Opinions on this fan's wobble?


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Old 05-29-14, 09:16 AM
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Question Opinions on this fan's wobble?

Installed a 60" ceiling fan in our master bedroom. It has 4 speed settings - on speeds 1-3 it is perfectly still, but on the highest speed, there's a little bit of wobble.

I confirmed that all the blades were properly attached and even. Then I tried a blade balancing kit, which did not improve things. Also, I called the manufacturer...they said that since the fan was installed on a downrod (I used the 6" one that came with the fan), a small amount of movement is expected.

Since this is my first fan install, would you guys take a look at video of the fan on high? That would at least give me a little peace of mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbkStBmfULc For reference, this is the fan...
Home Decorators Collection McFarland 60 in. Mediterranean Bronze Ceiling Fan-51472 at The Home Depot
 
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Old 05-29-14, 10:29 AM
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It's not a bad wobble and I have seen much worse. If you want to spend the time you can tweak the fan and probably get rid of the wobble. It's up to you if it's worth the effort. Crude balancing will take care of the bulk of wobble at lower rpm's. As the fan speeds get higher the balancing becomes more critical and needs to be more precise. You may also need to adjust the blade track (tips of the blades at same elevation) and tweak the blade angles to get them all at the same pitch.
 
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Old 05-29-14, 10:55 AM
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If your worried about that, come and look at my fans....LOL..

I always fear mine are going to drop and cut someones head off...

Dont worry about it, and get a good nights sleep...
 
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Old 05-29-14, 11:02 AM
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LOL!

Don't know if this is good advice or not but i've taped penny's to the tops of the blades to balance and I've stuck little slivers of wood between the ceiling and fixture to stop wobbling. That usually helps for slight wobbling.
 
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Old 05-29-14, 12:03 PM
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Did you use a fan rated box and how is the box secured? Fan rated boxes generally have mounting posts not ears or two sets of threads the fixture screw threads into. The fixture screws will be 10-24 not 8-32.
 
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Old 05-29-14, 12:46 PM
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Haha, thanks everyone. Figured I was being a bit paranoid, but it never hurts to check.

And, yes, I did use a fan-rated box - the kind that mounts between 2 joists. Made damn sure it was nice and secure before hanging the fan (using the mounting posts, of course).
 
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Old 05-29-14, 02:14 PM
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Then nothing to worry about but as one paranoid to another I would avoid running it on high and no dessert for any family member that does.
 
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Old 05-29-14, 02:35 PM
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and no dessert for any family member that does.
Yikes!! that seems a bit extreme but would be effective
 
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Old 05-29-14, 06:00 PM
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Gee, I feel better about my fan also. It wobbles a lot at 2nd and 3rd speed so I only use it a low speed. But hearing about Lawrosa, maybe it's not so bad.
 
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Old 06-08-14, 06:38 AM
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Wobble does not look that bad to me. If it makes noise due to wobble you have a problem. You can try swapping the blade positions & see if you get lucky & see less wobble. Change blade #1 with #2 etc. Try different combinations to see which gives the least wobble at high speed. I assume you've already tried all different positions of the temporary & permanent weights.

Here is an example of a balancing kit:
Robot Check

You position the clip on a blade & keep trying different positions & different blades till you find the position with the least wobble. Then you place the sticky permanent weight exactly above where the clip was & remove the clip. I've had fans come with several clips & weights of different sizes.

Check this older thread:

http://www.doityourself.com/forum/li...ing-fan.html#b
 
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Old 06-08-14, 07:28 AM
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Would air flow be a factor? Based upon the vaulted ceiling angle. Blades are Closer on one side then the other.

Wobbles in both air flow directions down as well as air flow upward? Not mentioned in what air flow direction. Might be a factor maybe??????
 
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Old 06-08-14, 08:37 AM
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I think Sharp is onto something. Ceiling fans are designed to "stir" the air, not mimic a normal fan that blows air. A fan moving that fast is pushing a lot of volume around and the proximity to the ceiling on one side vs the other will create pressure differences. This could be the cause of the wobble. However, the point should be that I don't think that ceiling fans should be run at that speed for any length of time. Particularly if you can reach up an touch it from the ground.
 
 

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