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Lowe's review: Loud enough to not use it 169

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12:00 am EDT
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I bought an Indoor/Outdoor rated Harbor Breeze, Key West, ceiling fan last in September 2006. This ceiling fan is over our spa, securely installed over a lattice patio cover (with Plexiglas over the top protecting the fan from water from the elements. We had some recent winds and several of the fan blades snapped off and cut my spa cover in several places. As well as 4 out of the 5 fan arms either bent, twisted and 1 even split 2/3 if the length down the arm.

I have searched and searched for replacement arms, decorative outdoor replacement blades; they apparently do not coexist. I have tried looking for a Harbor Breeze web site, nothing. I looked on Lowes web site and at several stores. I have given in up hope of finding the same finish as the fan I have (brushed/antique pewter), and have considered spray painting new arms, but there are no arms to fit decorative outdoor blades.

I am frustrated that I spent $180 on this fan and my only choice would be to buy a new one? Why by a new one when even though this fan is rated Indoor/Outdoor it held up very poorly. The blades shouldn't have snapped off, and the arms shouldn't have bent or split.

I need some help.

169 comments
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Becky Bensenhaver
Jun 07, 2007 1:41 pm EDT

Hello,

I am in a similar predicament to yours. We recently had someone help to wash the upper windows in our great room (as we are putting the house on the market). After the worker left, we noticed that one of the blades was missing off of our Harbor Breeze, Key West ceiling fan. It appears that rather than admit that he had accidentally hit it with the ladder and broken it, he took the blade and bracket off and stashed it in his car that we wouldn't notice until later. We are finding that we aren't able to replace the one blade and bracket, and therefore will have to buy a whole new fan. What did you end up doing in your situation, buying a whole new fan?

Becky

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wayne logan
Jun 14, 2007 12:37 pm EDT

My harbor breeze fan is only 1 year old, and is now running only at slow speed, will not run on medium or high speed, any suggestions ?

Other than buy a new fan, lol

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eileen massarelli
Sep 02, 2007 3:19 pm EDT

I have the same complaint as another customer, we purchased our Harbor Breeze ceiling fan in fall of 2005 and did not use it often. The fan is now running on slow speed only. I feel it should have lasted us much longer as it was on a closed in porch and used very few times. Any suggestion to this problem.

Eileen

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Martha Ingram
Sep 03, 2007 11:57 am EDT

We built our house 3 years ago and had the builders install a harbor breeze in our master bedroom. We do use it often. Well, we went to turn it on last week and sparks flew everywhere. Needless to say we are replacing it as I could never feel safe with it again. It is a beautiful fan but I honestly think it should have lasted us longer. We had ceiling fans in our old home that we installed 15 years ago and were still running fine. Have to wonder about the quality of the workmanship with Harbor Breeze

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Deborah Ford
Sep 20, 2007 7:52 pm EDT

We have a Harbor Breeze. Was hoping to find a replacement part, but as everyone else apparently the part is the one that regulates the speed control. Which you can not find. Went to Lowes and they do not have the part. They sold us a fan switch which doesn't work it has to do with the regulation of power.From High to low. Oh well another company that evidently is not made in the U.S. What else is NEW.

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Dolores Griffin
Oct 10, 2007 12:33 pm EDT

We purchased a Harbor Breeze 60inch ceiling fan in Sept 2005. We used it on occasion during the fall months. Just two weeks ago, upon returning from a vacation, we put the fan on--didn't work. Changed batteries in the remote 3 times, but nothing. The man that installed it checked it out and told us that the motor was shot...2 years old? This is not acceptable. What can I do?

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Susan Francis
Oct 14, 2007 1:24 pm EDT

I had the same problem on installation. It turned out the switch on the wall was a rheostat and it couldn't deal with that. I changed it out for a regular on/off switch and all noise stopped.

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Velma Hearn
Dec 10, 2007 7:19 am EST

We bought an LakeSide II celing fan just 2 years ago and last night we could hear it sizzling and making funny squealing nosies. we had it on high and all of a sudden it just stop. The medium and low would run but if you turned it off it would just stop no slowing down. This is pretty bad when you pay out this kind of money for something you'd think would last you for at least 15 yrs. being retired and on a fixed income makes it had to replace one. This is the first time we have had a fan to do this or had to replace one after just 2 yrs. And to ship it back would be to costly for us.

And to get your fan replaced good luck on that one too by the time you fool with them it's not worth the time or trouble you might as well go buy another one or buy a different brand which we will do.

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Coby Gifford
Dec 15, 2007 7:52 am EST

I disagree. Harbor Breeze fans are excellent quality at a reasonable price!

