Last Updated: August 5, 2022
Our environment exposes us to a cacophony of sounds every day. These sounds form part of our daily lives without knowing the sound levels they produce have detrimental effects on our health.
Fans are an essential appliance for every household since they help in coping with the summer heat.
These fans maintain a comfortable indoor environment by improving air circulation. However, we need fans that can also work silently or with minimal noise. Noisy fans would only destroy your cooling experience.
Read on if you want to know how to make a fan quieter.
The Benefits Of A Quieter Environment
A peaceful environment enhances concentration, improves performance, and allows brain functions to be at their peak. Such conditions encourage relaxation, resulting in psychological and emotional benefits.
With that in mind, a quieter fan that remains adept at optimal airflow distribution makes a good investment.
While it is true that noise from a ceiling fan will not lead to a critical illness yet, it could disrupt the body's natural rhythm. Even a computer fan or a laptop fan makes noise, but only a few notice it.
Daily exposure to excessive noise can impact our health and overall well-being. So, before buying a room fan, consider how it will complement your home aesthetics, and it should operate free of undesirable noise.
Different Types Of Fans
Getting yourself familiar with measuring sounds and various fan noise reduction techniques will help as you try to learn how to make the fan quieter.
Fans are mechanical units acting as pillars of ventilation systems, circulating air with the pressure drop between the fan and the vents.
Room fan’s primary varieties are the following:
- Axial fans are propeller-like units that have rotating blades around a fixed axis. Such fans draw air parallel to the axis, compelling the air out in the opposite direction. An axial room fan is suitable for air exhaust and long ventilation systems with high air resistance.
- Centrifugal fans are an excellent alternative to industrial fans; they work by increasing incoming airflow pressure with a fan wheel. These fans are well-suited for high-pressure applications, like what air conditioner units use.
Fans nowadays have various sizes and designs. You need to know how each of them can serve your needs and here are the popular varieties of them:
Ceiling Fan
The most common ventilation system in most households is ceiling fans. As its name implies, the centermost part of a room's ceiling is the typical mounting location for such ventilation systems.
An average ceiling fan produces a noise level ranging from 60dB to 70dB, which experts describe as a reasonable, tolerable sound to human ears.
Fun Fact 1: Fans are susceptible to "clicking" or "tac-tac-tac" sounds. You could quiet them by knowing how to stop a ceiling fan from clicking to stop this irritating noise from recurring!
Fun Fact 2: If your ceiling fans are producing so much noise and there is no remedy for it, then replace them with high-quality ultra quiet ceiling fans for your peace of mind!
Desk Fan
Due to their compact design, desk fans are well-known among most people; you can place such fans on a flat surface or on the ground.
A desk fan's noise can be around 40dB, making it a better option for home and office environments.
Tower Fan
These fans are tall and slim ventilating units typical in most small-sized residential and commercial spaces for their space-saving designs. Many of its users place such fans in corners and narrow areas where these appliances won't cause an obstruction.
Noise levels from a tower fan vary depending on the speed settings, ranging from 51db to 62db for the lowest and highest settings.
Pedestal Fan
A pedestal or stand fan is a tall oscillating unit with an adjustable height. Although it is slightly comparable to tower fans, pedestal fans are more powerful to ensure maximum air distribution.
Such fans can take up considerable floor space; they have similar noise levels as the tower fans, depending on the model.
Fun Fact: You could purchase the quietest pedestal fan on the market to save yourself from tolerating pedestal fan noise!
Floor Fan
Floor fans are powerful ventilating units at floor level, well-suited for sizable areas and open spaces, such as terraces, patios, and balconies. Most users opt for a floor fan if wall-mounted units are not feasible and if they prefer the convenience of placing it anywhere.
The typical noise that floor fans produce is around 30 to 70 dB, depending on the fan motor, blade movement, and fan speed.
Inline Fan
Inline fans transport air from the inside of the home to the outside through the ductwork. Such fans are primarily remote-controlled units and come in various configurations suitable for boosting air duct circulation.
