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Ceiling fan · Repair Copilot

Ceiling fan wobbles

A wobbling ceiling fan is almost never dangerous wiring — it's usually unbalanced blades, loose screws, or a mount that worked itself loose. Left alone it gets worse and rattles the box. Show SightLine the fan and a licensed-electrician persona walks you through balancing it, with the power off before you touch the canopy.

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Steps to fix ceiling fan wobbles

  1. Turn the fan off and let it stop completely before inspecting anything.
  2. Check every blade screw and the screws holding the blade brackets to the motor — a single loose screw causes most wobble; snug them all.
  3. Measure each blade tip to the ceiling; a blade sitting lower or higher than the rest is bent — gently level it or swap the blade set.
  4. Clip a balancing weight (or a bit of tape) to the top of one blade at a time to find the one that smooths it out, then fix the weight there.
  5. Turn off power at the breaker, then check that the mounting bracket and the fan-rated electrical box are tight to the ceiling joist — a fan needs a fan-rated box, not a standard one.
  6. If the box itself is loose in the ceiling or isn't fan-rated, stop and have a licensed electrician mount it properly.

Safety first: if a step calls for gas, a main water or sewer line, a service panel or main breaker, or a sealed refrigerant system, stop and call a licensed pro — Repair Copilot will tell you when you're there.