# Ceiling fan wobble



## doublejelectric (Jan 23, 2013)

Ow do you guys handle ceiling fan wobbles? Had one yesterday, $800 ceiling fan and it was on a three foot drop bar, it had a slight wobble. Normally, I tell the HO that balancing the fan isn't part of the install that I charge hourly to balance. So far everyone lives with their wobble. But most fans are in the $100 range, didn't think an $800 fan would wobble.


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## jimmy21 (Mar 31, 2012)

I'd work on balancing it a little bit just to hang on to your reputation. Don't ask me how though, I've never done it either


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## FrunkSlammer (Aug 31, 2013)




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## ScholzPDX (Jul 24, 2013)

Check the spacers for correct distance. Sometimes they're too tight and cause grinding noises and wobble, which coincidentally is the same symptoms if they're too loose.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

If the framing supporting the box that the fan is secured to is not fixed in place really tight it can lead to a fan wobble also. For instance - using a 2x4 cross piece between two trusses as a method to support a box centered in between the two truss can pivot on its nails or screws a bit which translates as it goes further down the stem to the fan motor. Cure this by adding blocking on either side of the cross support member.


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## svh19044 (Jul 1, 2008)

macmikeman said:


> If the framing supporting the box that the fan is secured to is not fixed in place really tight it can lead to a fan wobble also. For instance - using a 2x4 cross piece between two trusses as a method to support a box centered in between the two truss can pivot on its nails or screws a bit which translates as it goes further down the stem to the fan motor. Cure this by adding blocking on either side of the cross support member.


This and also not installed correctly.

For instance, not letting the ball slot line up with the mounting bracket. Or some of the fanimations use a plastic insert on the ball for a more snug fit. Without it, you get wobble. 

Or just a bent blade.

Do you know the make of fan?


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## pete87 (Oct 22, 2012)

doublejelectric said:


> Ow do you guys handle ceiling fan wobbles? Had one yesterday, $800 ceiling fan and it was on a three foot drop bar, it had a slight wobble. Normally, I tell the HO that balancing the fan isn't part of the install that I charge hourly to balance. So far everyone lives with their wobble. But most fans are in the $100 range, didn't think an $800 fan would wobble.




The fan is New ? It will come with a balancing kit . I have never installed a 
fan that is not balanced when done . 




Pete


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## drumnut08 (Sep 23, 2012)

doublejelectric said:


> Ow do you guys handle ceiling fan wobbles? Had one yesterday, $800 ceiling fan and it was on a three foot drop bar, it had a slight wobble. Normally, I tell the HO that balancing the fan isn't part of the install that I charge hourly to balance. So far everyone lives with their wobble. But most fans are in the $100 range, didn't think an $800 fan would wobble.


. The balancing kits they give you aren't usually worth much . Try getting a good horizontal sight of all blades and look for the one or two that are out . Give them a tweak and call it a day .


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## drumnut08 (Sep 23, 2012)

doublejelectric said:


> Ow do you guys handle ceiling fan wobbles? Had one yesterday, $800 ceiling fan and it was on a three foot drop bar, it had a slight wobble. Normally, I tell the HO that balancing the fan isn't part of the install that I charge hourly to balance. So far everyone lives with their wobble. But most fans are in the $100 range, didn't think an $800 fan would wobble.


. You're absolutely right though . An $ 800.00 fan should have been balanced from the factory . All it takes is one dropped box to screw that all up , lol !


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## doublejelectric (Jan 23, 2013)

It was a kichler fan. Really nice fan, tried the balance kit, I can never figure them out, seems like it always wobbles.. The drop rod just makes the wobble worse.


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## five.five-six (Apr 9, 2013)

drumnut08 said:


> . The balancing kits they give you aren't usually worth much . Try getting a good horizontal sight of all blades and look for the one or two that are out . Give them a tweak and call it a day .


I have had very good luck tweaking the blades, they twist a bit. If that does not get it, frunks vid covers how to install a weight. Don't forget to slide the clip in and out once you find the bad blade to fine tune it.


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## dspiffy (Nov 25, 2013)

Kichler fans are pretty junky, price non-withstanding

5 minutes with a tape measure can eliminate most of the wobble with new fans. You measure the distance from each blade tip to the ceiling, and make sure it's the same for all blades.

