Ceiling Fans
Routine Care Task
Clean and examine
An out-of-balance or under-lubricated ceiling fan increases the wear on the fans motor, which shortens its service life.
An out of balance ceiling fan can also lead to safety hazards, such as loosening electrical wiring, or even the entire fan falling down.
Priority
Timing: March (yearly)
NOTE: The tasks and timings shown here for your Ceiling Fans are based on a single-family home located in Massachusetts with a default set of home care goals and priorities.
If you setup your Home-Wizard personal home manager for a different location with different home care goals, your recommended home care program can have different tasks and timings for your {home feature}.
How To
Clean dust from the blades of the ceiling fan. Then, while the fan is operating, examine the ceiling fan. The middle of the fan should be almost completely still while it is spinning, and should not appear to be "wobbling".
If it is out of balance, this can be corrected with a "balancing kit" available from most hardware stores.
Regarding lubricating your ceiling fan, it depends on which brand / type of ceiling fan that you have. Some ceiling fans have "maintenance-free double sealed ball bearings" that never require oiling. Other ceiling fans have a small "oil hole" above the motor. To find this oil hole, you should ensure that the fan is turned off, stand on something very sturdy, and then check for the oil hole on the top portion of the motor. If it has such an oil hole, then add 4-6 drops of light machine oil (e.g., “3-in-One” oil) to lubricate the motor.
If possible, you might want to check with your fan manufacturer's website to see if they have a specific maintenance guide for your particular ceiling fan.
Helpful Accessories
Solves wobbling and squeaking fan
consumer reviews, choices, prices
Benefits
The benefits of this task are moderate, in that it can extend the useful life of your ceiling fan and help ensure its safe operation.
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Maintaining Value
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Avoiding Unscheduled Repairs
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Health & Safety
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Appearance
Costs
The cost of this task is moderately low. It is estimated that this task should only take about 30 minutes per ceiling fan to complete. You will need a ladder, mild cleaner, some light lubricating oil, .and potentially a balancing kit if the fan is found to be out of balance.