Review on 🌀 Casablanca Zudio Indoor Ceiling Fan: Efficiency meets LED Lighting and Easy-Control Wall Function by Caroline Jackson

Bought this fan over two years ago. I'm in the process of installing it. IIRC, the fan was sold factory refurbished so I bought it at a discount. This was evident upon opening the packaging: it was clearly a return but in good external condition. All the main parts were there, although some small mounting screws were missing - it's ok. The first issue I had with Casablanca was that they really try to keep things simple for the average consumer, making it cumbersome for experienced installers. . In this case the fan came with an RC remote control module and a cheap looking battery powered wall remote switch that required no wiring. This is great for the average consumer who isn't an electrician and doesn't mind swapping out batteries to run a cheap wall switch that doesn't match the rest of the switch plates in the room. However, I have a wired wall switch - I want a wired switch that controls dimmable lights and a multi-speed fan motor. My first attempt at a better look was a wired Lutron switch with a remote control module that should work. like the factory remote module. I connected everything, the light is on, but there is no fan. I tried to put the original Casablanca remote control module and fan switch back in place. It still won't work. I ended up having to take the damn fan to the motor assembly to find that the motor winding was open. It didn't matter which switch I tried to use - this factory refurbished fan NEVER worked. I understand it was intelligence, but come on. I disassembled the fan motor assembly and the first thing I saw were two obviously broken wires (see picture). Some diagnostic tests confirmed that it was a working winding and why the motor wasn't running. I also saw where a factory mechanic soldered the start winding connection from the motor to the wiring harness. I soldered a wire to fix the break but that was just the beginning of my problems. To get this fan to work with a wired wall switch, I basically had to bypass the remote module by unscrewing the lamp and fan motor tightly. to a new wall switch after having to run another 3 wire romex cable from the wall to the fan. It was a huge PITA. Luckily I had the skills to fix their broken fan, which was presumably factory fixed, and figure out how to hook up the damn thing; the average consumer would never be able to do that, and as a scout, I'm sure Casablanca wouldn't honor any guarantees. With that fan and its installation, I could buy a new fan or a much better fan and probably pay someone else to install it. The quality and quality control of Casablanca products sucks - I will never buy a Casablanca product again.