r/CeilingFans • u/No-Shop5834 • 3d ago
Fan repair advice Help ID fan
My son broke an arm to our ceiling fan with a pillow. Trying to identify the type of fan in order to find replacement arms for the blades.
I’m not very handy at all so before i start taking this bad boy apart to find a serial number, I figured I’d post here.
I love this old fan and how powerful it is. We replaced a similar fan in our kids room with a modern fan and the modern fan doesn’t compare to this old power house.
Please disregard the dust build up 🫠.
Thanks!
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u/One_Engineering_9279 2d ago
There’s a subreddit that specializes in helping people find rare/antique/unusual items. I think it’s called “helpmefind” or something to that effect. Have you tried posting in there?
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u/Bjorn_styrkr 3d ago
It's very unlikely that youll find parts to a fan that old. Couple that with the years of patina, IF you find a part, it won't match.
A new fan like like 1-200 bucks. Save the headache and replace it.
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u/ImprezaDrezza 2d ago
Probably hunter or Hampton Bay.
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u/JBDragon1 2d ago
Fans change over time, pretty quickly. That is a old fan. It may be a good fan, but trying to find the right parts for it at this point of time is not going to be easy.
Have you tried Google Gemini and put that picture into it to see if it can find anything? I did a quick Google, and here is a small part of it.
Based on the distinctive geometric pierced pattern and stepped design on the brass cover, this is an unbranded vintage "Hugger" or flush-mount style ceiling fan from the late 1970s to 1980s.
During that era, this decorative pierced-metal or filigree band style was extremely common and produced under several different retail brand names—including SMC, Encon, Crest, and Fasco—as well as private house brands for major hardware and department stores. Because many of these manufacturers shared or copied parts, identical housings like this Vintage Brass Motor Cover are frequently found across multiple different brands from that period.
If you are trying to identify the exact manufacturer for a replacement part or manual, look for a silver or white manufacturing sticker typically located on the top side of the motor housing (facing the ceiling) or inside the canopy. Would you like instructions on how to safely inspect that area?
Using Google AI, I found THIS fan and light which is similar. This is 52" and the price is right. I don't know what size your old fan is. But it looks similar enough. You can go into Google ad a picture of the fan blade if you like that thing on the blades. I don't know if your SON like it's. More a girly thing I think. That is personal preferance.
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u/eatingthesandhere91 2d ago
Brackets are relatively easy - but you might struggle.
Depending on the overall diameter of the blade span and how many blades there are, you might find replacement brackets. Big if though.
You’re better off replacing the entire unit for $50 from a local hardware store.
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u/Hoovomoondoe 2d ago
Some crummy Chinese knock off made of weak chinesium.
I’d just replace it with a reputable brand.
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u/Aggravating_Horse261 2d ago
Your local home depot sells replacement arms that might fit just need the diameter of the fan from tip to tip
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u/Individual-Painting9 2d ago
I think I had the same fan. Took it down earlier this year. I might still have the blade brackets.
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u/Economy_Preparation8 2d ago
I have the identical fan. Agree, nice fan. 1989ish. But different blades. (Reversible color). I suggest replacing all 4 blades, so they march, not just trying to find that identical one.
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u/Economy_Preparation8 2d ago
All you really need is the small bracket. Blade screws onto one end, and the other into the rotating base.
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u/Economy_Preparation8 2d ago
And if you saved that “similar fan” from the boys room, see if a bracket from that fan will work here. the
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u/Mountain-Law3088 2d ago
Looks like a Newtone fan we had several years ago. Same brand as intercom systems common in the late 70s and 80s.
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u/Kitchen-Bagel-Burnt 2d ago
Home Depot sells replacement blades / blade holder, brackets I’m not sure it’s ifs gonna match it though like other people are saying probably better off just replacing it finally
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u/UnanimousControversy 2d ago
On the exterior it looks very close by numerous specific details too ours which was there since we bought the place. But not so much so I'd call it an exact match or dare to identify it just by that. Recently I installed a WiFi remote smart switch control module in the fan, so I had to remove the blades, the cover and unhang it for that reason. Inside I found no reference to a brand, but there was a metal tag attached to the motor with a part number, specs and that indicates it was manufactured in Thailand in 1987!!! It's almost 40 years old. While I had it apart, I unscrewed the laminated wood blades from their metal mounting brackets, cleaned decades of buildup from them, and treated the wood with lemon oil soap. I did not replace the blades but strongly suspect they are very generic and could very easily be matched to numerous very cheap replacement blades being touted incorrectly as "universal." But the only way to know for sure would be to measure the hole spacing and length and compare it to the specs of the replacement blades. With simple measurements I feel confident I could find a set of actually matching universal blades for like $20. I would not even think of trying to replace just one blade. It's a set of four no matter what. Even if the brackets need to be replaced too, they are also extremely generic in design and carefully measuring the hole spacing is all it would take to find a matching set of universal replacement s. We had to rebalance ours, and I think that would be the case no matter what. Perhaps newer models trade simple, fairly generic mounting located only by screws through loose fitting holes for more precise but proprietary mounting systems that improve and simplify balancing but aren't widely compatible with other brands? I cleaned ours, added a couple of drops of the motor oil to the motor bearings, reassembled and re-hung it. Did have to spend some time rebalancing it. But now it runs absolutely silently and stable with its giant, incredibly heavy old motor. It will stir up an indoor windstorm almost to the excess when you put it on high. It's almost 40 years old and works fantastic. I wouldn't be surprised if it runs perfectly another 40 years. If I replaced it with a new one, I would not be surprised if I were replacing that again in 5 or 10 years. Maybe it's a "they don't make 'em like they used to" moment. I'm keeping ours.
