Wobbling Is a No-No!
Post date: Oct 4, 2017 9:11:57 PM
A wobbly ceiling fan requires immediate attention. Personal safety is jeopardized if a fan continues to operate while out of balance or with loose components.
There is good news and bad news when it comes to a wobble or off-kilter motion in your ceiling fan. First the good news - you probably don't need a new fan. It is most likely repairable. The bad news is - it can be a very tedious task to repair it! But to start you need to understand, that in no circumstance is a wobbling ceiling fan safe to use. If a ceiling fan in your home begins to wobble, jerk, or otherwise show signs of being out of balance, stop using it immediately until you can get it fixed. Fans are dangerous when not installed correctly or when they become out of balance or become damaged.
So why do perfectly good fans begin to wobble one day? Some, in fact many, fans start to wobble because they have parts that have become loose over time simply from hours of usage and just need to be re-balanced. To begin the task of repairing or balancing your fan it is always best to have the repair manual for your specific fan. If you do not have the manual in your drawer of appliance manuals, most can be found online at the manufacturers website.
A good place to start is to begin by tightening the bolts that hold the fan blades to the motor housing as they are the ones most likely to have become loosened through use. In some cases, you can try swapping the position of some blades, which may solve the problem; just start swap blade for blade and test the operation after each swap and see if you hit on a combination that results in no more wobbling. However, if wobbling still occurs after tightening and swapping the blades, you should check and see if your manufacturer provides a weight kit to balance the fan, many do. With a balance weight kit, you work from blade to blade, adding and removing weight until the fan is balanced. This process can be extremely tedious and time-consuming but it can also be highly effective.
Finally, you should take a look and see if the mounting to the ceiling box or the bracket has become loosened, because it is possible the fan might might have been installed improperly in the first place. It happens. This condition should be checked by a professional, either a professional electrician or qualified handyman. Ceiling fans are too heavy to be mounted in a standard electrical box and they need a special box and support bracket for installation and this is generally beyond the skill set of the average homeowner.
So if you look up and see your ceiling fan bopping and jerking instead of whirling around smoothly, turn it off. You never want to operate a fan with excessive movement, making a strange noise, or showing signs of a loose mounting. Safety first!
