# Hunter Original Celing Fan Repair?



## carryyourbooks (Feb 13, 2009)

i have a hunter original ceiling fan that needs repair, if possible. i believe the motor is 90% toast. it started squeaking intermittantly and now his hard to spin. new ones like these cost $300 and up. does anyone know if they are repairable? maybe a shop in the houston area?


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## 032490 (Jul 25, 2007)

Sounds like the bearings are out. You may be able to take it apart and find new bearings for it.
Ken


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## TxDuSlayer (Jun 24, 2006)

When they go bad your better off replacing.


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## LDS (Jul 25, 2007)

Is Hunter the one sold at Home Depot? If so, I beleive it has a lifetime warranty through HD. Give them a call.


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## Johnboat (Jun 7, 2004)

*OK first a question?*

Are you talking about the old school cast iron Hunter ceiling fan? (Hunter has made them for the last hundred years or so but also makes the newer fans too)

If it is the old cast iron kind there is a little hole on the top for refilling the oil reservoir. If the oil gets low, it will squeak, be hard to turn and eventually stop.

There is special Hunter ceiling fan oil that comes in a little tube you cut off tip and squeeze it into the hole. You can find it by Google....Home Depot is listed as having it.

Fans that are designed to be oiled should be oiled on a regular basis, some would say annually. The most popular "oil bath" model is the Hunter Original. Many fan designs based on the Hunter Original also require oiling, this includes models by Classic Fans, Evergo, Leslie-Locke, Montgomery Ward, Robbins & Myers, and Kenroy. Any fan made prior to 1970 is likely designed to be oiled. Beyond that there are a few other factors you can look for if you're not sure. The oil hole will usually be on top of the motor near the downrod and will sometimes be labeled. Models designed to be oiled usually are of cast iron construction and weigh significantly more than conventional fans i.e. 40lbs or so. And in most cases when a fan is designed to be oiled the motor windings are visible through the vent holes in the bottom of the motor housing. With these fans, the motor usually fills the entire motor housing, whereas with motors with sealed bearings, there is often a lot of space inside the motor housing.


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## carryyourbooks (Feb 13, 2009)

Johnboat said:


> Are you talking about the old school cast iron Hunter ceiling fan? (Hunter has made them for the last hundred years or so but also makes the newer fans too)
> 
> If it is the old cast iron kind there is a little hole on the top for refilling the oil reservoir. If the oil gets low, it will squeak, be hard to turn and eventually stop.
> 
> ...


that is the one i have, yes.


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## Johnboat (Jun 7, 2004)

*I bet*

I bet your oil bath reservoir is pretty close to empty. If you add the tube of oil and give it a few spins manually then when you turn the power on it should work fine. Its hard to ruin those old oil bath motors. (have a towel to protect anything under the fan when you oil it in case you overfill and it drips)


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## tbone2374 (Feb 27, 2010)

Google Hunter Fans Service Center


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## Bigwater (May 21, 2004)

Johnboat said:


> I bet your oil bath reservoir is pretty close to empty. If you add the tube of oil and give it a few spins manually then when you turn the power on it should work fine. Its hard to ruin those old oil bath motors. (have a towel to protect anything under the fan when you oil it in case you overfill and it drips)


The oil bath is indeed on top of the motor. All the way around the stem. The old instructions always said to oil it once a year. But DO KNOT over fill it because it will do more than drip. If you over fill it when you turn it on high it will paint your walls with oil. Since you are qualified you should take your fan down and have a look at the oil cup, to see it visually. that will allow you to know how much oil to put in it. There was also a guage that came with em to hold over the edge of the cup to see how much oil was in it because you can't see inside the cup as most of the time they are too close to the ceiling. It will also drip when off if over filled.

Biggie:biggrin:


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## Tortuga (May 21, 2004)

Carry..there is a place called Fan Fair on Memorial Dr near Westcott that has been there forever. I bought my Hunter from them about 10 years ago and they installed it for me. Probably do repairs as well if needed...


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## Johnboat (Jun 7, 2004)

*This isnt rocket surgery*

No, you never take the fan down to check the oil. I think most instructions call for you to stick a pipe cleaner in to see if it comes out oiley.....the little tube of Hunter oil may even come with one.

Been a while since I owned one...used to have two for years. never had one spray oil. Just be cautious when filling the hole, be ready to wipe. observe for a few minutes. Turn on then stop and observe for drips.

Not on mine but a friend's nearly stopped from being dry...he had no idea about the oil bath....I added oil to his fan and it worked just fine.

But this one sounds like it is dry. Simple to buy the little oil tube, put oil in the hole (probably most of the little tube) and see if that fixes it.


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## carryyourbooks (Feb 13, 2009)

thanks, everyone. y'all were right on. i found a fella named mike over at gulf coast fan service. i ordered 2 tubes. he instructed me the same as y'all did and told me how to get it going after filling it. thanks alot.


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## dwilliams35 (Oct 8, 2006)

I think they discontinued production of the true cast iron original fan. If you want a new one, I think you missed your chance. If you've got an old one, go with the oil, switches from time to time, and they'll last forever. Or at least until you're gone, anyway.


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## carryyourbooks (Feb 13, 2009)

dwilliams35 said:


> I think they discontinued production of the true cast iron original fan. If you want a new one, I think you missed your chance. If you've got an old one, go with the oil, switches from time to time, and they'll last forever. Or at least until you're gone, anyway.


one of many available on the net:

http://www.amazon.com/Hunter-Ceiling-23855-Original-Classic/dp/B000N3YS9I


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