When you have a ceiling fan in your home you either don’t notice them or you notice it a little too much. While it might seem like a small thing, a ceiling fan that squeaks while it runs can become annoying very quickly. While it is certainly annoying is it dangerous?
There is only a small chance that a squeaky ceiling fan is dangerous. A fan squeaks when it gets dirty or its pieces get loose. If one of these loose pieces falls from the ceiling it could be dangerous. This is unlikely, especially if it is cleaned and checked regularly.
While it might seem dangerous, as long as you take the proper steps the chances of being hurt by a ceiling fan are virtually zero. With that in mind, here are some things you can do to check your ceiling fan for damage, and maybe stop it from constantly squeaking.
Securing a Ceiling Fan Safely
While there is a low chance of having safety issues with a ceiling fan, you also don’t want to become a statistic. In order for you to ensure your safety, the first thing that you should do is make sure that your ceiling fan is safely secure.
Whether this is a fan that you are installing or one that you have had for years, the steps are going to be the same.
As you go through these steps you will need a couple of tools. Most ceiling fans are secured using several screws to hold the fan above your head. Before checking your fan make sure you have a screwdriver that fits these screws nearby.
For fans that are higher, you will need a stool or ladder in order to reach it safely. Don’t stand on something unstable in order to reach a fan. Before securing the fan make sure that the fan is off and the blades have stopped moving.
Don’t attempt to work on the fan while the blades are spinning. That will put you at risk of injury and could damage your fan blades.
In summary, you will need three things to secure your ceiling fan.
- Ladder or stool
- Screwdriver
- Replacement Screws (if necessary)
Once you have these three things you are ready to begin. Climb up on your ladder and stool and start to check each of the screws on your fan.
The first ones that you should check are the screws on the fan’s blades. If the screws loosen on these blades the blades could become detached from the fan and fly off.
There should be a screw, or several attaching the blade to the center of the fan. An easy way to check the blades is to wiggle each blade. If the blade moves easily then the screws are loosened and they need to be tightened using the screwdriver you’ve prepared.
Next, you should check the screws on the fan mount, and the center portion of the fan. The mount can have screws in two different places.
If the fan has a glass globe covering the light bulbs a handful of screws will hold the globe onto the fan mount. Make sure that each of these screws is tight.
The final screws are the screws holding the mount onto the ceiling. If these screws are loose then the whole fan could come crashing down.
When tightening these screws tighten each one a little while moving in a circle around the mount. This will ensure that the screws are tightened at the same rate and the fan sits evenly against the ceiling.
How To Check Your Ceiling Fan for Damage?
While securing your ceiling fan you can also check each of the parts for damage. You should be inspecting your ceiling fan every 6 months or so. This will help you maintain it at a high level and prevent any minor issues from becoming more serious.
While checking the blades of the fan to make sure they are secure, you can also check that the blades don’t have any cracks or chips in them. If there are any cracks you may want to consider replacing the blade.
Check each of the lightbulbs if they are part of your fan. Any loose bulbs can be tightened so they don’t rattle in their sockets. You can also take this chance to replace any burned-out light bulbs with new ones. If the lights were on right before you are working on the fan be careful, the bulbs may still be hot.
Light bulbs typically have frames or glass globes built around them. If there are any cracks in these glass pieces you need to think about replacing them. While checking the screws you may find screws that are cracked or missing.
Replace these screws with some of the replacement screws you prepared earlier. Once you have checked the screws and looked for any damage you may test your fan and see if it has quieted down. If not check the section below.
How To Stop a Squeaky Ceiling Fan?
If you have secured your ceiling fan and made sure there aren’t any loose parts and your fan still squeaks there may be another issue with your fan. Here are some easy things that you can do to try and prevent your fan from squeaking.
The first thing that you should do is clean your fan. Dust and dirt can build up on the fan blades. While it might not seem like much it can weigh the blades down and cause them to squeak. It’s easy to clean these blades since all you’ll need is a ladder or stool like before and a towel.
Here is a pack of microfiber towels from Amazon that you could use. By using a microfiber towel you can trap all of the dust without it spreading into the air, and these towels are easy to wash meaning you can use them continuously around your home.
Another thing that you can do is make sure that your fan blades are balanced. While on your ladder/stool use a yardstick to measure how far the end of one of the blades extends from the center.
Check each of the blades one by one to make sure they extend the same length out. If they don’t the fan is unbalanced which can cause the blades to rock and make noise.
By using a balancing kit like this, you can make sure your fan spins evenly. The kit above has weighted pieces with adhesive you can attach to the top of blades to weigh them down and balance them out. The pieces can be cut and attached in different combinations to meet your needs.
If you believe that there is an internal problem causing the noise, don’t try and fix it yourself. Call an electrician and have them check it for you.
Opening the fan and working on it could expose you to high amounts of voltage, and you could damage the interior of the fan if you don’t have experience working with one.
