ceiling fan screws
- Thread starter Vinniem
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LarryFine
Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
- Location
- Henrico County, VA
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor
emahler said:
That's fine if the fan is the remote type, or a remote kit is wanted and added, and if there already is a ceiling box.
Avoid cheap "Hampton Bay" (or similar) CF's.sstaley said:
I just installed 6 Hunter CFs...of which only 1 was ceiling mounted (others on down rods). Not a single one required any adjustments for balancing.
Eclipse
This model uses the "standard" "ball and cup" hanging system.
I put a Hunter CF in my kid's room that uses a "triangulated" hanging system....virtually impossible for the fan to "wobble".
Hunter calls it "WobbleFree? Canopy" and it lives up to the name
tallguy
Senior Member
sstaley said:
What is wobbling... the fan or the box? Seems like many wobbles I've seen are not the fan at all, but rather a non-fan rated box or a box which is not properly secured to the framing. You can fiddle with the fan all day in those situations and it's not going to make a difference.
- Location
- Chapel Hill, NC
- Occupation
- Retired Electrical Contractor
sstaley said:
Celtic had no problems and I have had many problems with the Hunter. HO bought a Hampton Bay Fan and it worked beautifully except he bought a 42" Fan and decided he needed a 52" ( I suggested that before I installed the 42") . Anyway he came back with a Hunter and I said I hope this doesn't wobble--- sure enough it did. I have not had much luck with some of the Hunters.
The weight kit that came with the fan work perfectly. We had a pretty big wobble and I got it to hardly no wobble at all.
The trick to the weight kit is to make sure you put the temp weight on the leading edge of the blade about halfway down. Do all 5 blades and see which blade wobbled the least. I marked the top sides as I did this.
Once you have the correct blade move the weight all the way out to the tip. Then again all the way to the base of the blade. See which wobbles the least. If it wobbled less toward the end of the blade then work from the middle to the end to see where the best spot is.
Once you have the spot put the weight on top of the blade halfway across at the spot where the wobble was eliminated (Hopefully).
I must add that it was the first time I had luck with the weight kit but I never used them much.
fisherelectric
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern Va
After having installed more fans than I care to remember, I have found that the best way to hang a ceiling fan is to get someone else to do it.
LarryFine
Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
- Location
- Henrico County, VA
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor
I have de-wobbled many fans, and rarely have I needed to use a balancing weight. In my opinion, the very first step in balancing a fan is to make sure every blade is in the same plane. In other words, make sure the tips of the blades are equidistant from the ceiling.
I spin the fan by hand, slower than low-speed, and make mental note by saying, for example, "up, middle, middle, down, middle," and then firmly bend each offending bracket by gripping the blade and bracket together and bending past level just enough to spring to level.
Also, any blade with more or less pitch than the others will cause a wobble that worsens with speed, as its "lift", or its pressure against the air, is different from the others. Obviously, this is usually more of an issue with existing fans than new ones, but check for it.
I once de-wobbled a four-bladed fan that three other guys could not, because I discovered that one blade had been knocked out of its 90-degree position because the bracket was bent side-ways, still within the plane of the other blades. In other words, symmetry is key.
I spin the fan by hand, slower than low-speed, and make mental note by saying, for example, "up, middle, middle, down, middle," and then firmly bend each offending bracket by gripping the blade and bracket together and bending past level just enough to spring to level.
Also, any blade with more or less pitch than the others will cause a wobble that worsens with speed, as its "lift", or its pressure against the air, is different from the others. Obviously, this is usually more of an issue with existing fans than new ones, but check for it.
I once de-wobbled a four-bladed fan that three other guys could not, because I discovered that one blade had been knocked out of its 90-degree position because the bracket was bent side-ways, still within the plane of the other blades. In other words, symmetry is key.
The balance kits that come with the fans sometime take quite a while to balance them. It's not a 60-second fix. I've spent up to an hour getting a fan balanced. So it takes a lot a patience. Sometimes you need more than the 2 or 3 wieghts that come in the kit, so I keep all the ones I don't use.
JohnJ0906
Senior Member
- Location
- Baltimore, MD
sstaley said:
The longer the down rod, the more visible wobble. I seem to recall reading in some fans instructions that rods longer than 18" would have at least a little wobble.
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