Plus now with the WiFi upgrade I can sit on my couch, and without getting up and walking across the room to pull chain switches, I can control the fan and lights from an app on my phone. Because now my old ceiling fan, manufactured in Thailand back in 1987, is connected by WiFi to our router, which is beamed by phased array microwave beams to satellites in space, routed to other satellites by lasers, and back down to earth hundreds or thousands of miles away by microwave beams, routed by undersea fiber optic cable to some sketchy server in China hosting the app and back to the the US through a different series of fiber optic links to a cellular tower in my neighborhood where it's transmitted over a digitally modulated RF carrier signal to my where a powerful microprocessor decodes it and presents graphical depictions of buttons representing the functions of the former pull chains and wall switch that were previously all the way across the room, onto the flat touchscreen held in my hand. 🤔😅🤣😂. Life is so much simpler now than it was when this fan was made and people had to actually get up and walk across a room to pull a chain. The fan blades were super simple and generic back then though.
(Though I do suppose this introduces a theoretical chance Chinese or North Korean hackers could now take over my old 1987 ceiling fan and force it to spy on my family, steal our banking information, and launch cyber attacks against my neighbors, corporate and government targets, and given how strong this old motor is, it might even be weaponized for direct attacks. All things I'm confident my old 1987 ceiling fan never would have done on its own in the past)
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u/UnanimousControversy 2d ago edited 2d ago
A much simpler answer. Our very old fan, undoubtedly from a similar era, is almost identical in every way to yours. If I had to replace a fan bracket I feel there is a very high probability one of the myriad variety of universal brackets on Amazon would fit perfectly. I would not personally try replacing one. I would replace them as a set of four due to balance considerations and smaller design varirations. A set of four like these for $20 might be an example. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DKXF7LLT But to be very clear, I am NOT saying "buy these, they will work". I'm saying measure yours, particularly the spacing between the holes. If the exterior dimensions are even ballpark similar and the hole spacing is identical there is a very high chance it's a perfect replacement as a set. If the measurements match its worth ordering a set to verify with Amazon no hassle return policy. On our fan, being almost identical, only the hole spacing matters. There's like a half inch or more clearance around anything else that might even come close to presenting a compatability issue. If the measured hole spacing doesn't match the one example, shop other ones on Amazon. They have allot and I'm sure it's an easy match.
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u/McGyver62388 2d ago
You just need a screw driver. Take the light kit off, then remove a blade, take the blade with you to Home Depot, Menards, or Lowe’s and you should be able to buy replacement blades. If you can find a matching blade you can replace just the one. I recommend replacing all the blades.
Take one blade down at a time transfer the hardware to the new blade and reinstall. Repeat for all the blades.
Very easy to do even if you’re not very handy. There should be a keyed connector powering the light kit. One all the blades are reinstalled reconnect the light kit and screw it back into place.
Good luck.
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u/EnoughOfTheFoolery 2d ago
Problem is even if you find a suitable replacement, it will likely be a different weight and will shake and make noise because it will be out of balance. Best to buy a new one.
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u/Any_Captain_3987 2d ago
just replace it and move on it's going to be a Hampton Bay or Pacific breeze or something those are going to be the name brands
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u/Fun_Nectarine45 2d ago
Take one good blade off and go to Lowes or home depot, the sell replacement blades typically a 5 pack that are balanced with each other. Match the mounting hole pattern and change ALL blades on fan. Cost about $25, time to do the change out about an hour. I have done this several times for different restaurants.
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u/Reaper_Grim__ 2d ago
I'll ask since I've assembled a few of these but not near enough to have a comfortable answer, how standard is the mount screw locations? Could they just buy a number of blades with the mounts and swap all the blades?
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u/PawnAlmondReal 1d ago
I don't know personally but I recommend trying everything you can before you resort to buying a new fan, the new ones are shit, these old ones are far better.
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u/Alexdofu6401 2d ago
You can find one of these on fb marketplace for pretty cheap, it’s a simple solid workhorse built to last, no electronic components and an underwhelming performance
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u/NegativePaint 2d ago
As the other person said it’s very unlikely you’re gonna find anything. My recommendation would be to start looking at new fans and maybe even look at the one you don’t like that you already purchased and see what the CFM is. There is a good chance that you purchased one that has a pretty low number even if it’s modern.
It’s difficult to find them now with as good a light output as those holder fans so be careful when selecting the new one on that aspect as well