Buzzing Ceiling Fan

[ZildjianB]

I recently installed new ceiling fans in four rooms in our new house. Three of the installations went perfectly; however, one of the fans is emitting a buzzing noise. The fan is controlled by two light switches--one for the lights and one for the fan blades. The fan buzzes when the fan blades are engaged and stops immediately after the switch is turned off. The lights seem to work fine. I installed a fan identical to this one in one of the other rooms and do not get the buzzing noise. Could this be a wiring issue or does my fan have a bad motor? Any other thoughts? Thanks for your help in advance.

[John Nelson]

Is a dimmer switch involved anywhere? Does it buzz on all speeds? What brand is the fan?

[ZildjianB]

Is a dimmer switch involved anywhere? Does it buzz on all speeds? What brand is the fan?
Thanks for the quick response, John. No dimmer switch is involved... just an ordinary light switch. Yes, it seems to buzz at high, medium, and low speeds. The fan brand is Huntington. I'll look for the exact model incase that helps...

EDIT: Whoops... The fan brand is Hampton Bay. The model is 42" Landmark Plus (547 578).

[John Nelson]

You could have a bad motor. But before you take the fan back, consider that the buzz might be caused by something loose in the light kit. Without sticking your hand in the fan blades, touch various parts of the lamp while the fan is running to see if it affects the noise.

Since there is no dimmer, it's probably not an electrical problem.

[ZildjianB]

Thanks again for the quick reply, John. It definitely seems to be an electronic 'buzzing' noise. The light kit doesn't seem to be rattling around any, not does any other part of the fan. Guess we'll have to try talking Home Depot into exchanging this for us since we trashed the boxes (along with the rest of the moving supplies) a bit prematurely.

[John Nelson]

Does this fan seem to shake any more than the others? Did you install it as a ceiling hugger, without a downrod? Or with a very short downrod? Sometimes when the blades are close to the ceiling, you get a weird wind noise. Is it a very small room?

[chado]

Thanks for this post - and this incredible forum! I have just completed installation of a Hunter fan - Stratford II model, and have the same exact "symptoms" you describe. I have installed about 5 fans prior to this one, and I have never had this problem before. I have tried the wiring with one switch, two switches and with a remote control, and the buzzing sounds exactly the same.

Interestingly, as I was checking the wire connections, with the circuit off, I got zapped! :eek: I did not know that could happen!

Chad

[John Nelson]

You cannot get zapped with the circuit off. So clearly, it wasn't off.

[ZildjianB]

Hey John, thanks for the continued help. The fan doesn't seem to shake at all. It was installed with the standard downrod that it came with (pretty small). I have the same model fan installed in another bedroom that is about the same size, so I am not sure room size is a problem. Any other thoughts you have are welcome.

[NAVIGATOR]

This won't fix the buzz but will help with the return.
Go buy the same fan and try it out without trashing the box, if it works okay put the old fan in the new box and return it.

[ZildjianB]

Thanks for the idea, Navigator. We'll keep that trick up our sleeve in case we need it!

[John Nelson]

Please don't returning it without telling the store that it's defective. Nobody else wants to go through the same pain you did.

[ZildjianB]

Agreed, John. In either case we will let them know that it is defective.