I recently needed to install six ceiling fans in my house. I bought several brands on the market including Hunter and Home Depot's Hampton Bay Fans. Both of the non-Harbor Breeze fans were terrible as they were noisy and I always had to fight to get them to balance and not wobble, especially the Hampton Bay Fans. So, I bought one Harbor Breeze fan and it was clearly a better, more consistently crafted piece of machinery. I went through the trouble of taking down all six of the other fans, packing them back up, and returning them. Subsequently, I bought five more Harbor Breeze fans and installed them.
Every single one of them run completely smooth, steady, and best of all, quiet!

One final tip is that proper installation is required of any electrical fixture if it is going to work well.

Thanks, Lowes, for a great product.

Sincerely,
Coby Gifford.

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Carolyn Hale
Jan 01, 2008 10:38 am EST

We purchased a harbor breeze ceiling fan two years ago. About a month ago, it would only run on slow speed. This morning, it started smoking . The motor burned. I have other fans in my home that have lasted at 15 to 20 years...those were under a $100, by today's standard.

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Kassy
Feb 22, 2008 9:44 pm EST

I moved into this house about a year ago. The fan was working fine for a long time, then on high it would start to make loud noises, keeping me awake at night.

Any help?

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Ted
Feb 22, 2008 9:57 pm EST

Harbor Breeze and Hampton Bay fans are totally horrible. I have purchased and installed these in the past and have always had problems. I will never purchase them again and haven't for over 10 years. Hunter fans have always proven themselves and I won't purchase anything else.

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Bruce W. Link
Mar 10, 2008 3:17 pm EDT

I installed a Harbour C=Breeze fan approx one year ago and the pull-chain for the light no longer works. Is it fixable?

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Nick
Mar 18, 2008 6:05 am EDT

I have Harbor Breeze fans in 3 rooms, all with lights and remote control. Remotes are all set differently to reduce interference. At one time one of the fans began running very slowly at all speed on the remote. I found that someone had pulled the chain a few times and set it too low, not knowing there was a remote. I set it back to high speed as the instructions indicate and it runs fine.

I haven't had a problem with Harbor Breeze fans in about 10 years.

I do take issue with the fact that there is no Website available for direct answers and information.

I would like to replace the light set on one to a different style but cannot find if it is possible or available. Anyone know if there are light kits out there and if they can be swapped out?

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Doug
Mar 30, 2008 11:54 am EDT

We have a beautiful harbor breeze with the alabaster covers for just over a year, now. Last week the bottom light would not turn on. We changed the battery to the remote and still nothing. We only used the switch on the wall to turn on and off, and were happy for the meantime, that at least one light and the fan were able to work until we could figure it out. Today my husband took apart the remote and with his electrical gadgets was able to see power coming into a switch from the battery, but not out of it, to the wire that controls... somewhere the wiring has a short in it. Now we're looking on line to purchase a new remote to our fan/light and there is no place to find one! Our light doesn't have chains to pull on and off, it's all remote control. Now what? I'm floored and a little disgusted. I guess my next call will be to Lowe's. We've spent way to much to not be able to use the entire fan/light.

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Richard Schmitt
Apr 03, 2008 1:54 pm EDT

I am having a similar problem with several people above. My Harbor Breeze was damaged in a storm and three of my blades broke. Now mind you this was not hurricane but heavy winds. That said I could not find the replacement parts for the fan. Lowes people looked at me like I had a third eye, and the web sites just wanted me to buy more crap I can't get parts for. I did try the web site mentioned above (www.eceilingfans.com) with no luck I also went as far as calling the company. After a chuckle he told me he was sorry, he didn't carry any of those blades and had no idea where I could find them. Looks like I am SOL. I will know better next time.

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Barbara Gavel
May 25, 2008 5:23 am EDT

We bought 5 Harbor Breeze fans last year for our new home. They were all installed by the homebuilders electricians. After three months of living in our new home 2 out of the 5 fans stopped working at the wall switch and remote. The manufactured issued a return slip for those. Guess what?! A third fan stopped working this week. There were sparks coming out of the wall switch.

After reading the all the complaints listed on this site, why is product not pulled off the market before someone's house goes up in flames?!

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Dave
Jun 02, 2008 9:12 am EDT

Bought a Harbor Breeze. Didn't work right out of the box. Directions were a nightmare, too. I've installed many ceiling fans over the years and never had any issues, but I've never run across one as poorly designed as this. Won't buy another one.

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Nick Louckes
Jun 03, 2008 3:44 pm EDT

Our Harbor Breeze is only 2 or 3 years old. Our problem is that the fan will ONLY work on high speed. It started smoking and then wouldn't operate at all except on the very highest speed. We opened it up and the speed regulator is melted! I'm nervous about purchasing another Harbor Breeze as this seems like a fire hazard to me! We also had been advised to purchase a fan switch, but we found this wasn't the problem at all.

