Ceiling fan wobble and noise: the balance kit and the other fixes

In short. A wobbling ceiling fan is fixed with a balance kit (a clip and stick-on weights, supplied by most fan brands), by tightening the blade and bracket screws, or by seating a blade that has warped or bent. Noise is usually the wrong wall controller on an AC fan, a loose screw, or the canopy touching the ceiling. A wobble that is getting worse, or any crack in a blade, means switch it off and have an electrician check the mounting.

How does a ceiling fan balance kit work?

The kit is a plastic clip and a few adhesive weights. With the fan on medium, clip the weight to the middle of the trailing edge of one blade and watch the wobble. Move the clip blade to blade until the wobble is smallest, then slide the clip along that blade toward the tip or the hub until it is gone. Stick a weight on top of the blade where the clip sits and remove the clip. Kits cost a few dollars and most brands supply them; bring the fan's model number to the showroom or email it and the team will check what is available.

What else makes a fan wobble?

• Loose blade screws. The commonest cause after a few summers. Switch off and tighten each blade at the hub and at the blade iron.
• A warped or mis-seated blade. Measure from the ceiling to the tip of each blade; they should match within a few millimetres. Timber blades that have been stored damp warp.
• The mounting bracket. If the canopy moves when the fan runs, the bracket is loose or the ceiling fixing is not into a joist. That is an electrician's job because the wiring sits behind it.
• A dirty fan. Dust builds unevenly on the leading edges and a kilogram of it is enough to unbalance a large fan. Clean before balancing.

Why is my ceiling fan noisy?

A hum or buzz on an AC fan nearly always comes from the controller: a light dimmer or a generic speed controller fitted instead of the fan's own control. DC fans run from their own remote and are close to silent, so a new noise on a DC fan is mechanical: a blade screw, the light kit's glass or a canopy screw. A clicking that comes and goes with speed is a blade touching something or a loose blade iron.

When is the fan finished?

Bearings that rumble, an AC motor that is hot to touch after an hour, or a fan more than fifteen years old that now does all of the above. A modern DC fan uses a third of the power, is quieter, and comes with its own remote; the showroom has them running side by side.

Where this fits at Cosmo

• Ceiling fans at Cosmo
• Ceiling fan accessories and spare parts