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Tick, tick, tick. That’s the sound of your ceiling fan chain slapping against the light fixture or some metal. You may have become used to the sound, like white noise. You may just be seeing the fan do a hula hoop sort of dance on the ceiling. It’s like having a second child, the first was annoying and hard to get used to, but now it’s just something happening in the background. That noise or dance, however, can be fixed – unlike an inconsolable child. You have an off-balanced ceiling fan.
Step One
Buy a balancing kit. Here are some links to this product: (insert links)
Keep in mind, you get what you paid for with that fan. More costly fans are better balanced than less costly ones. Casablanca, Fanimation and Minka Aire are some of the fans I recommend for a lifetime of balanced bliss. The higher priced fans are not just better built machines, they also give the customer piece of mind that if anything goes wrong there is a repair shop nearby that can fix the problem. Some economy fans come right out of the box unbalanced, do not let that get you down though, if you are on a budget.
I have bought, in the past, a big box store ceiling fan for a room and on my way into the house dropped the box and the fan wobbled once installed. Be careful, like a surgeon, when handling any part of the fan. Any abrupt movements may send the inner components out of balance. I bet you are thinking right about now, your kids throwing socks or toys up into the blades moving at high speed and them laughing as the item flings across the room. That kind of thing is exactly what I am talking about. It is not a toy, it is part of the house. Alright, take a deep breath now. This is the solution!
Step Two
Take the weighted plastic clip and attach it to any one of the blade’s sides, as close to the middle as you can eye it.
Step Three
Now run the fan blades and observe if the wobble gets better or worse.
Step Four
Turn the fan off, let the blades come to a full stop by themselves. If you use your hand or a towel to slow the blades down you may cause more wobbling problems, or worse damage to the fan.
Step Five
Gently slide the plastic clip towards the end of the first blade. I recommend sliding it about an inch at a time. Then repeat step two and three.
Step Six
Remove the clip from the blade and move on to the next adjacent blade and repeat steps two through five.
Keep doing this until you find the blade that produces the least amount of wobble. You have found the blade on top of which you will perform the next steps. Note where your plastic clip is attached to this blade.
Step Seven
The balancing kit has a number of adhesive weights. With the clip still attached to the blade, use a ladder to give you a visual of the top of the blade. Note: if you have not dusted the tops of your blades, use a wet washcloth or damp paper towel. (Please see this article on how to deep clean a ceiling fan.) Remove the backing of the weight and adhere it to the center of the blade directly in line with the plastic clip. This weight will not stick to a dusty blade, so make sure you give it a good cleaning and allow it to dry before adhering the weight to the blade. Remove the plastic clip.
Step Eight
Run the fan blades and observe if the wobble gets better. If it reduces the wobble to your liking you are done. If you think more of the wobble can be “taken out” turn off the fan blades and allow them to come to a full stop on their own.
Step Nine
Place the plastic clip back on to the blade with the first weighted clip and gently slide it one inch towards the end of the blade.
Step Ten
Run the fan blades and observe if the wobble gets better or worse. If worse, turn off the fan blades, allow it to stop, then slide the plastic clip one inch toward the body of the fan, from the weight. Now run the fan and observe if it gets better or worse.
Step Eleven
Run the fan blades and observe if the wobble gets better or worse. It is at this point you will begin feeling like a scientist, hypothesize and move the plastic clip, one inch at a time, either towards the body or away from the body. Once you find the “best” position, add another adhesive weight.
Step Twelve
Don’t give up! This process can take a lot of time, depending on how many blades are on your fan. Be patient and pick a spot on the body of the fan to watch the wobble closely. This will give you the best results in the end.
Step Thirteen
With the weights properly adhered to the blades, the fan will now be less or not even wobbly! The adhesive of these weights are strong and will not go flying off to hit a loved one or a loved thing. So do not worry about the weights anymore, they are doing their job!
Conclusion
If you cannot get your fan to stop wobbling, this means that either the inner components are damaged or you need a new set of blades and blade irons. For more pricier fans, you may find replacement parts through the local fan repair store or online. For budget fans, it is not as likely to find replacement parts as they will cost close to half or more of what you had paid for the fan in the first place. Take this into consideration, if you have young ones in the house, they are the primary responsibility for throwing a fan out of balance. Thanks kids!