That's all I would do unless I wanted to or was paid to do more. My next step would be to break out a punched out knockout and some duct tape, and tape it to the top of each blade, respectively.

I've never met a fan I couldnt eliminate all noticeable wobble from.


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## Chrisibew440 (Sep 13, 2013)

pennies, nickles, dimes, quarterrrrrrrrrrrs!!!!!!!!


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## svh19044 (Jul 1, 2008)

doublejelectric said:


> It was a kichler fan. Really nice fan, tried the balance kit, I can never figure them out, seems like it always wobbles.. The drop rod just makes the wobble worse.


Did you tighten the screws on the fan to downrod connection? That is a guaranteed wobble if not done.


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## electricmanscott (Feb 11, 2010)

Regardless of price, any fan on a 3' rod will wobble unless it is perfectly balanced. In my experience that's pretty rare unfortunately and guess who looks like the jerk.


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## drspec (Sep 29, 2012)

Ive had pretty good luck just swapping a couple of blades around


never would I tape anything to the top of a blade

what happens when the stickiness wears off and it flies off the blade and hits grandma in the eye?


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

There was a time when I gave serious thought to inventing a fan balancing device that would tell you exactly how to weight the stupid thing. I finally figured out it was just easier to stop doing residential work.


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## drspec (Sep 29, 2012)

Big John said:


> There was a time when I gave serious thought to inventing a fan balancing device that would tell you exactly how to weight the stupid thing. I finally figured out it was just easier to stop doing residential work.


I wish I was that smart.

Instead I was dumb enough to open up my own electrical contracting company doing mainly residential work


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## drumnut08 (Sep 23, 2012)

drspec said:


> I wish I was that smart. Instead I was dumb enough to open up my own electrical contracting company doing mainly residential work


. It always looks better in the brochure , but the rewards and not having to answer to morons can be nice too !


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

The ridiculousness in industrial is different but the same:

_"Help! Our machine doesn't turn on when it's catywumpus!"
"Is it supposed to?"
"Yes, I'm positive!"
"100% sure? Because when I've seen this in the past most of the time they don't turn on when they're catywumpus..."
"No, it definitely used to work like that all the time! I've seen it!"_

So I spend hours going over control wiring and pulling my hair out trying to find a problem that nobody can even accurately explain, and when I finally find some more people I can ask, they tell me _"No, of course this machine never turned on when it was catywumpus. They shouldn't have called you to fix that."
_
:wallbash: :wallbash: :wallbash:


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## union347sparky (Feb 29, 2012)

Big John said:


> The ridiculousness in industrial is different but the same: "Help! Our machine doesn't turn on when it's catywumpus!" "Is it supposed to?" "Yes, I'm positive!" "100% sure? Because when I've seen this in the past most of the time they don't turn on when they're catywumpus..." "No, it definitely used to work like that all the time! I've seen it!" So I spend hours going over control wiring and pulling my hair out trying to find a problem that nobody can even accurately explain, and when I finally go find some more people I can talk to, they tell me "No, of course this machine never turned on when it was catywumpus. They shouldn't have called you to fix that." :wallbash: :wallbash: :wallbash:



My favorite was the operator of a concrete plant told me that this particular stop/start satiation ran the fly ash vibrator motor. The motor stopped working and needed replaced. According to him if that didn't work it could lead to a catastrophic failure, it must be on when they fill fly ash. I climb the damn 60' tower to test the motor leads and in doing so I followed the pipe back down the tower. I found another start stop station buried under hardened concrete dust that actually ran the motor. The operator never seen that station before. Had no idea it was there in his 20 years at that plant. I push it and that motor started and ran beautifully. The one he thought did it wasn't even hooked to nothing. It was disconnected in a MCC panel I still have no idea why it was there. So in 20 years that motor never ran. Really important it does though.


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

union347sparky said:


> ...So in 20 years that motor never ran. Really important it does though.


 :laughing: Exactly. We spend so much time explaining to customers how their equipment should work that I've thought about offering it as a service: Call it a "process coordination survey" and it tells them what everything should be doing so that when it stops doing it, they can recognize it.


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## electricmanscott (Feb 11, 2010)

drspec said:


> Ive had pretty good luck just swapping a couple of blades around
> 
> 
> never would I tape anything to the top of a blade
> ...