We will never buy a Harbor Breeze again!

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Gary A
Jun 15, 2008 2:54 pm EDT

Bough a Harbor Breeze
Moonglow Ceiling Fan on 10/7/07 we bought it for the looks and lifetime warranty. For the first 6 mo seemed fine but now it makes a noise on any speed however both lighs work fine. The ceiling fan in our bedroom lasted nearily 13 years running every single night all night before it finally went out! (I guess I should have stayed with the same brand) we gave $79 for the Harbor which as ceiling fans go isnt a cheap model. After reading all these complaints about Harbor Breeze fans, I will be looking at other brands before I buy/...its a shame products do not seem to last near as long as they used to, guess the new moto is "built to pass" instead of "built to last"

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Kathy
Jun 17, 2008 1:40 pm EDT

I just purchased my first and last Harbor Breeze ceiling fan with a light kit. The fan won't work! I have spent hours trying to contact customer service. The line is always busy! I guess there are alot of customers having my problems. Buyers beware!

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Jackie Bloyd
Jul 12, 2008 10:12 am EDT

We purchased a Harbor Breeze fan for our covered deck and during the first year 4 of the 5 fan blades have broken off due to winds. The Lowes salesman I spoke to said they were notorius for this and should not be rated as "outdoor" fans. I will be purchasing a product by a different manufacturer and paying to have an electrician install it. Lesson learned.

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Judy
Jul 14, 2008 1:02 pm EDT

I need help with how to repair my ceiling fan remote by Harbor Breeze - model R7067T. The fan is at least 5 years old and I would just like to at least try and repair the remote before buying another fan.

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Jennifer
Jul 17, 2008 5:11 am EDT

I came on here looking for a Harbor Breeze website due to my motor burning out after 2 years...I can't believe the money I spent on this beautiful fan and its now trash! If anyone has any advice to locate a site please advise!

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sickofusrnms
Peoria, US
Jul 25, 2008 7:11 pm EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I only ever purchased Hunter ceiling fans in my life, not only because they are great quality ceiling fans but also because Hunter has a 20-year warranty which it honors. In a home I recently sold, I had a Hunter fan give me trouble after nearly 14 years, and because I kept the warranty information, etc., all these years, Hunter replaced the fan for free!

However, I purchased a home with Harbor Breeze ceiling fans, all about seven years old, and most are giving me problems. I plan to eventually replace them all with Hunter ceiling fans.

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Joey Stapleton
Aug 04, 2008 2:38 pm EDT

A piece of junk! Thats my opinion of my harbor breeze fan.Just purchased a few months ago and motor has already expired, contacted company and was told they would send me another capacitor.Hampton bay has a lifetime warranty on their motors but i have never had any problems with their fans.The harbor breeze fan was expensive and should have been replaced instead of asking the customer to repair it himself.What a joke!

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sparky2222
Hanover, US
Aug 20, 2008 3:20 pm EDT

Harbor Breeze is junk. I will never buy one again.
Hunter Fans have a life time warranty on there motors.
That's all I buy now. BTW I am an Electrician and have been for 30years so I have installed a lot of fans. I always recommend Hunter Fans to everyone. Don't buy China junk, you will just have to replace in a year or two.

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Craig O'D
Sep 13, 2008 7:56 am EDT

Had a Harbor Breeze fan die at less than a year old, which Lowes did replace with another for free. Have another, an indoor-outdoor HB on a protected porch. Hums slightly, which annoys me, and no longer works on highest speed ... perhaps 5 years old.

My take is that HB fans are either lemons or they do OK, and you don't know which you're getting.

All our Hunter fans have been great. We had a 5-blade Hunter whose bracket broke on one blade; the company sent us a complete new fan because the older style bracket is no longer made. That new fan had an issue with the motor capacitor, apparently somewhat unusual for a Hunter not to work right out of the box. But after contacting them by e-mail they sent a new capacitor for free.

I would say Hunter is well worth it, and if you see a Hunter at a garage sale, snap it up.

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will
Sep 26, 2008 6:10 am EDT

I need to know why the remote fan would start to run by itself and what i can do to fix it. For people that are elderly this could poteniall be a huge rpoblem why didn't harbor breeze install a shut of. Like ones in rc cars when the signal is wrong or batteries die the car just stops. I think the way the are set up now is a fire hazard.

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None
Encino, US
Oct 03, 2008 2:44 pm EDT

Purchased two harbor breeze fans. 1st one didn't have all the parts in the box so my electrician had to use other screws.

2nd Harbor Breeze fan - remote stopped working and giving off a burning smell when I put in a new battery. Lowes just says buy a new remote. I asked why since the fan is only 6 months old. They then said I don't know contact Harbor Breeze for a new one. Crazy.

