Quite a large number of us prefer ceiling fans to air conditioning units for a variety of reasons. Prominent among these is the fact that they can reportedly be healthier, they don’t leave a smell in the room, and they can often cost much less to run.
However, they can often come with a few drawbacks. Perhaps the most obvious is that they can start to become quite noisy over time. While this will usually be a slow and steady increase in volume, many will begin making a sound out of nowhere.
Typically, many of us will ignore the noise for a while. Eventually, this will become unbearable, and we’ll want to reduce the sound as much as possible, and hopefully get rid of it. However, we might not know how to quieten a noisy ceiling fan.
There are a few obvious steps you’ll be able to do this. While some might be quite complicated, others can be relatively easy, though this will depend significantly on what’s causing the noise.
Should your ceiling fan be noisy, there are several things that you should consider doing.
What You’ll Need
Before you start, you’ll naturally want to get each of the products you’ll need to make your ceiling fan quieter. While you might have to go out and get these, you shouldn’t need to spend much money on them, as they’re each quite affordable.
Alongside this, the majority of them will be focused on cleaning your ceiling fan, as this is often the largest reason why your ceiling fan is noisy. You should need:
☛ Lubricating Oil; This will be needed for the bearings in your ceiling fan.
☛ All-Purpose Cleaner; Since the dirt on your ceiling fan may be making it noisier, you should want a high-quality cleaner to get rid of it.
☛Microfiber Towel; Naturally, your ceiling fan may need to be dusted, which is where a microfiber towel comes in. This should also be an effective way to clean your fan.
☛ A Screwdriver; In many cases, your ceiling fan could be noisy because of loose bearings or blades. As such, you’ll need a screwdriver to tighten them. However, you may need other tools, depending on your particular fan. You might also need to get some new screws.
☛ Rust Removal Spray; You might find that there’s some rust on your ceiling fan, which could be the cause of the noise. As long as there’s not too much of this, you should be able to get rid of it with a spray. If your fan is starting to rust through, however, you might need to replace it.
☛ A Step-Ladder; Typically, you’ll need a step ladder to reach the ceiling fan. You should make sure this is sturdy and can handle your weight.
While you might already have the majority of these, you could end up having to buy them. Though they’ll be available in many stores, we recommend buying them online. This is because it can be much cheaper to do so, especially if you end up needing to use them regularly.
Alongside this, looking for the products online means that you’ll be able to compare them before buying. This could mean that you’ll be able to choose the best one for your needs. Once you’ve got everything needed, you’ll have to take a long look at your ceiling fan and get to work.
Step By Step Guide To Quieting A Noisy Ceiling Fan
When you have all of your materials gathered, you’ll be in a prime position to quieten a noisy ceiling fan. Typically, there are a few things that you’ll need to do. One of the most notable of these is regular maintenance and cleaning. Should you not have done this already, then this should be what you focus on first.
However, there can occasionally be some advanced issues with your ceiling fan, which will need a variety of other steps. As such, it’s worth looking at these advanced problems separately and first focus on the regular cleaning and maintenance you should do with your ceiling fan.
Regular Maintenance & Cleaning
Turn Off The Fan
Naturally, turning off the fan should be the first step you take, regardless of whether you’re planning on cleaning it or fixing any other issues. Once it’s turned off, you should make sure that it’s come to a complete halt before you do anything. This is primarily because it could cause a significant injury if you do otherwise.
The majority of this will be focused on the blades, although the electrical supply can also play a role in this. If you try to stop the ceiling fans yourself, you could also damage it, which is what we’re all trying to avoid.
Typically, doing this could cause you to knock the blades out of balance, among other things. These are much more advanced issues to deal with, which will then take much more time to fix. If you’re looking for a quick and easy solution, then wait until your ceiling fan has come to a complete halt.
As an added safety measure, you should unplug the ceiling fan from its power source, if you can.
Make Sure The Blades Are Completely Clean
Using a dry microfiber cloth, you should clean each of the blades thoroughly. Despite what you may think, a significant amount of dust could build up on your ceiling fan, which will need to be removed as often as possible. This can be one of the main reasons why your fan might be noisy.
Once you’ve wiped each of the blades with the microfiber towel, you should then use an all-purpose cleaner to get rid of any other dirt. When you’re doing so, you should be as gentle as possible, as you could risk damaging the blades and fan.
You should avoid putting too much pressure on the ceiling fan. If you use too much weight, you could either unbalance the blades or snap them off completely. You’ll naturally want to avoid both.
Despite being a relatively simple step, it can be much more effective than you may assume, as dirt and dust could cause much more noise than you might think.
Wiggle Each Blade & Tighten Them
If you find that there’s still some noise coming from your ceiling fan, then it could be because your blades are slightly loose. This should be quite easy to fix, but you’ll first need to give them a wiggle to see how loose they are. If you find that they’re quite tight, then you might be able to skip this step.