We all have a good laugh? :clap:


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## Ty Wrapp (Aug 24, 2011)

macmikeman said:


> If the framing supporting the box that the fan is secured to is not fixed in place really tight it can lead to a fan wobble also. For instance - using a 2x4 cross piece between two trusses as a method to support a box centered in between the two truss can pivot on its nails or screws a bit which translates as it goes further down the stem to the fan motor. Cure this by adding blocking on either side of the cross support member.


Mount 2x4 with this...


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## dspiffy (Nov 25, 2013)

drspec said:


> Ive had pretty good luck just swapping a couple of blades around
> 
> 
> never would I tape anything to the top of a blade
> ...


This is used for testing purposes. I glue it on after I've determined where it should go.


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## pete87 (Oct 22, 2012)

Ty Wrapp said:


> Mount 2x4 with this...





I always used a 4x4 . Scrap around the job . We used to get a lot of those Humphry Bogart Fans ...Casa Blanca , big and heavy .
4x4 is way more stable for any fan , no wobble .




Pete


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## wildleg (Apr 12, 2009)

drspec said:


> what happens when the stickiness wears off and it flies off the blade and hits grandma in the eye?


what the hell is she doing looking up at the ceiling ?


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## LGLS (Nov 10, 2007)

drspec said:


> Ive had pretty good luck just swapping a couple of blades around
> 
> 
> never would I tape anything to the top of a blade
> ...


I don't know, but I'd love to be there when it happens! :laughing:


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## LGLS (Nov 10, 2007)

"What's this charge: "Blade weight - twenty five cents?"
"That's the weight I used to balance your wobbly fan, sir. It costs twenty five cents."
"I find it hard to believe that a tiny little weight costs twenty five cents! What did you use?"

"A quarter."


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## dspiffy (Nov 25, 2013)

IslandGuy said:


> "What's this charge: "Blade weight - twenty five cents?"
> "That's the weight I used to balance your wobbly fan, sir. It costs twenty five cents."
> "I find it hard to believe that a tiny little weight costs twenty five cents! What did you use?"
> 
> "A quarter."


You forgot markup.


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## JBlakemore (Aug 20, 2012)

I need some advice.

In the fan in the video, would you say that the fan is wobbling or is that just what you're going to get?

I've installed 8 or 9 Hampton Bay fans in this house and all of them that are on downrods have slight movement. With the exception of two, they are all installed on a sloped ceiling. I wonder if the turbulence from the differing ceiling heights above the blades are causing the slight movement?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgdEmlpoHOA


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## dspiffy (Nov 25, 2013)

JBlakemore said:


> I need some advice.
> 
> In the fan in the video, would you say that the fan is wobbling or is that just what you're going to get?
> 
> ...


I would consider that "better than average" and "a job well done" unless there's something I'm not seeing in the video.


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## LARMGUY (Aug 22, 2010)

Big John said:


> The ridiculousness in industrial is different but the same:
> 
> _"Help! Our machine doesn't turn on when it's catywumpus!"
> "Is it supposed to?"
> ...


You have just described one customer we have that bought a Honeywell access control system. This is a rare customer as they actually wanted and use the $800 program to customize the system with timezones, antipassback, door open too long times, anti bounce configurations, and forced door reporting.

So far after installation of the system I have been to more such n such door won't lock or unlock calls actually not caused by the system. 

On several occasions a door was shimmed open by pieces of cardboard, Scotch Tape, sticks, etc. On several calls the door closer couldn't compete with the air conditioning system and they cannot get their employees to shut doors when they use them. Somehow, this is our system's fault and we are expected to fix it.

So we have decided to start, Adopt-a-door. An attitude that we will fix what they want by any means including subcontracting then marking up labor and materials to fix their doors.

So far, they have paid every bill and are happy as clams.

My point, yes we balance ceiling fans.


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## wildleg (Apr 12, 2009)

great stuff :laughing:


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## nrp3 (Jan 24, 2009)

The great joys of the residential world, motion lights, smoke detectors and paddle fans.


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## 3DDesign (Oct 25, 2014)

JBlakemore said:


> I need some advice.
> 
> In the fan in the video, would you say that the fan is wobbling or is that just what you're going to get?
> 
> ...


