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  • Noisy ceiling fans

    Seems that every time I post here it is about something either making a noise or making a smell…..

    My wife and I decided to replace several of the ceiling fans in our house with new ones that don’t look like 1970. We bought two of one model/brand and one of a different model/brand, normal consumer product fare from one of the big-box home improvement stores. Got them installed and they ran fine. They don’t get heavy use, maybe 30-40hrs/month during the warmer months. Within 3 months of installation, the fan in our bedroom started making a quick, periodic, but intermittent tick-tick-tick-tick sound. Loud enough to keep us awake. It wasn’t long before the other two started doing the same. Three out of three, across two different brands. I read the troubleshooting instructions. They said a remote control can cause motor noise. We did install a third-party remote on one of the fans, so I removed it, but the noise remains. The fans are all well balanced. I de-installed and re-installed two of the fans so that I could go through everything again to make sure all the hardware was tight and there were no parts that were in only light contact with each other. I made sure the cosmetic cover at the top at the ceiling was not actually touching the ceiling but had some clearance. All of the fan blade hardware is tight. None of this helped, the fans still make the same noise. This morning I had an idea to try putting some grease on the ball hangar where the weight of the fan hangs in the mounting bracket thinking that maybe there’s some minimal movement against some stiction there. I’ll try this, but it seems like a long-shot.

    I’m perplexed that if 3 out of 3 fans did this with me, then many must do it, and there would be a flood of complaints from people. The noise is loud enough to be annoying even while watching tv. The manufacturers’ troubleshooting tips are very minimal. Any ideas are greatly appreciated.



  • #2
    Are you sure the pull chain isn't tapping against something -- e.g. the fan speed moves the pull chain enough to make noise against something. Mine did this and I put a heavy decorative bob at the end of the pull chain and it quit moving when the fan was in use.

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    • #3
      in a motor the rotor normally turns while the stator or field remains stationary. in a ceiling fan the rotor doesn't move, the stator does. all the wiring, control and power goes down through a hollow shaft in the rotor from the half ball support to the far end connections for the motor and light(s). sometimes the blades hit something in the shroud or the housing at a repetitive rate, sometimes it hits a wire. try moving around the wires where they go through either end.

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      • #4
        I find that if they are mounted very securely, the noise really drops. They definitely loosen over time though with all that weight whipping around. It won't fix it but will likely help.

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        • #5
          We also replaced our 1970 style ceiling fans. We used 3rd party remotes and had no issues. We did find not all the old mounting material was attached to anything.

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          • #6
            the lower half of the motor shaft is screwed and locked to the rotor. the upper part has a locking screw in the half ball that suspends the fan from its mount. Use lock-tite RED for this screw.

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            • #7
              You can check the blades or if there is any loose screw.

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