How to Fix a Noisy Ceiling Fan
Ceiling fans are great additions to any room: Not only do they take up minimal space, but they also provide that much-needed cool breeze in any part of the room on warm days. However, sometimes ceiling fans are prone to making annoying noises after years of use. Before checking what’s wrong with your ceiling fan, make sure it’s turned off for 24 hours and turn it on again to confirm the persistence of the noise before doing anything. Make sure there’s nothing caught in the fan. There are different causes and solutions for a noisy ceiling fan, and these include:
Faulty Installation
Before tinkering with anything else, make sure that you’ve installed your ceiling fan correctly. There is a prescribed method of putting it together, and anything that looks off - too loose, too tight - may be attributed to some mistake when installing the ceiling fan. Check if the fan is hanging below the ceiling, if the motor is loose, or if when you take off the blades, the noise persists. Anything loose must be corrected, but if everything seems to be okay, you should give a closer look to the ceiling fan’s parts.
Tighten the Blade Screws
Noisy ceiling fans are usually caused by loose or imbalanced blade fans. Check if the blade fan’s screws are put on properly and tightly. After re-tightening the screws, turn the ceiling fan on to its highest settings. If the noise still hasn’t gone away, move on to the next option.
Check the Lightbulbs
Loose lightbulbs can also be a cause of noise. Take off the lightbulbs to see if they are causing the ceiling fan’s noise. If they are, make sure that they are firmly held together by the nut to their diffuser. You can also opt to buy new lights if they refuse to be screwed on properly.
Rebalancing the Blades
Ideally, all of the blades on the ceiling fan should be perfectly balanced to cut through the air smoothly. Otherwise, a wobbling blade would make unnecessary movements and hence, noise. To check if you have a wobbling blade, you can simply buy a rebalancing kit made especially for unbalanced ceiling blades. In a pinch, a penny and some tape will do, too. Use the penny or the weight that comes with the kit and attach it to one blade. Turn the fan on. If the noise continues, stop the fan and transfer the penny to the next blade. Continue this until you isolate the blade or blades causing the trouble. Estimate the optimum placement of the weight or penny by moving it closer towards the ceiling fan’s motor. If you think one weight is not enough, add other one. Keep in mind that a penny is only a temporary solution-get proper rebalancing weights to replace them later on as the pennies may fly off the ceiling fan blades without warning.
Measuring the Blade
Ideally, the distance of the ceiling to the tip of each ceiling fan blade should be identical. Measure each blade’s distance using measuring tape, and if you see that one blade is higher or lower than the rest, gently use a bit of pushing and pulling to make it even with the others. Be careful to keep the angles all the same. Once you’re sure you’ve made the right adjustments, turn the ceiling fan back on. If it’s still noisy, go over it another time to make sure you’ve done it correctly.
If the wobbling cannot be controlled, you can also tie a wide rubber band around the neck of the ceiling fan, where the screws hold the blades together with the rest of the fan. The rubber band will act as a shock absorber and lessen the vibrations and sounds.
Oil the Screws
Screws can get rusty and provide some unwanted squeaking noises. You can simply apply oil to the screws to get rid of the ceiling fan noise. You can also opt to replace them, but be careful and make sure you get the exact same washer for the screw you’re using. Using one with even a slight difference can make the balance of the ceiling fan go off and make some more noise.
The Motor
If all else fails, maybe the ceiling fan motor is the culprit. Some ceiling fan brands offer replacements for their ceiling fan motors, while others provide repair services. If you’re not sure what you’re doing, you don’t have to do anything with the motor at all.
If you’ve tried all these and still came up with no solution, there’s a chance that it’s a production glitch. Check with the ceiling fan’s company as a last resort.