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Emil Hurtak
Nov 02, 2008 12:54 pm EST

I had a similar problem in that the fan lights started blinking while we were gone. The remote was off and now does NOT control the lights or fan. I got the lights to stop blinking by disconnecting the remote receiver in the fan.

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jeff
Nov 14, 2008 9:37 am EST

In November of 2006 our house burned down and lost everything. The insurance company asked us to go out and replace what we had lost. We selected a Harbor Breeze ceiling fan for the master bedroom. It is beautiful and the fan runs just fine. The electrician who installed it did a fine job. Shortly after he installed it the light started to work intermittenly. One time it would come on the next it would not when pulling the chain. We called the electrian back and he changed the light kit and it to developed the same problem. Now it no longer works at all. Now instead of being able to purchase the light kit alone, the entire light must be replaced. Oh my gosh, i just solved the problem and it is a cheap fix. Lowes has the part for less then 5 bucks. I will have light by the weekend.

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Paddy
Nov 16, 2008 4:07 am EST

I just bough the close out 52inch fan from Lowes Its the same brand as these on here a Harbor Breeze. My only gripe was the five lights that came with it are those that are small like a Christmas outside light at the screw in part. I have other fans and other brands love all and they are normal light sockets. I am worried that this fan will not last too long. After reading these complaints. I only paid $17.98 for this six blade 52 inch five light fan. I really thought I had gotten a good deal. It is working fine so far, but only been up for a week. I have the pull chains on it and its wired into a wall switch. I always turn the fans off before I leave the home.

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kbobbitt
Nov 23, 2008 10:42 am EST

I have a harbor breeze and I need to re establish the remote. Does anyone have instructions. They were not left when we purchased the house. Please reply. I would pay any cost to have the copied and mail to me if you wouldn't mind

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Nate
Charleston, US
Jan 15, 2009 5:27 pm EST

In April, 08 i bought the 42 in ocrakoke ceiling fan. I love the fan its self, bit consider the 3 light pecies that attatch to the fan (NOT THE GLOBES) are falling off, i am not happy! :( For Some Reason, My "life time warranty" is expired on this, its not even a year old! the globe fell, and hit my computer screen, and busted the screen, and the globe. Theres $1, 000 for the monitor, then about 350.00 just to get a new fan! go with hunter not harbor!

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ang
Plaucheville, US
Feb 08, 2009 3:30 pm EST

I am very angry with my Harbor Breeze fan. We purchased this fan in July of 06. Worked fine for the first few months. Now it has this most annoying squeek! It is my living room fan so we use it often. Where is a website to get some answers! I feel like returning my 3 year old fan to lowes dust and all!

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Pat Pendergrast
Corinth, US
Mar 13, 2009 1:32 am EDT

Wow, now I am really afraid! Our Harbor Breeze fan is the baseball fan and it is in our child's room. It is only 2 years old. I turned it on this morning and sparks flew out of it. My husband took the light kit apart and there are wires that had broken and burnt into. We just lost our house 2 years ago to a fire and it was a total loss. I am totally freaked out about anything that would remotely cause a fire in our new home. We will be taking down the fan and replacing it with another brand. How do I contact harbor breeze, does anyone know? If this had burned this house, we would have sued them. This is so dangerous, in any room, especially a child's room!

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genzy
Moline, US
Apr 19, 2009 7:48 pm EDT

my daughter went to turn off her fan on the wall switch and she got shocked by static electricity when she touched it. Now the remote does not work for the fan but it light works with the on/off switch. Why would that work and not the fan?

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Rachel J.
Angier, US
Apr 25, 2009 5:56 pm EDT

I, too, have the harbor breeze problems. We built our house approximately 2 years ago. I have the same model ceiling fan in 5 room in my home. Guess what 3 of the 5 are all having the same problem. They will ONLY run on high speed and in one of the rooms we keep smelling whiffs of smoke. The 4th has just stopped working at all today and I am waiting for the 5th to stop working at any time now. I know I didn't spend a fortune on the ceiling fans, but I have had other ceiling fans by other manufacturers last for years and years. I have learned my lesson and will never buy another product from this company.

Rachel J.
Raleigh, NC

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Brian
San Antonio, US
Apr 26, 2009 10:24 pm EDT

Like everyone else here, I have several Harbor Breeze fans in my home. One of them is having electrical issues where it's not sending enough electricity to the lights. After searching through the many, many complaints I came across one that mentioned warranty claims. After doing additional research from information I found on that site I FINALLY found the manufacturer of Harbor Breeze fans! The true company that you all need to contact is called Litex which is based in Texas. Here is their info:

http://www.litexfans.com/

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Good luck to all!

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