Ceiling fan wobble

[Peabody]

I have two Hunter T-type model 28016 ceiling fans in my new condo. They appear to date ftom 2001. One works fine at all three speeds, but the other one wobbled signifcsntly at medium and high. And it didn't feel like it was mounted as solidly as the good fan. So today I took it down and re-did all the mounting stuff. I also checked in the attic, and found a

2X4, with a metal electrical box undermeath, nailed between two ceiling joists, It all felt very solid.

There are two screws mounting the mounting bracket to the metal box, and two srews mounting the fan canopy to the mounting bracket. All four screws are in line, which doesn't seem to be a good idea, and in fact the wobble has a definite direction, which is perpendicular to the mounting screw line, but parallel to the 2X4. The one thing I noticed was that they had looped the bare ground wire around one of the bracket mounting screws before tightening it down. Copper being soft, it was no longer tight. So I used a different grounding option, and made sure all the mounting screws were tight.

So after getting everything back in place, I found that it now works fine on low and medium, but still wobbles on high. Any attempt to balance it just makes it worse, or makes it wobble on medium. It seems the culprit here has to be related in some way to the mounting system, but still, it seems if it was balanced, it wouldn't wobble anyway. Actually,the fan hangs from a down rod, with a ball at the top that just rests in an opening in the mounting canopy. So it's not at all rigid.

Medium is going to be good enough, but I just wondered if I'm missing something. I thought I would ask here while I still have the step ladder in the bedroom.

[Clare Snyder]

Check "tracking" and "pitch" If tracking and / or pitch are off it WILL wobble at one speed or another (if not all) A paper shim under one blade mounting screw can changetracking by up to 1/4 inch!!

[Peabody]

I checked that in the beginning and it looked good. But I'll check again. One thing I noticed since posting is that the wobble is less if I reverse the fan direction. So maybe there's a leading edge problem. Anyway, I understand that there could be a weigth imbalance, but there could also be some kind of aerodynamic imbalance that shows up at higher speeds.

[micky]

What kind of attempt do you mean? I'd tape a penny to the top of one of the blades. Since it was built to be balanced, a penny might be too much, and I don't know if you'll be able to tell if it wobbles in the opposite way. Maybe a paper clip, or just a piece of heavy tape. But of course knowing which blade to tape it to is another problem. And distance from the center. Trial and error.

Did anything little ever fall off. Anything under the bed that could have come from the fan?

[Marilyn Manson]

I don't know the quality of the fan you have, but the ball-topped down rod is very common these days. It is designed so that the fan will hang straight down even if the ceiling and/or ceiling bracket is not level. IOW that type of mount, properly installed has a better chance of eliminating wobble than introducing it.

There is typically a notch on the ball and a tab on the socket. The tab should fit snuggly into the notch to ensure that ball doesn't move around.

[Peabody]

I think the fan is pretty good quality. and it was my assumption that the down rod shouldn't be the problem. If the blades are balanced by weight, and there are no aerodynamic imbalances, it shouldn't wobble even if there's nothing really preventing it from wobbling. But I just can't anyting wrong to fix. And it does now run at medium with no wobble. So I don't know what's going on.

Well, remember that this is a 2001 fan, so they are probably doing down rods better these days. The ball on this one actually fit into the opening at the bottom of the canopy. I think modern versions have the ball socket as part of the mounting frame. And yes, there are little tabs on the ball that fit into tracks in the opening. But as I said originally, I have the same model fan in another room, and it works fine at all speeds. However, that one does just seem more solid when I try to move it around. The ball doesn't move as much. Even so, if eveything is balanced, it shouldn't wobble.

[DUBS]

I'd be curious to know how you fixed it - if/when you ever do.

[Peabody]

I will cetainly report back if that ever happens, but I have officially given up and moved the step ladder back to the garage. I'll have a handyman over sometime to do a few things, and will ask him if he has any ideas. But my guess is it's just gonna stay wobbly on high - for whatever reason.

[Marilyn Manson]

"Wobbly" and "high". 2 words that go together very well. DAMHIKT