How to Fix a Noisy Ceiling Fan

The ceiling fan is one of the most necessary pieces of furniture in most of our homes and we take special care to choose one that compliments the interiors of our room. But what if the fan ceases to run smoothly and emits noise that gives us sleepless nights? Well, most of us have had to deal with a fan that is noisy, at some point in our lives, and what we tend to do in such a situation is call in a professional for help. What most of us are not aware of is, repairing a ceiling fan is not that complicated a job as we make it to be, and just anyone with knowledge of the basics, can fix a fan effectively. Curious to know how you can do it too?

Ways to Fix a Noisy Ceiling Fan

Before you try to figure out the reason behind your noisy ceiling fan, it is recommended that you check if the noise is temporary or indeed needs to be fixed. To do so, switch off the fan and wait for a day before turning it on again. Sometimes, fans turn noisy when running for long hours at a stretch. If the noise subsides after you switch it on after 24 hours, then fine; but if it doesn't, you need to make an attempt to fix it. In order to find out the exact cause behind the creaking noise emitted by the ceiling fan, follow the steps given below.

Step 1: Check the Installation
The first thing that you need to check for, is a faulty installation. Note that in most cases, the cause behind the incessant creaky sound is nothing but the fact that the ceiling fan has not been properly installed. Check if there are gaps between the base of the fan and the ceiling, or if the fan is hanging loose. Also, check if the wiring of the motor is installed correctly, if there are possible loose connections between the rod and the body of the fan, or whether all the screws are tightly fastened. If you find that the fan is not stable enough, then refer to the manual for instructions on installing a ceiling fan and then reinstall the fan. An effective way to find out whether the root cause of the problem is a faulty installation, is to remove the blades of the fan and check if the noise still persists. A fan with faulty installation will be creaky with or without the blades. Remember that if the installation is faulty, it needs to be corrected immediately, to avoid the danger of the fan coming off. You might need the help of a professional at this stage. However, if you don't find any fault with the installation, then you need to inspect other parts of the fan to figure out the problem.

Step 2: Check for Loosened Fittings
Once you have verified the installation of the ceiling fan (and found nothing wrong with it!), the next logical step is to inspect the screws and nuts on the blades of the fan. The reason you need to inspect the screws that attach the blades to the main body of the fan, is that even a single loosened screw can make a difference in the alignment of the blades, generating a persistent noise that you hear. If you do find any loose nuts or screws, follow the steps given below.

• Take a screwdriver and use it to tighten the screws. Make sure to check each one of the screws on all the four or five blades of your fan carefully.
• Once you have tightened the screws, apply oil on them to ensure smooth movement.
• Now, set the regulator of the fan at the highest speed and check for noises, if any. If you are lucky, you'll find that the noises have disappeared.

However, if you find that the noise still persists, then unfortunately you have to put in more effort. To know what you can do next, go through the next step.

Step 3: Measure the Distance from the Ceiling
Sometimes, a difference in the distance between individual blades and the ceiling may change if one or more of the blades have moved slightly out-of-place. To find out, measure the distance from the tip of each blade to the ceiling using a tape measure. If you find that the tip of one blade is higher or lower than the rest, then bend the blade gently with your hands so that it lies on the same horizontal plane as the rest of the blades.

In addition to this, measure the tip-to-tip distance between corresponding blades, and the distance between their bases. You need to do this to confirm that the angle between each blade is the same. In case you find any difference in the said angle for a particular blade, correct the alignment of the blade manually. Now, run the fan at the highest speed and see if the noise has subsided.

If you find no fault with the alignment of the blades and their distance from the ceiling, and are left helpless wondering why the stubborn noise still persists, then the last resort for you to try, before you finally call for professional help, is balancing the blades.

Step 4: Balance the Blades
If you have diligently followed all the above steps, yet nothing seems to work, then balancing the blades of the fan would probably solve your problem, for good! The easiest way to do this is to get a balancing kit available in the market that consists of adhesive weights and a weight clip. Here's how to use a balancing kit.

• Turn on the fan and let it rotate at different speeds so that you can figure out the speed at which the noise is the maximum. Once you are done, switch off the fan.
• Take the weight clip and fix it on the tip of any blade and switch on the fan again. See if you can still hear the noise. If yes, then turn the fan off and fix the weight clip on the next blade. Continue doing this for each blade till you find a noticeable reduction in the intensity of the noise.
• Once you have found the faulty blade, keep on shifting the weighted clip up towards the base of the blade, step-by-step, turning the fan on every time to test at which position of the clip the noise is minimum.
• At this particular point, stick a weight and see if you can hear the noise. If a little noise is still audible, add another weight and your fan will cease to be noisy. You can even use adhesive tape to stick pennies to the fan, instead of the adhesive weights!

This was all about fixing a noisy ceiling fan all by yourself. So, the next time you find eerie, creaky sounds emanating from the fan in your room disturbing you, take efforts to fix it and sleep peacefully!