Yes, the fan movement is caused by air currents both from the sloped ceiling and the other fans.


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## 3DDesign (Oct 25, 2014)

To balance the fan, measure the distance from the ceiling down to each blade and follow the directions on the fan balancing kit. If that doesn't work, get a new replacement fan


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## aftershockews (Dec 22, 2012)

I installed a ceiling fan on a job once that had a slight wobble while on high speed. The GC questioned me on this. I put it on medium speed and the wobble quit.


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## Zekelec (Jan 12, 2015)

Let a noob to the forum chime in on this one. I have spent some time around race cars and tire balancing. I have studied dynamic balancing. A lot of what is said here is true but some things are not or are being overlooked. First of all, a tire must be perfectly round to balance. It could be the rim or even the hub, so let me correct myself and say that the mounted wheel ass'y must be perfectly true.

So, yes, the blades first have to be the same length and adjusted into the same plane. However, blades are not always the same weight. So while it might seem ridiculous, weighing the individual blades on a gram scale and placing the 2 heaviest opposite to each other will help if you can compliment that with the other 2 placed so that any 2 adjacent blades weight nearly the same as the opposite 2.

Too much work. So the temporary clamp on weights come out to trim the fan blades. I don't care if the fan is bolted to the underside of 6 x 20 I-beam, if the blades aren't of equal weight, it will wobble at some speed due to harmonics.

The ONLY thing different about the tire analogy is that a tire can grow in diameter slightly with RPM. A tire will have a heavy spot where the overlap in the construction occurs. This weight at speed is moved further away from the center and constitutes a centripetal force. The wobble of a fan is similar as the offending blade is traveling in an ellipse rather that a true circle due to the flexibility of the mount and/or down rod. When the speed/harmonics are optimized, the ellipse is greater.

Equal weighted and aligned blades will run w/o wobble at any speed. This should cancel out any disturbance from air currents but there's gotta be that one circumstance where it's just not going to work perfectly.


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## Circuit Tracer (Feb 5, 2015)

One of the blades might be warped. Who provided the fan?


Mike


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## JBlakemore (Aug 20, 2012)

Circuit Tracer said:


> Who provided the fan?


The homeowner, but there are several fans from the manufacturer and they all are exhibiting the same problem.


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## Circuit Tracer (Feb 5, 2015)

@ JBlakemore

I've installed many Hampton Bay fans and it's hit or miss with them.
Not only wobble but motor noise. 

Thanks
Mike


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## pete87 (Oct 22, 2012)

JBlakemore said:


> The homeowner, but there are several fans from the manufacturer and they all are exhibiting the same problem.



Home owners are notorious for bad fan selection , even worse when they move and let the fan sit with blades on to be reinstalled .

I find the balancing kits work great .



Pete


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## dspiffy (Nov 25, 2013)

Hampton Bay fans are terrible.

Lowes sells SOME good fans under the Harbor Breeze and Allen & Roth names, if you look on the bottom of the box and it says "Fanim Industries, Zionsville IN" it's a decent product. Anything else is probably crap.


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## Going_Commando (Oct 1, 2011)

LARMGUY said:


> You have just described one customer we have that bought a Honeywell access control system. This is a rare customer as they actually wanted and use the $800 program to customize the system with timezones, antipassback, door open too long times, anti bounce configurations, and forced door reporting.
> 
> So far after installation of the system I have been to more such n such door won't lock or unlock calls actually not caused by the system.
> 
> ...


Was that WinPak or a netAXS-123? I love me some netaxs. Sooo easy to program.


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## Circuit Tracer (Feb 5, 2015)

Hunter ceiling fans are pretty good. 

Mike


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## dspiffy (Nov 25, 2013)

Circuit Tracer said:


> Hunter ceiling fans are pretty good.
> 
> Mike


They used to be. Them and Casablanca are going downhill extremely fast, ever since Hunter bought Casablanca.

Best fan brands currently: Fanimation, Gulf Coast, and Envirofan.


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## LARMGUY (Aug 22, 2010)

Going_Commando said:


> Was that WinPak or a netAXS-123? I love me some netaxs. Sooo easy to program.


Winpak SE on two NetAxs boards. Give me an N1000 anyday over those NetAxs boards. The 123's _are_ a lot better.


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