Many brands of ceiling fans require maintenance from time to time which includes oiling. The only Hunter fan that requires any oil is the Classic Original and that is once every 5-10 years. The following general guide below is for other ceiling fans but do check the manufacturer’s instructions and guidance to be sure.
The moment you hear your ceiling fan make this grinding, squeaking sound and notice the slight change of speed on its spinning (like speeding down of its spin), is the same moment when you have to oil your fan.
Oiling your fan is important because:
- It lengthens the life of your fan.
- Reduces the risk of incidents like burning motor and worse, falling of the entire fan
Whether you own a fan that requires regular oiling or one that has a built-in oiling system on it, you still need to be aware of how to manually oil your fan. Even those with the built-in oil mechanism needs to be oiled sooner or later.
To oil your fan, be sure to have the following:
- Step ladder
- Paper towels
- WD 40 degreaser or cleaner in an aerosol can with a straw
- Non-detergent motor oil (comes in the balancing kit of your package – or you could purchase one from hardware stores)
And now the steps:
- Climb up the step ladder to get access to your ceiling fan
- On your fan’s motor, locate the oil hole. This is usually near the down rod and is labeled.
- Spray the WD 40 degreaser on the whole via straw. This will loosen up possible grime that has stuck on the bearings. Spray thoroughly and allow it an hour or two to evaporate.
- Once it has dried, prepare one or two ounces of oil and pour it in the oil reservoir.
- Spin the rotor by manually rotating the blades. Allow the fan to spin for several turns.
- Now get more oil and pour it to the reservoir until it’s full.
There you have it! A step by step guide to oiling your ceiling fan. You will have to do this process again in no time so make sure that you prepare a spare set of the materials we listed above. You’ll never know when your ceiling fan will need oiling again.
Take note that the steps mentioned works for fans with oil hole. Those which don’t have any like in the case of fans with built-in oil system, you will have to pour the oil on the seams of the motor to see if it works.
If it doesn’t then you will need to contact a professional to help you with it. Remember, all types of fans need oiling. No exceptions.
Aside from oiling in order to extend the life of your fan, you also need to clean your ceiling fan at a daily basis. Even if you oil it, if the outside part of the fan is still susceptible to damage then it will defeat the purpose of why you’re even oiling it.
Start by dusting your fan once a week using feather dusters to avoid scratches on the blades. Conduct a thorough cleaning once a month or once every two months depending on the workload of your fan.
When was the last time you cleaned your fan? Is it working fine now?
Share to us your experience!
