Living above a noisy ceiling fan.

April 28, 2009 1:15 PM

My downstairs neighbor's ceiling fan is making my apartment vibrate. What can I do?

Do I have any options, aside from turning my stereo up? I can feel it through the soles of my feet, it makes a loud hum and is driving me crazy... Can my landlord add some foam or something, between the fan and the ceiling? Is there anything reasonable I can ask him to do? This is an old brownstone.

Thanks for any help!

posted by cgs to home & garden (5 comments total)

The fan vibrates because it isn't properly balanced. There are weights that can be attached to the blades and a method of determining the placement. The landlord or a handyman or you or the neighbor are the candidates for doing it.

The vibration is potentially harmful, could crack plaster and shorten the life of the fan (could even loosen it and fall!) ... So the landlord should have an incentive to fix it.

See: http://www.hansenwholesale.com/ceilingfans/fanfaqs.asp
posted by danascot at 1:24 PM on April 28 [1 favorite has favorites]

Ask the landlord to fix it. If he doesn't, won't or can't, can you try to get the neighbor to compromise with a window fan?
posted by motsque at 1:32 PM on April 28

Make sure you talk to the neighbour...90% of times people are helpful in these situations. At least he/she might turn the ceiling fan off, especially if he/she knows that it's potentially damaging the ceiling and the fan.

I only say this because I have an aversion to talking to neighbours when there's a problem, but when I do the experience is almost always positive (and if it isn't, it gives you more ammunition to take to the landlord).
posted by hiteleven at 1:51 PM on April 28

Poorly balanced fans might swing back and forth, and might even clunk rhythmically, but they don't hum. I'm wondering whether he's got it hooked to a dimmer switch that's intended for a light fixture. I don't really understand the electronics, but I do know that speed controls for motors are very different animals from light dimmers. I also think I know that using a light dimmer to control electric motor speed can damage the motor. If I'm right about that, then the neighbor has a solid incentive to replace the dimmer with a proper speed control.
posted by jon1270 at 2:12 PM on April 28

Thanks for the advice. The noise is pretty uniform... it sounds like when the compressor is on in your fridge. There isn't any see-sawing or "yunga yunga yunga", so I wonder if it is actually unbalanced.

These apartments get really hot, so I don't think asking him to not use it will work... asking him to switch to a window fan: that will take some serious balls on my part ;-)

Maybe I'll invite my landlord up and let him listen to it...
posted by cgs at 6:17 PM on April 28