Hunter 22691 3-Speed Stepped Fan Control

For starting Hunter fans or controlling the variable speed, you can't go wrong with this speed controller/on-off switch marketed under the Hunter name. Hunter is a very long established, legitimate manufacturer and I have owned some of their ceiling fans for thirty-three years and they are still running. I wouldn't expect a controller or on/off switch to last that long but if is marketed under the Hunter name, it will do what it is supposed to do. Unfortunately, a lot of American manufacturing has traveled overseas but the Hunter name still stands for a reasonable amount of quality, no matter where the source of manufacture. Huntet stands behind their products. They also acquired Casablanca, which tells you something about them.

This was exactly the Hunter Fan Speed Control I needed to be able to control my Hunter ceiling fan from the wall, and in a way that no hum would be produced! Works great. Fan is ultra quiet. I am pleased with it. Cautionary note: There are several different Hunter Fan Controls (with different model numbers) available on the internet, so do a bit of research to make sure you get the right one for your model and your era of Hunter ceiling fan! They are not all interchangeable with each other, and will work with some Hunter fans and not as well with others. This one is Model 22691-A which is optimized for 52" 3-speed electrically reversible Hunter Original ceiling fans. See Hunter All-Fan controls for other fan models if needed.

I finally broke down to replace a 25 year old ceiling fan in my bedroom which I was controlling with a variable speed fan control. The fan was fine but was a little small for the space. I'm a big fan of Hunter ceiling fans (no pun intended), so I found a three speed 60" Hunter ceiling fan which was much better moving air in the room. Unfortunately, the variable speed control was creating a noticeable hum at any setting on the speed control. My experience with repairing heating and A/C systems has taught me that continuing to operate a fan with that humming noise can substantially shorten the life of the motor. After replacing the old control with this Hunter control, the hum is completely gone. Replacement was very easy for someone comfortable working with electricity. Just connect the line, load, and ground wires, and remount in the box. It fits with existing "switch" plate covers since only the shaft of the control comes out (i.e. not good with the Decora style plates). For those who haven't done this before, make sure the chain pull switch on the fan is set to the highest fan speed (should be the first "click" from off) or the motor will strain to start up. This is true for any ceiling fan with a speed control. That's why they always start with the highest speed - the opposite of a dimmer control for lights. Would have liked this to be a little less expensive, but definitely worth the investment to protect a $200 ceiling fan.

The switch worked fine and was fairly easy to install. It's a 3 step switch that controls the current speed of the fan (many fans already have 3 speeds controlled from a pull chain). So if you set your fan to High via the chain, then this will be on high at max. If you set at MED then the medium speed will be the max. There is no added hum from using this switch. The only issue is that it's designed to fit a standard switch plate face. I have Decora style so I had to modify the switch so the cover plate would screw on.

This speed control is easy to install and easy to use. To install, my electrician simply replaced the fan on/off switch with the control on the wall and slide the wires into the correct place. The control fitted into the space of a regular switch, so that the separate plate included in the package was not necessary. After the control was installed, I found that the fan rotated slowly even at the highest speed. Using a step ladder, I pulled the chain controlling the fan couple of times. Bingo, the fan rotated fast at fastest setting and becomes slower at lower settings, as it should. The advantages of this set up over a remote control include: 1. easier to install and works on virtually all the brands 2. cannot lose the control or damage it accidentally 3. if this control becomes dysfunctional due to wear and tear, the use only needs to replace this control and not the entire fan-remote control unit.