How To Balance A Wobbly Ceiling Fan - The Family Handyman

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Troubleshoot and Fix an Off-Kilter Ceiling Fan

Total Time:An hour or lessComplexity:BeginnerCost:Less than $20

By Family Handyman

Family Handyman's Editorial Process

Updated on Oct. 07, 2024

Stop the wobble and make your fan run smoothly in 15 minutes.

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Time

An hour or less

Complexity

Beginner

Cost

Less than $20

Introduction

We show you how to adjust and balance your ceiling fan blades to stop the wobble and rattle. Get your fan running smoothly again in 15 minutes.

Balance the Ceiling Fan Blades

If you have a wobbly ceiling fan that makes more racket than an unbalanced washing machine load, read on; we’ve got the fix for you. It may be due to a low quality ceiling fan, but it could also be due to a balancing issue.

Ceiling fan wobble is caused by imbalances in the fan blades or blade holders, misalignment of blades, excess dust accumulation, or simply a poorly installed ceiling fan. Restore your fan to its smooth-running days of old before you wear down the moving parts.

Tools Required

• Yardstick or tape measure

Materials Required

• Fan blade balancing kit

Project step-by-step (3)

Step 1

Make Sure the Blades are Straight

• First, check that the ceiling fan was installed correctly, with all the blades are tightly screwed into the blade holder, and the blade holder is firmly screwed into the fan flywheel.
• Clean the ceiling fan blades with a household cleaner to remove dust and buildup.
• Run the fan to check the wobble and to dry the fan blades.
• If the wobble persists, one of the blades may be out of alignment.
• Check blade alignment with a yardstick or tape measure by measuring the distance from the edge of any blade to the ceiling.
  • Pro Tip: Most blades are angled, so be sure to measure on the same side of all the blades and make a note of the distance.
• Hold the yardstick still and rotate the blades around to measure the other blades.
• If any blade is out of alignment, gently bend the blade holder up or down until the blade is in line with the others.

Step 2

Slide on the Ceiling Fan Balancing Clip

• Turn the fan on to see if it spins smoothly.
• If it still wobbles, pick up a blade balancing kit from a hardware store or home center.
  • The balancing kit contains the blade clip plus several adhesive-backed weights.

• The ceiling fan balancing clip will balance the fan blades, eliminating the wobble.
• Slide the balancing clip on the trailing edge of any blade, halfway between the holder and tip.
• Run the fan to check the wobble.
• Repeat with each blade, noting which one most reduced the wobble, then slide the clip in small increments away from the center of that blade.
• Move the clip, operate the fan, then move it again until you eliminate as much wobble as possible.

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Set a Weight

• Peel off the backing and stick the adhesive-backed balancing weight on the top center of the blade directly in line with the balancing clip.
• Add more weight if needed to get a smooth-running fan.

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