I often search the whole house looking for the remote, which is infuriating. I have contemplated how to turn on ceiling fan without remote.
Time went on and on, and I kept finding ways to operate by fan just like that. Finally, my friend Sam came up as a savior and enlightened me through a linking cord.
The linking cord lets you pull the switch and turn the fan on. You won’t even have to stand up or make any movement. Just lay down and do the pull; get your fan to move.
Also, I got to find ways to operate fans using mobile. Yes, bond bridge and Lutron Caseta are two unique innovations that allowed me to control the fan using my smartphone.
Let’s get enlightened together in the article. I am sure you’d love what you be getting in the end.
Ways to Turn on Ceiling Fan Without Remote
Step 1: Setting up the Pull Cord
First, purchase a pull cord. You can find these in any hardware store, garden, or patio shop. You will need to attach the pull cord to the pull switch. It is even better if you have pull chains around your house.
Next, measure the exact height where you want your pull chain switch. It should be within your easy reach. Most ceiling fans are at a height above 7 feet.
So, take a ladder, place it next to your ceiling fan, and measure the height with a tape measure.
Turning the fan off before this step is essential, or you can get seriously injured.
Step 2: Linking Cords at the Preferable Height
Take the link cord and set it at the height you measured. Link cords are adjustable, so you can easily adjust them to your desired length. These are mostly made of rust-proof brass and are durable to serve your need.
Link cords usually have two locations. One to control the fan and one for the light if your fan has one.
Step 3: Connecting the Link Cord
Remove the fan canopy. Then take the end of the chain link and push it into the lug attached to the pull switch. Squeeze the pull chain and the lug together to get a solid connection. After that, insert the other edge of the link cord into its pull cord knob.
Be sure to press the sides with pliers to secure the end of the chain link cord.
Step 4: Screwing and Setting Everything Together
After connecting the pull chain, the fan canopy is back in place and screws everything tight. If not, it will make a loud humming sound when you turn the fan on.
Step 5: Regulate Your Fan Accordingly
Now, pull the knob to activate the motor of the ceiling fan. Ceiling fans have three different speed settings, with one as the lowest and three as the highest speed.
Pull the knob once to start the fan, and then with each additional pull, the fan speed keeps increasing. The fourth and final pull will help you to turn the motor off.
Cautions
Turn the power off at the circuit breaker. Open the circuit breaker and turn the power off for the room where you will be working.
For additional precaution, turn off your fan switch box too. This will prevent the fan from turning on accidentally.
If your ceiling fans have any light bulbs, scones, or globes, remove them and place them on a towel to prevent them from breaking.
Here is a YouTube video for you so you can understand the process more clearly:
In case you already have a pull chain installed and need to change your broken or stuck chains, here’s another video to help you.
Using Phone as a Fan Regulator
You can use your phone as a ceiling fan remote if you cannot find your remote. But for this, you will need to install an intelligent ceiling fan controller.
In most cases, the Bond bridge and Lutron Caseta wireless intelligent fan controller are the perfect solutions.
Bond Bridge
You can only use it if you have remote-controlled ceiling fans. The bond bridge works excellently with multiple ceiling fans. A single bond bridge can be used with up to 30 devices. That’s pretty amazing, right?
This device adds Wi-Fi to your ceiling fan and light. It allows you to activate or deactivate the fan and light and control fan speed from your iPhone, Android phone, tablet, or google home assistant.
Another fantastic thing about this device is that it requires zero wiring. It has to be placed near your Wi-Fi router. It has a range of around 40 feet, so it must be within 40 feet of the router.
It records and remembers any signal sent to it and can replay it upon your command. The bond bridge can be voice-activated, so you can control it with Amazon Alexa or your phone’s Google Assistant.
However, I understand that this device may seem a bit expensive to you, but you have to consider how many devices it can pair up with. From that point of view, it is not that much expensive in my opinion.
To understand the process of installing the Bond bridge, here is a YouTube video for you:
Lutron Caseta
Another great device to control ceiling fans without a remote control is the Lutron Caseta Smart Fan Speed Control. It is very high quality and reliable.
However, it is a lot more expensive compared to Bond Bridge. Also, if your ceiling fan has a light, you will not be able to control the fan and light with a single Lutron bridge. You will need to buy a fan controller and a light controller separately.
Considering this is already quite expensive, this additional cost does not make much sense to me.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Is There a Universal Remote for a Ceiling Fan?
Yes, there are various universal ceiling fan remote kits on the market. The fan must be designed as remote-controlled to use a universal remote for your ceiling fan. Otherwise, it will not work.
Another thing to remember is that any other fan remote with the same features and version of the fan’s original remote can be interchangeable. So, if you already have a similar remote, there is no need to buy a replacement remote.
Q: How Do You Control Hampton Bay Fans without a Remote?
To manually control a Hampton Bay fan, you will need to install a pull cord.
First, turn on the light switch connected to the ceiling fan. Pull the short cord of the fan to start it. With each pull, the speed of the fan will increase. The speed can go up to three, which is the highest setting.
Pull the cord four times to turn the fan off. You can also control the lights with the long cord. Pull it once to turn on the lights and twice to turn them off.
Q: Can a Smart Switch Control a Ceiling Fan?
If you are someone who tends to keep losing the ceiling fan remote and manually pulling the cord seems too much of a hassle for you, switch-operated ceiling fans are just the thing for you.
It is a straightforward method and can be installed by most homeowners. Smart switches can adjust fan speed and dim your lights from anywhere with smartphones using the Smart Life App or Treat life App.
How to Convert a Remote-control Ceiling Fan to Switch operation?
Q: Can You Use a Light Dimmer as a Fan Speed Control?
You should never use a standard light dimmer to operate your intelligent fan motor speed. It may seem like a good idea, but it isn’t.
A typical ceiling fan motor has an AC induction motor which is not the same as a light dimmer. If you try to use a light dimmer to control the ceiling fan, it will produce a loud humming sound.
Doing this for a long time will damage the fan motor and cause overheating. This can eventually start a fire.
Final Words
Pretty sure you got what you wanted. Using a pulling cord, you learned how to turn on the ceiling fan without a remote. Bond Bridge and Lutron Caseta might be expensive, but you’ll get full-worthy service from them.
But before that, make sure you aren’t making things handy. Things might get simple, but don’t make it redundant. Don’t mess up a simple turning on the fan with unnecessary fancy stuff.
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