Ceiling Fans Hum

9 years ago

We have 17 feet high ceilings in our family room with two ceiling fans mounted on either side of an iron chandelier, the room is about 22 feet long. The fans are on extension poles so that they are about 5 feet lower than ceiling height. They are on a dimmer type switch to control the speed. They look nice, work well, but they hum.
We have three other fans in the house (we live in the south, ceiling fans are a staple) two are quiet and one is also making a loud humming. This didn't just happen, they have always done this but now we are sleeping in the guest room with master bedroom work going on and it's sort of driving me crazy. They are not really cheap fans except for one but why do some hum and others not? The fan in the guest room is almost too annoying to be able to use at night. Conversely, the one in the master bedroom is completely silent. Does the cost of the fan make a difference with this or is something else the problem? I am considering replacing the one in the guest room so my company can have a better rest but if that won't make any difference I don't want to waste the money. Have you ever had a problem with your ceiling fans humming? Our house was newly built some years ago and the wiring was done by professionals not by us. An electrician just charged me $377 to move an outlet down about 12 inches behind my washer so I don't want to call one if he is going to tell me it's nothing! Thanks for any help or advise you might have.

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Comments (10)

graywings123
9 years ago
The Electrical Wiring forum and/or the Home Repair forum may have posters who might know the answer. For starters, do a search on the Electrical Wiring forum with the word hum.
busybee3
9 years ago
i can't read all of your post because some of it is blocked by the garden web ads on the right...(i don't know why this hapens sometimes, but i can't collapse the ads when it does...)
but, i think your asking if the hum is an electrical or hanging problem--- i don't think so. i think maybe it's the type of motor some companys use?? some ceiling fans are just quieter than others--- i use casblanca fans in my bedroom because each one i've had has been very quiet and i need it quiet to fall aleep!
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Sounds as if the fan runs 24/7. Definitely different from my usage pattern-- to each his own. And running in the living room while you are sleeping in the bedroom? My hearing is quite poor and if I heard the fan, I might rejoice for a while. After all, many things are a matter of perspective. To a worm, digging in the dirt is more relaxing than is going fishing. But guesses are all I have. Perhaps the bearings are just worn out. Perhaps the accumulation of dust on the top of the blades is uneven and has upset the balance of the assembly. Perhaps the screws holding the fan to the ceiling box have worked loose and need tightening.
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Hello Susan, Greg here, I am one of the ceiling fan experts at Hansen Wholesale. I have been selling ceiling fans for nearly 30 years now and as a test, I put the Minka Aire Concept II in my daughters bedroom, and the Emerson Curva Sky in my small home office. Both rooms are about 10 x 10. They are both 3 blade flush mount fans that are quite similar in style and price range. I prefer the Emerson Curva Sky because it is a bit less heavy looking and runs quieter due to the blade design. It also comes with a 6 speed controller compared to the 3 speeds of the Minka fan. It is also in the same price range. So, I prefer the Emerson fan over the Minka fan. Emerson has been making ceiling fans since 1895, Minka Aire is a recent company about 20 years old now. Both are good brands, but I prefer Emerson for the longevity. I used the 44" fans in these rooms, but if your room is any bigger than 10 x 10 you should use the 52" versions since they move a lot more air. Both versions were upgraded this year to include an LED light and have an "L" in the model number. The previous year's models have a Halogen light. So make sure you get the "L" version Here are pictures and links to the white versions, although they are available in other finishes: Notice the Curva Sky is less bulky CF152LWW: Emerson Curva Sky 52" CF144LWW: Emerson Curva Sky 44" F518LWH: Minka Aire Concept II 52" F519LWH: Minka Aire Concept II 44" I am happy to respond to further questions: Greg Tillotson Ceiling Fan Expert Hansen Wholesale https://www.hansenwholesale.com
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Thanks again. I did review a number of options before posting here for review by the big guns. :) I know some people love the remotes, but personally, I prefer simplicity and control via switches. A remote is one more thing to lose and/or have "hidden" by young children! And yes, our current switches are rotary-style combo setups (two knobs per switch) that control both lights and the fan - there are two settings for lights (low or high) and three speed settings for the fan - each controlled by its respective rotary knob. I've found plenty of switches that control both fan and offer dimming for lights - but all are rated for halogens or incandescents. It's just odd, and I wonder why. I did try a "dimmable" candelabra LED in our current fan/dimmer switch setup - it flickered badly on the low setting. I think some dimmable LED bulbs are okay with newer incandescent dimmers (per happy reviews from folks like JMVD), whereas other LEDs - even those rated dimmable - are more finicky. I won't beat a dead horse. I just wondered if anyone knew of combo switches rated for LEDs that I might have overlooked, or if there was a compelling reason for why they don't seem to exist yet. Maybe we'll try a Maestro switch though, and experiment. Thanks again!
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
turn on a radio.. some really horrible music.. until you think your head will explode ... and then turn it off.. and enjoy the white noise of the fans??? ... lol ..

