Replacing Cheap and Nasty Clack Clack Clack Overhead Fans

[carlyai]

When we built the house I installed all these overhead fans that work but make various nouses like: clack clack clack, tick tick tick and DAK DAK DAK.

One also has to be sitting under the fan to get a breeze, and with the temperatures in Isaan over 40 C for forever, I need to replace the fans.

I realise the brand I bought is cheap and nasty.

I really just want to replace the fan head, but this is probably not possible.

So what I want is the biggest fan blade I can get, that moves the air around more than just under the fan.

Remote control fans seem to be out, as I would have to get up to the ceiling to put in the receiver.

What fan brands would you suggest and where available?

[sirocco]

Mine was also Clik Clik Clik tak tak tak, and other sounds.

I tightened everything looked like live and I do not hear more.

But take with large blades, is better.

It is found in Pro at Home or in other stores.

[Iamemjay]

I fitted washers under the screws on one side of the blades to increase the blade angle. This made the fan more efficient in circulating the air, slowed it down and greatly reduced the noise. Not perfect but MUCH better. As for a quality brand in Thailand??? Please tell me if you find one.

For my last one I ditched the idea of the standard (Western) ceiling fan and bought the Thai model - the rotating head type - for the ceiling. I found an 18" one and I have to admit its very good, especially as you can switch the rotating head facility on or off, thereby enabling directionality too. I think this is the way I will go in the future, particularly in a high ceiling situation as you clearly have. The cost of mine was about the same as a cheapie standard ceiling fans, so unless you want to risk a cheapie again, in effect there is a cost saving.

[carlyai]

That sounds good about changing the angle snd the 18" fans.

Trouble is i am so not wanting any "tradesmen" in the house, and i would need them to get up to the ceiling. My days of working on scaffolding are gone.

All I really wanted to do was to get some decent new heads and change them over, but I will have a go at what you suggest snd the washers, also check everything tight from another post. Thanks. I did find a good remote lot of fans in patts for the house there, but to install the receiver you need to get up the the ceiling, so gave that a miss.

[carlyai]

You placed your ceiling fans on the bottom of a swimming pool??

Normal fans are radial fans. By nature they have strange are moving specs. You can notice this by when you are more or less in the airflow from one, the amount of air changes always.

Radial fans have a much better and constant airflow, what also appears to be more comfortable. They are often(always) used in AC and hair dryers. They are also more silent.

For a nice airflow, maybe search for some old AC fans.

Good luck, Arjen.

[carlyai]

Thanks for the reply.

I'll have a look around, but out here it's cheap and nasty fans are the norm.

When i take a pic with my samsung the pic looks correctly oriented, but when I post to ThaiVisa it can turn up whichever way up or down. Doesn't happen with other apps like facebook

[sometimewoodworker]

The fans we are going to install are MrKen

the biggest is the 84 helicopter. They are not cheap but they are very quiet, no fan can be silent but these get as close as you can get.

And if you want smaller ones this one is a 56 one

[carlyai]

Yeah they look great and bet they work real good. ?

Maybe that's what I need, but maybe wait a bit and get the remote and lite as well.

Thanks

[Pib]

If the fans have thin metal blades (easily bent) and if someone cleaned the blades "and bending/warping" the blades during the cleaning process, then it will cause the fan to wobble, make noise, etc.

Happenned last year at my mother in law's house...a relative cleaned the blades of a large ceiling fan and it immediately started making noise...the mother in law and cleaner figured the fan just happen to start going bad. MIL also had the soi handyman and another relative look at the fan...both said just old fan...cheaper to replace than trying to repair.

Well, I took a look at the fan and saw that the pitch on each blade was different...I used my hand to make the pitch on all three blades as identical as my eyeball could perceive (and what I thought the pitch should be) as the blades would bend/shape pretty easily, and then turned the fan back on---fan made no noise, ran smoothly. The relative that cleaned the blades later said she had rubbed the blades pretty hard in order to get them clean....she had bent the blades with the rough cleaning.

