[villagetinker]

Originally Posted by Arctic Fox

The ceiling fan in our lanai has stopped working - the motor still makes its usual noises as I sequence through the speed settings, but the blades remain motionless. It is 20 years old so I suspect a new fan is in order.

The fan has a 3' pipe joining it to the high ceiling. My ladder isn't tall enough to reach the top but I can get to the top of the fan unit where it joins the pipe. Is this likely to be something that unscrews so I can leave the pipe in place and just mount a new fan unit on the bottom?

Is there a particular "fan man" that you recommend if I decide to have it replaced professionally (which Mrs Fox assures me is the way to go!)?

Thank you

To answer your question about using the existing pipe it is a definite MAYBE. There are slightly different ways to connect the motor unit to the pipe extension. The newer fans seem to have standardized these and you can buy separate extension pipes as necessary. However, your fan is old enough that it may have and odd ball connection. As for the wiring, after turning off the circuit breaker, you should be able to cut the wires at the motor and using wire nuts connect your new wires. Once again, this fan is old enough that it may not use the "standard" Black, White, Blue wires, so you would probably have to get to the ceiling connection to verify wiring.
IMHO, I would borrow a neighbor's ladder to get to the ceiling and do a complete new install.
There are several handymen that can handle this type of project, I do not have first hand experience, as I tend to do my own work.