this expensive lesson - wondering if there is someone here who has an Electrical Engineering background who can explain:
PS - I hope this question is within the scope of this site, in most HA sites you don't have many EEs hanging out, if it is not apologies in advance as well as if someone can point to a better venue to raise this question in.
So far I have killed two fans, one was an expensive Vornado the second one was a cheap Honeywell. Both were 3-speed fans, with a mechanical switch for selecting the speed (low, med, high);
It took almost a year for each of the fans to die. At first they would take longer and longer to start-up and then they eventually stopped working. And once the symptoms developed they behaviour was same whether connected through the GE fan controller or directly in wall.
BTW I have 3 other switches controlling ceiling fans and they have been going great for 3+ years.
Anyway now that I have learnt this expensive lesson - wondering if there is someone here who has an Electrical Engineering background who can explain:
- Why did those fans stopped working? i.e. why was I wrong to use the controller, (really looking for a hard-core EE explanation, not because “it says so on the box.”)
- is there something that can be done to fix them?
- Is there a way to internally rewire an off the shelf multi-speed portable fan so it behaves like a ceiling fan from an electrical perspective and use these controllers>
PS - I hope this question is within the scope of this site, in most HA sites you don't have many EEs hanging out, if it is not apologies in advance as well as if someone can point to a better venue to raise this question in.