Balance a Wobbly Ceiling Fan
A wobbly ceiling fan can seem louder than a jackhammer and more annoying, because it's right there in the room with you. But you don't have to put up with it. Read on to find out how to quickly and efficiently realign your wobbly ceiling fan.
Steps
- Check the fan blades for dust and build-up. It's easy to skip dusting the fan blades when you're cleaning the house, so over the course of a few months, or even years, a large amount of dust will accumulate the weight of which can misalign the blades, causing them to wobble. With the fan turned off and the blades still, clean any excess build-up off the top, sides, and bottom of the fan blades with your a household cleaner.
- Turn the fan back on and check for wobble. If it continues, one of the blades is probably out of alignment.
- Check to make sure all the blades are screwed in tightly. Look at the fan's flywheel, which is the part attached to the ceiling, and find the point at which the blade attaches to the mechanism. With a screwdriver, tighten any screws that seem to be loose.
- Alternatively, at this point you can unscrew the fan blades and clean them further. Dust can build up in the gaps in between the blades and the flywheel, causing misalignment after a while. If any of them are loose, unscrew them, remove them, and clean the blades before replacing them securely.
- Measure the blade alignment. With a ruler or yardstick, measure the distance between the end of each blade (the point farthest from the flywheel, the furthest point to the right of the blade in the image, NOT where the arrow is located) and the ceiling. Do this for each blade.
- If any of the distances are slightly higher than the others, try bending it up or down gently at the blade holder. Be careful not to snap or jostle anything that attaches to the flywheel. Just use a little bit of pressure to align the blade.
- Weight the blades with a balancing clip. For a dollar or two, you can get a blade balancing kit at most home improvement stores. It should come with a U-shaped clip and some small self-adhering weights. You might end up getting more than one if you've got a significant wobble, but it probably won't be necessary.
- Place the clip in the center of the blade. Clip the provided U-clip from the kit in the center of any of the blades, and watch to see if the wobble decreases when you turn the fan back on. Turn the fan off and move the clip to the same position on another blade. Check to see which blade is most affected by the presence of the clip by decreasing the wobble. This is the blade that you need to weight.
- Determine the best placement of the weight. Starting in the center, move the clip out toward the end of the blade and turn the fan back on to check for wobble. Move the fan in increments of a few inches up and down the blade to determine which placement most deters the wobble of the blade.
- Weight the fan. Once you find the problem spot, remove the clip and replace the plastic clip with a stick-on weight provided in the kit. You'll want to place the weight on top of the fan. It should have a peel-off self-adhesive surface on which you fix it.
- If the fan still has some wobble in it, you can add another weight to the same blade. If the wobble gets worse, remove the weight and use the clip to find a more suitable location.
Tips
- Cheaper fans or older fans usually made to wobble. If you need to replace the fan, make sure the parts are solid to ensure that your fan won't wobble next time.
- Most fans on long rods are made to wobble. Try switching to a shorter one when possible.
Warnings
- Be careful when you're on the ladder and don't try to do anything with the fan in motion.
Things You'll Need
- Stepladder
- Fan blade balancing kit