The noise level from inline fans depends on the fan design and placement, among other factors, and they can be too loud for indoor settings.
SoundProof Tip: We placed this section early on this part of the article because this is related to another post we wrote that involves a noisy fan. Kindly continue reading below and then return here to apply what you have learned -- Dryer Making Grinding Noise: 10 Machine Parts To Inspect.
Discovering How To Make A Fan Quiet
Here are some things you should consider when planning how to make a fan quiet while in use:
1. Get Rid Of Dust And Debris
Your fan traps abrasive particles from the dust-laden air as you use it. These particles can cause interference in the fan's motor and its moving parts, compromising the unit's efficiency and performance.
As such, cleaning the entire fan regularly, at least once a month, or depending on how often you use it is necessary.
You can make your room fan quieter if you dust off all dirt it accumulates while in use. Dust buildup can clog its internal mechanism resulting in unwanted sounds. Ensure that you unplug the unit from the power source before you disassemble its parts to clean it.
Secure the screws properly, so you don't lose them, and spray a can of compressed air on the blades to loosen the dirt. You may use a dusting brush to remove the remaining dust, cleaning the motor, fan blades, and other parts.
2. Avoid Hard, Uneven Surfaces
Placing your fan on uneven surfaces can also cause it to produce unnecessary sounds. Assess your room and consider your needs to help you decide the fan type to choose and where to place it before purchasing a fan.
Your choice of fan placement is vital in its overall performance and will help prevent the unit from making unwanted sounds.
Putting the fan near a window helps remove stale air and draw in the fresh air while regulating the room's hot temperature. It improves the fan's efficiency when there are no obstructions in front of the blades.
Lastly, place the fan in a stable, level area that can balance its weight and ensure the unit is not too close to a surface. Resting the fan on hard surfaces can also cause it to generate noise.
3. Check For Loose Parts
Since fans come with moving parts, if any mechanical parts are not correctly connected, you will hear the unit making noise while in use. Inspect the fan guards, housing, and emblem thoroughly since any loose components can yield rattling sounds.
Cracked welds and loose joints or fittings will cause these parts to vibrate while the fan is in motion, hence, the noise.
The fan casing supports the motor, so you need to ensure it is secured to prevent vibrations. If you find any loose components, tighten them and use duct tape to secure such parts, keeping them together so they won't rattle and create sounds.
4. Ensure Well-Balanced Fan Blades
Aside from having the fan and its parts clean, check to see that the blades are also well-aligned. An unbalanced blade alignment will result in whirring noises as the fan rotates.
Ensure that none of the fan blades' bottom parts touch the surface beneath, and check if they are bent.
Proper blade alignment enables the fan to run smoothly and without any noise. Remove the blade hub to conduct a thorough inspection of the blades; you can try to straighten out bent parts if they are metallic.
Nonetheless, since all fans come with specific instructions, it will be more helpful to make it your handy reference in ensuring proper balance.
5. Use Regular Speed Switch For Ceiling Fans
For ceiling fan users, the best way to mount the fan is to isolate it from the ceiling joist rather than directly mount it. Doing such or adding several insulation layers will prevent ceiling fan noise.
Your best bet is to fortify your ceiling to prevent sound waves from traveling through the walls.
Check the chain's length if your fan utilizes a pulley system to control the speed settings. The chain might be too long, so it keeps hitting the blades when the fan wobbles, creating noise.
Likewise, you may opt for a regular speed switch, as the dimmer switch is more prone to generating an electrical sound. When you use dimmer switches to control fan speed, it is typical to hear a hum from the fan while rotating.
Moreover, your fan is more prone to having receiver defects if you're using a remote control. Ensure that a receiver in good condition is in place as defective ones also make noise.
6. Secure Motor Casing
A part of effectively planning how to make a fan quieter is checking the motor casing. Out-of-place blades and housing will cause noise and increased susceptibility to wear and tear.
Since most fan housings have all the necessary wiring, it might be more practical and safer to acquire professional assistance in replacing them.
