Our floor-standing bedroom fan was displaying the classic symptoms of a bad capacitor, so I replaced it. Unfortunately, that hasn't fixed the problem - or at least, it hasn't fixed it permanently.
Sometimes when you switch it on, it will start perfectly normally. Other times, the blades will barely move, so you have to remove the grille and spin them by hand to get them started. There doesn't seem to be any obvious pattern for the failure.
It doesn't seem to be a lube issue, as the blades turn smoothly with no resistance.
The fan is over 20 years old now (although it only gets used during the warmer nights in summer), so could it be some kind of internal wear that only has an intermittent effect? Once the blades are spinning, it will run as long as necessary without problems.
Sometimes when you switch it on, it will start perfectly normally. Other times, the blades will barely move, so you have to remove the grille and spin them by hand to get them started. There doesn't seem to be any obvious pattern for the failure.
It doesn't seem to be a lube issue, as the blades turn smoothly with no resistance.
The fan is over 20 years old now (although it only gets used during the warmer nights in summer), so could it be some kind of internal wear that only has an intermittent effect? Once the blades are spinning, it will run as long as necessary without problems.