If the blades are loose, then they could wiggle back and forth when it’s being used, which could cause a significant amount of noise. As such, you should screw them as tight as possible and make sure that they’re fixed into place.
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For optimal results, you should check these every six months and retighten then as needed. Occasionally, you may need to replace the screws, which should be quite easy to do.
Make Sure The Bulbs Are Screwed In Properly
Quite a significant number of ceiling fans have lightbulbs. While these typically shouldn’t cause much noise, they can often be the source of some of it, especially when they’re not properly fixed in place. This will usually result in a squeaking noise that could be quite irritating.
In most cases, this will be because the screw thread attached to the bulb will be wobbling. This should be quite easy to fix, as you should just need to tighten the screws. Despite being one of the easiest things to do, it’s often one of the more effective.
This will also be quite quick to do. When you’re looking at this, however, you should look at each of the other screws that you see. In the majority of cases, the noise can be driven by a loose one, which is why you should give each of them a retighten.
Inspect The Globe On The Light Kit
Many ceiling fans that come with a light bulb often come with a globe that covers this light. This could be worth looking at alongside each of the other parts of the ceiling fan. Like the screws, the source of the noise could be driven by how loose this is, which should mean that you’ll have to retighten this too.
You should also check to see whether the globe has any chips or cracks in it. If there are, then you should consider replacing it. Though this might not have a large impact on the noise, it could help to reduce it more than you might’ve thought.
Check The Screws Connecting The Fan & Ceiling Mount
When many of us are checking our ceiling fan, there are a few areas that we might overlook. One of the more prominent of these is the screws connecting the fan and the ceiling. Typically, these will be attached to the area that the wiring from the fan comes through when attached to the roof, so you should take a significant amount of care when checking this.
These screws can become quite loose over time, with this being driven by the motion made by the ceiling fan. There’s also a decent chance that they can break over time. If your fan is rattling, then this could be the primary cause.
It’s recommended that you replace each of these screws. While some might not show many signs of damage, it can still be better to err on the side of caution and replace them anyway.
Test The Fan
Once you’ve done each of the above steps, you should test your fan. When you’re checking it, you should make sure that you go through each of its speed settings to make sure that each works without generating much noise. This will allow you to determine whether your efforts have been effective.
Should there still be a significant amount of noise coming from your ceiling fan, then this could be a sign that there’s a larger issue at play. If this is the case, then you’ll need to do a few other things to try to fix it.
While each of the above steps is quite simple, if there are advanced issues with your ceiling fan, then it could be much more complicated to fix it. However, these might not be as difficult as you might think. There are a few specific steps to take.
How To Fix Advanced Noise Problems
Rebalance Your Fan Blades
Naturally, you’ll need to make sure that your ceiling fan is switched off before you do anything. Alongside this, it’s recommended that you disconnect it from its power source as an extra safety precaution. Once this has been done, you’ll need to check the balance of your ceiling fan’s blades.
You should be able to take advantage of a balancing clip when you’re doing so. This will let you determine whether any of the blades are unbalanced. If there are, then you should rebalance each of them. While it will take a certain amount of time to check this, it should be quite an easy fix.
Once you’ve done this, you should turn back on the fan and check if it’s worked.
Lubricate Crucial Parts
If none of the above works, then rust could be what’s causing the noise. While you should be able to see this on your ceiling fan, it can often not be as visible as you’d assume. However, you should be able to fix this with a lubricant, which should be applied to the most critical parts of the fan.
However, you’ll need to take apart the ceiling fan to do this, as you’ll need to apply the oil to many of the interior parts. The bearings will be one of the more crucial parts of this. Once you’ve lubricated these, you should reassemble the fan and test it again.
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Call A Professional
While each of the above steps should get rid of the noise coming from your ceiling fan, there are some cases where they might not. If this happens, then you’ll need to hire a professional to take a look at the fan and make any needed repairs.
The primary reason for this is that the problem could be much more complicated than you’ll be able to fix yourself. As such, hiring an expert could be the only way to get rid of the noise.
Conclusion
Preventing problems from occurring with your ceiling fan will be the best way to make sure that it doesn’t start making noise. This should mean that regular maintenance and clean is highly recommended. While this shouldn’t take too long, it could prove to be essential in making sure that no problems crop up.
This is especially true when you consider how difficult it can be to fix many of the issues that could come up. After all, none of us will want to get an expert in to repair a noisy ceiling fan, so it’s worth doing everything you can to avoid it.
Despite only taking a few minutes every week or two, it could save you hours in fixing the fan or having to replace the parts. If you think that your ceiling fan has larger problems than just dirt and dust, however, then you should call in a professional.