How to Correct the Operation of Ceiling Fans

Wobbling is a common problem with ceiling fans. There are many reasons your fan may eventually start doing this, or even may wobble to begin with, but the good news is that the problem is rarely a damaged or misaligned motor. Problems vary, as does the amount of time and effort needed to fix them, but in most cases, you should quickly be able to pinpoint and correct the source of the wobble.

Yardstick
Screwdriver

Instructions

- 1
  Hold a yardstick vertically, with its end to the ceiling, to measure the distance between the blade and the ceiling. Do this with each blade to determine if the blades are aligned with each other
- 2
  Bend any crooked blades back into alignment, using gentle pressure. Test the fan. If it still wobbles, proceed to the next step.
- 3
  Remove the fan blades with a screwdriver. Make sure that the metal blade irons that connect each blade to the fan's center are aligned -- place a pair of them flat on the table facing each other and check that the edges line up.
- 4
  Stack all the blade irons on top of each other, aligning the screw holes, and ensure that the blade ends are lined up as well. Purchase new blade irons if your current ones are misaligned. If this doesn't fix the wobble, or if there is nothing wrong with the blade irons but the wobble persists, proceed to the next step.
- 5
  Swap a pair of neighboring blades on a 4-blade fan, or opposite blades on a 5-blade unit, and test. Swap another pair, and try those. If your wobble is caused by a weight discrepancy, this may correct it.

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