If the motor is the one with a problem, getting a replacement is the only suitable solution. Sometimes, you only need to re-adjust the housing, then check if the fan still makes noise. Before considering a replacement, it's only practical to check these things first.
7. Lubricate The Fan Motor
You can avoid having a noisy fan if you regularly check that the motor and bearings are well-lubricated. Using your fan for quite some time, you can expect its parts to get old and rusty.
If you fail to lubricate crucial parts of your fan, they will start rubbing after each other and cause vibrations.
Aside from the noise, such friction will compromise the fan's overall performance; rotating gets more challenging until the motor is inoperable. Lastly, use only high-quality oil or lubricants to avoid the risk of damaging your fan's motor.
8. Utilize A Soundproofing Material
Several soundproofing methods might come in handy as you try to eliminate your room fan's noise. While such techniques may not eliminate the unwanted sounds a hundred percent, they will at least minimize the distractions.
There are ways to reduce acoustic energy when high noise levels are inevitable.
You may try mounting the fan on a soft material, such as rugs or carpets since these materials can absorb your fan's sound. However, using sound-damping materials effectively but not entirely absorbs noise energy.
9. Check Fan Cushioning
If you've been using the fan for a while now, it might be that its base has poor support. If the fan is running quietly on a cushioned surface, the rattling sound could be due to an uneven surface.
You cannot repair a worn-out cushion, so immediately get a replacement for it when that happens.
Cushioning the pressure vibration can significantly minimize the sound. To check if your fan cushioning is still optimal, it's that barrier-like pad between the motor and the blades, where the blade hub touches the motor pin.
10. Use Proper Duct Size
You can try using a duct adaptor if the motor is well-lubricated, the bathroom fan is clean, and it still makes noise. Some homeowners have narrow-sized ducts, which tend to yield a sound with high-air pressure.
If using a larger-sized and straight duct for your bathroom fans is not possible, try to enlarge the opening of narrow ductwork and avoid that buzz.
Getting an adaptor is your next best option, as that could help in silencing bathroom fans. However, adaptor installation might be trickier and would require professional help if your ductwork is inaccessible, like in the ceiling, for instance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to quiet a fan for your computer?
The CPU fan and the hard disk are common culprits for the unwanted noise in computers. You can keep that rattling noise at bay by dusting off any buildup and keeping your device cool. Replacing your fan housing may also eliminate the vibrating noise.
Expect to hear noise when your device is overheating as the CPU fan will run at full speed to prevent damage to your PC components. Cooling pads might also come in handy if you're a laptop user.
Can blade count help achieve a noise-free fan?
Consider the fan blade quantity if you're looking to make a fan operate in silence. Having more blades allows better distribution of acoustic energy into several frequencies; hence, there's a natural balance in airflow.
As a result, the fan circulates less air, and with optimal balance, you will benefit from less ambient noise. For the same reason, experts recommend bladeless fans as the quietest, giving the Dyson Fan an advantage for those looking for a quiet fan.
What causes my standing fan to make noise?
While a noisy ceiling fan is the concern of some users, others find the squeaking noise of their standing fans troublesome. Dust buildup, loose screws, and a broken or misaligned blade may prevent you from having your standing room fan quieter.
Check that you also place your stand fan on a level surface and have a well-lubricated fan motor. Lubricating your fan bearings is also necessary to have the quietest fan possible.
How to make a box fan quieter?
An operating box fan at high speed can make noise. However, you can avoid such disturbances by ensuring that you dust off the fan motor regularly. You may also inspect your box fan for well-attached blades, try to lessen the speed, and use an isolation pad.
Conclusion
Fans are helpful in many industrial, building, and household applications, providing necessary ventilation, but they can cause some noise. Such noise can result from a broken or loose fan cage, accumulated dust, fan motor, and other factors affecting noise reflection and absorption.
It's good that finding out how to make a fan quieter is not as challenging as others perceive. There are several noise reduction methods that we can try depending on our needs.
Choosing the right fan design and proper installation is crucial, and you may also opt to utilize an outlet or inlet fan silencer. All these are essential factors in making a room fan quieter.