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The Ceiling Fan Is Clicking: Here’s What to Do

You’re lying in your bed in the middle of the night, enjoying the cool breeze that your fan creates. It might feel enjoyable to you, but there is just one small problem: your ceiling fan is clicking, and it is driving you crazy. Whether the clicking sound bothers you all night long or haunts you during the day in your home office, it can certainly be a distracting nuisance.

Why does my ceiling fan click? Many homeowners find themselves scratching their heads over what the issue could be. After all, their ceiling fan clicking noise didn’t always exist. Here are a few reasons why your ceiling fan is making a clicking noise and how to make it stop.

Bent fan blade

If your ceiling fan is making a clicking noise, the first thing you need to do is put the fan through its paces. Do you find the same sound when the fan runs on every speed? Give it a little time for you to see whether it happens equally at both low speed and high speed.

If the ceiling fan clicking is consistent, then you likely have a fan blade that is bent slightly upward. The sound you hear is the blade hitting the bottom of the ceiling fan housing. Learning how to fix a ceiling fan that clicks, for this reason, is simple: bend the blade back into place. That should be sufficient to solve your problem without the need for any other intervention.

Loose component

A loose piece could be a problem for your ceiling fan. In addition to the ceiling fan clicking, it may also produce similar sounds, such as humming. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to determine whether your fan has a loose component. The only way to be sure is to climb up on your step ladder and check each component individually.

Pay particular attention to the box in the ceiling. However, it could also be caused by loose globes, lightbulbs, or other attachments. Tighten screws one by one, and hopefully one of them will be the culprit of your ceiling fan clicking noise. After you tighten a particularly loose screw, you can take a break from working to turn the fan back on and check to see if the clicking is gone.

Loose fan blade

If you hear the same clicking sound during every revolution, but the blades aren’t bent, there’s a good chance that the sound is caused by loose fan blades. Start by tightening up these screws before moving onto the hardware on the fan housing. It may save you a good bit of time if you can narrow down which parts are actually causing the ceiling fan to make a clicking noise.

One good way to kill two birds with one stone is to clean your fan blades. This is a chore that often gets forgotten, but it can significantly improve the air quality of your home. Make the most of your time by correcting your clicking ceiling fan and do a little cleaning simultaneously.

Climb up on your step ladder with a moist microfiber towel and wipe the dust off the top of your fan blades. While you’re doing this, be sure to give each one a wiggle. This lets you know immediately if you need to tighten the screws sustaining this particular blade. Just because you find one loose fan blade doesn’t mean you should stop. Test each fan blade and tighten screws as necessary before turning the fan back on to test whether the clicking sound has disappeared.

The basics of repair

Before you attempt to make any repairs to a ceiling fan that clicks, you should make sure that you’re starting on the right foot. It should go without saying, but you do need to turn the fan off before making any repairs. This is the best way to avoid injury.

Attempting to adjust the fan with the electricity still running can also damage the fan and your wiring. While some people are tempted to try to “jolt” the fan back into alignment, this rarely works and is likely to cause far more damage. You may end up with new noises such as humming, grinding, or rubbing in addition to the clicking sound.

Use caution and common sense when you are following these simple remedies for how to fix a ceiling fan that clicks. These two things, when paired with a simple set of tools, should be everything you need to correct your clicking ceiling fan.

Understanding why my ceiling fan clicks

Many homeowners find themselves wondering why their ceiling fans are keeping them up at night. It’s an unpleasant experience at best, but it can be seriously problematic at worst. Fortunately, correcting a ceiling fan that is clicking can be done on your own without the help of a professional electrician.

Pay attention to the type of clicking that your fan is making. This often gives you the biggest clue about which of these three causes it could be. Each of these fixes should take just minutes out of your busy day, but the reward is definitely worthwhile. Get your toolbox ready and solve this annoying problem for good!

Allison