could be the dimmer switch ... but i am no electrician ...

ALL fans hum ... it just depends how quiet the house is ...

i think you nailed it on the head .. when you indicated that you moved rooms ... its not that it all mysteriously started .. perhaps its just that you hear it .... like my grandfather clock ... it chimes every 15 mins ... but i rarely hear it..

do check with the forums listed above.. but before you go spending hundreds on an electrician who will need scaffolding to get up there ..... perhaps if you give it a week or so.. it will disappear into the white noise of the hosue ...like it did before...

of course.. words fail on some level .. and i am thinking some very subtle humm... if we are talking vacuum cleaner hum ... time to spend money for safety sake ...

ken
User
9 years ago
Sounds like more of a motor issue than electrical wiring.

These home builders buy fixtures in huge quantities from manufacturers, and I hate to say it, but to save money (i.e.: increase profit), what they usually do is hand off cheap stuff . These are items which, if you're building a home, are probably best left to the homeowner to purchase.
cat_ky
9 years ago
Here is a link about ceiling fans humming. Hopefully, it will help you with the one you already have.

Here is a link that might be useful: ceiling fan hum
dedtired
9 years ago
Does the tone of the hum go up and down with the speed of the fan? Then it would seem that the problem is with in the fan itself. Just a thought. I hear the whooshing sound made by my fan in my bedroom but it does not bother me.

This post was edited by dedtired on Sun, May 25, 14 at 11:46
cat_mom
9 years ago
Don't know if this applies, but it could be the dimmer switch requirements for the particular fan(s) weren't met?

The Casablanca Fan in our bedroom has its own remote control, so no need for a dimmer switch (we did hook it up to a switch last year when we reno'd the bedroom so we could turn on/off power to the fan to reset the remote after power failures more easily--rather than turning off the circuit in the garage).

The Matthews Fan in our kitchen required no lower than a certain amperage on the dimmer switch. We had to "de-rate" the dimmer/switch because it is "ganged" with three other light switches, and this really narrowed our choice of dimmers.
sloyder
9 years ago
sounds to me like the fan motor. I have hunter fans, and they are really quiet.
User
9 years ago
Chasing the hum can be annoying, but ... check for loose stuff.

1 - Check the fan blades for loose screws
2 - Re-do the wire connections leading to the motor
3 - Make sure the lights are screwed in snugly
4 - Make sure the shades are attached snugly
5 - tighten any screws you find holding the housing together

If it only shows when the lights are dimmed, it's the filaments in the bulbs. Try a different bulb style

If all else fails, replace the fan. AC motors can develop a hum that starts in the windings and can't be removed.
gr8daygw
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you all very much for the helpful info. I will check with the electrical forum as well. It's equally quiet in the house so it's definitely a difference in the fans. Some really great information here that I will follow up on. Also thanks for the recommendation of fans that are nearly silent. I'm such a light sleeper that the smallest annoyance seems to keep me awake, I even wear earplugs! Thanks so much again. As always, GW readers offer great advice and help.

@Cat_KY Thank you for that E-How article link. That was very interesting especially linking to other information on the site. I watched a couple of the videos and the one "How to stop that annoying hum in ceiling fans" was very interesting. Thanks so much!

This post was edited by gr8day on Tue, May 27, 14 at 10:54

Ceiling Fans Hum

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Ceiling Fans Hum

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