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Roger Watts · 02-25-2008, 09:14 PM

If there is someone out there that understands this, please let me know. I almost don't believe that this can happen. If i turn on the ceiling fan in our Excel while the TV is on it messes up the Direct Tv box instantly. So bad I have to push the red reset button on DVR to reboot the whole unit! The fan is about 8 ft. away, and you turn it on and off by pulling the chain, and this also changes the speeds.
What is going on here?

Roger Watts · 02-25-2008, 09:14 PM

If there is someone out there that understands this, please let me know. I almost don't believe that this can happen. If i turn on the ceiling fan in our Excel while the TV is on it messes up the Direct Tv box instantly. So bad I have to push the red reset button on DVR to reboot the whole unit! The fan is about 8 ft. away, and you turn it on and off by pulling the chain, and this also changes the speeds.
What is going on here?

FLYTYER · 02-26-2008, 03:59 AM

Did this just start to happen or has it been like this from day one?

Does it happen every time??

Is the fan operated only with the pull chain switch? Is there a remote for the fan?

If you turn on the fan first then the receiver/dvr is all OK? What happens when you change fan speeds?

I do not believe the fan is emitting an IR signal.

Try this....cover the IR sensor on the front of the Direct Receiver/DVR and turn on the fan to see if it still happens. If it does, then there is some sort of magnetic or electrical impulse getting into the receiver/dvr.

Also check all connections. Look for a bad connector on the coax cable.

Bill Adams · 02-26-2008, 04:37 AM

Could you be causing a low voltage condition when the fan first comes on? If they are on the same circuit or you are on your inverter maybe the fans motor start up is causing too much draw.

Workshop · 02-26-2008, 04:53 AM

I would have some of the same questions as FLYTYER.

Here is an article on RF INTERFERENCE.

Here is a part of what it says: Unintentional RF sources are most commonly devices that produce an electrical spark. Sparks are potent RF generators-before vacuum tubes, they were the heart of radio transmitters-that splatter energy over a wide frequency spectrum. Any wiring connected to the spark source not only conducts the RF but also acts as a transmitting antenna to radiate it. Common sparking sources include electric welders, brush-type motors, relays and switches of all kinds.......

Would be a guess that if the problem occurs when the fan is turned on, it could be caused by the brushes in the motor.

When I conducted the power/amperage test on my unit several months ago, found the amp draw on the ceiling fan was very small. IMO for it to draw a voltage drop, there would be something else noticable with the fan also.

D and J · 02-26-2008, 10:34 AM

We recently replaced our fan motor. (do a search here, I made a thread about it) We had visable, and audible sparking from the motor brushes.

I had no interference to my direct TV receiver, but it did effect my surround sound reciever.

LindaH · 02-26-2008, 11:26 AM

I would suspect there's something wrong with your fan, perhaps along the lines that Doug was talking about.

We, too, have both a DirecTV receiver and a ceiling fan. The ceiling fan is above and just in front of the TV/DirecTV receiver...a LOT closer than the 8' you say your fan in from the DirecTV receiver. We haven't had any problems with interferance when the fan is either first turned on, or running.

John Hilley · 02-26-2008, 03:20 PM

It may be a optical reflection of another IR source by the fan blades. As FLYTYER suggested, tape over the IR receiver on the DTV receiver, that will tell you if it is optical or electrical.

Savannah · 02-26-2008, 03:23 PM

Our ceiling fan is in the bedroom and we thought it was causing problems with our livingroom TV so added some kind of box that took care of the problem for awhile. Then suddenly it started again (flashing lines etc in the picture). We learned to live with it or turn the fan off. THEN recently we had the front TV out to do some work in that area which meant redoing the wiring hookups and suddenly we have a beautiful picture with no interferance at all fan or no fan.

This all told us the connections needed to be tightened ALOT. So try undoing ALL the cables and retightening them and see if that works. We also found that one of the million of cables that connect the TV and Direct box and satellite had worked it's way under the TV. So thought maybe the weight and wiggle of the TV was causing a problem.

Also we have a TV in the bedroom and it and the Direct box are a mere 2 feet from the fan and we have NEVER had an interferance problem there.

SCVJeff · 03-05-2008, 08:12 PM

I'm curious what "messes up" means? Does the picture get noisy or unwatchable, or the receiver just locks up?

While the TV might be 8' away, the dish might be only a few feet, if that on top of the fan motor (roof), and that's where the noise is getting into the system. When that happens, this isn't something that just bothers the picture, it destroys the very fragile digital stream from the satellite at the input to the LNB, and that could really confuse the DSS receiver.

Old motors, or those poorly made with brushes that don't seat can cause an amazing energy field around it. Grab a portable AM radio and see what the fan "sounds" like. If you hear static while the motor is running you found your proof. While capacitors, and chokes can help the problem, if it's a really ornery problem you will probably need to replace the motor.