ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Customer supplied Fans

Dave,
We had some on first floor, with no attic access, and also K&T wiring, and then the customer that has parts missing, or I bought the fan for $49.00 and the Box store man told me i could get someone, for $50 to install it.

LK, most of the houses in my area are less than 30 years old. If a guy takes more than 30 minutes installing a fan, he's too slow. My personal best is to go in a house, install a fan, and be back in the truck with a check in 14 minutes. I had a system that worked well. But all I did was install fans, no outlets, no service upgrades, just fans. In the summer I worked 14 hour days. There's only 1 of my fan stores in the area now, HD put them out of business, otherwise I might still be installing fans.


[This message has been edited by Electric Eagle (edited 10-29-2004).]

It's rare for there to be an existing ceiling fan rated box in this area (even in new construction), so the job entails more than assembling the fan.

Dave

... For the most part,(maybe I've been lucky)..but I've installed alot more "hugger" type fans,..which don't oscillate as if they were installed on a downrod.Knowing me,I'd get suckered into the balancing thing,not so much for the customer,but for my own fastidious tendencies,..I'm very "anal retentive" about my work,and if it don't look or behave right,I HAVE to fix it...It drives my helper crazy..We'll get done trimming out a job,and the truck is all packed up,and ready to go,and I'll go back and make sure the cover plates are straight,and the screws all go vertical....I can't help it.He calls it Obsessive Compulsive Disorder,..Maybe,..but I want it done just right....whats funny is,..I'm a slob at home..
Russ

I think we have a new trivia in the making, Russ. Do the screws go vertically, horizontally, or perfectly torqued regardless of slot position?

Dave

Dave,
Same here almost all the fan jobs we get need a fan support bracket, and then there is the light kit, and patch or cover the ceiling, time to move the table and put down the drop cloth, and remove the old light fixture, there goes 15 minutes.

I never take responsibility for the customer supplied eqpt. T&M only. If they pay me to balance it then I'll guarantee it to stay balanced.

Horizontally, of course. Otherwise they're pointing in the wrong direction.

Seriously, though, how do you balance a fan? I followed the instructions for one in my own home, for an hour. Then, I just turned it off and got drunk.

It takes a real artist to balance a fan, twh.
1). Clip the plastic fake-weight on a blade (call it #1). Turn fan on high. Better or worse wobble??? Turn fan off & slap the blades to stop the fan. Repeat on all blades.
2). Pick the best one (weight on-least wobble) & move the clip forward & back on that blade. Best position gets the real weight.
3). If not perfect...repeat.

An hour is way too long. If it isn't perfect in 5 minutes, turn it off & get drunk.

Dave

Someone from here at ECN asked me in an email to explain how to balance a fan. I really don't know if this can be taught on a message board, but I'll give it a try.

Fan Balancing 101 - Preventing the wobble

1. Don't put the blades on the fan until the motor is hanging. The blade arms tend to get bent, even slightly, when the fan is preassembled on the floor.
2. Make sure the box is secure and the mounting bracket is tight to the ceiling. Correct if needed.
3. Make sure the set screws that hold the ball to the down rod and the rod to the fan are perfectly tight. Also make sure the blades are tight.
4. Avoid using long pullchains as these tend to exaggerate any wobble. Make sure the pullchains don't touch the light kit, if any, to avoid the chain hitting on the glass.

Fan Balancing 102 - Preparation

1. If a fan wobbles, don't just start bending the blade arms! You're just going to make it worse.
2. Throw away the cheap balance kit that comes with most fans. The best is the one that comes with Hunter fans. Save these when you have them left over. The lead tape and those white clips are the best. If you run out of lead tape, a nickle and double stick foam tape will produce the same weight.
3. You need at least 3 of the test clips to balance a fan properly and quickly.

Fan Balancing 201 - Advanced Studies

After doing the steps you learned in Fan Balancing 101 and 102, you're now ready to start balancing.
1. Turn the fan on high and in the down(summer) position. Place your ladder directly under the fan and stand on a step that puts you close to the fan without hitting your head. While the fan is on, observe the amount of wobble.
2. Turn the fan off by pulling the chain or using the remote. You can help stop the blades with your hands if you're careful.
3. Now pick a blade. Mark this blade as your start blade, you may want to number the blades.
4. If the wobble on high was minor, put a test weight on your start blade fairly close to the motor. If the wobble was bad, put the test weight near the end of the start blade away from the motor. Or put the test weight somewhere in the middle for moderate wobble. Turn the fan on and see if the fan is better or worse. If this fixed the problem, put your permanent weight on the top of the blade where your test weight was.
5. If the start blade was not the correct blade, make note of if there was any change, then move to the next blade with the weight in the same position. Repeat this action for every blade. It is important to put the test weight in the same spot on each blade.
6. Now go the blade that produced the best improvement. Try increasing or decreasing the weight by moving the test weight away from the motor or towards the motor. Once you have this blade as good as it will get, leave the test weight in place and try the same procedure on one of the blades next to this blade. If this didn't help try the blade on the other side. When you find a major improvement, leave the test weight in place and try another blade.
7. Once you have your test weights in the proper place to perfectly balance the fan, place permanent weights on the top sides of the blades.

I know this sounds like a time consuming process, but it really doesn't take that long (usually).