[carlyai]

Thanks. SWMBO is a mad cleaner. Although she ain't been on the ladder lately.

I've gotta take them alk down and check pitch and tightness.

In the meantime I'm gradually buying some Mr Ken fans to replace the others.

[RigPig]

OK

The reason cieling fans go clack clack is because the bearings in the fan haven't been "run in"

You should run a fan for 8 hours, flat out to bed in the bearings after installation, but that info doesn't get passed on.

If you turn the fan on at low speed and hit it in the middle with a rubber hammer, sometimes it will shock the bearings and then you can run it in. It doesn't work all the time, but it can be worth a go. But usually if it is alredy doing it you are too late.

Fans with metal blades are more efficient than fans with wooden blades. Wooden blades are flat and will cut through the air rather than push it. Metal blades are curved. Rattan or wooden bladed fans ALWAYS have more blades, 5 as against 3, for that reason.

Hope that helps......

[Pib]

Thanks. SWMBO is a mad cleaner. Although she ain't been on the ladder lately.

I've gotta take them alk down and check pitch and tightness.

In the meantime I'm gradually buying some Mr Ken fans to replace the others.

You don't need to take them down...in fact within them still hanging it going to be harder. Just get up there with a stepladder (fans off of course) and eyeball and straighten the blades if necessary. Also make sure any screws on the fan blades are tight. It's easy with the fans still hanging as you can slowly rotate them slowly to help out with the "eyeballing" as they slowly rotate from a hand push.

[BlindMagician]

I like the technical terminology...a very thai approach to really pinning down a clear description.

Size of blades don't determine the air flow vectors, IE, radial versus axial components of flow direction. That comes from the blade cross section profile and blade axial length wise twist.

The cyclic mechanical source noise "clack clack, tock tick, dic dic" or whatever else takes your fancy, is not due to blade profile/dims etc, but from a periodic contact of moving parts.

So to both get rid of the toc toc and improve flow vectors....install new everything, but check the new solves the old problems before purchase.

Or

Do some badh bash, saw saw, hack hack, and mash old a home made/destroyed? solution.

Or floor standing fans, giving local air flow only where it's needed.

Most expensive local airflow solution is Dyson's patended airflow bladeless system.

Something different.

Edited May 18, 2016 by BlindMagician

[Snackbar]

Spray some WD40 into the motor.

[Suradit69]

Thanks. SWMBO is a mad cleaner. Although she ain't been on the ladder lately.

I've gotta take them alk down and check pitch and tightness.

In the meantime I'm gradually buying some Mr Ken fans to replace the others.

You don't need to take them down...in fact within them still hanging it going to be harder. Just get up there with a stepladder (fans off of course) and eyeball and straighten the blades if necessary. Also make sure any screws on the fan blades are tight. It's easy with the fans still hanging as you can slowly rotate them slowly to help out with the "eyeballing" as they slowly rotate from a hand push.

Yes, my ceiling fans are old and probably not high end in price. They are as near to silent running as I could hope for. I seem to recall years ago that I had to tweak blade angle a bit if they got slightly wobbly, but haven't had any noise issues since then. I usually run them at a medium level speed, which is quite adequate. At top speed they're more apt to vibrate a bit once in awhile, but even then if I switch off for a minute and restart, they regain their composure.

[Merylhighground]

While the gentle 'swish' of a ceiling fan can be very soothing when dropping off, any other superfluous noise can be a killer....

[ronaldo0]

lazada.co.th or homepro have 56 in fans with remote sensor built in and a light I think. 3500 BHT or there about.

[Pib]

Talking about these big overhead fans brings back a memory from my younger days (decades ago) when assigned to Ubon Air Base. My apartment off base had a big metal ceiling fan directly over the bed...I mean this fan was BIG with wide metal blades...and it could turn fast. I always thought it looked like a C-130 Hercules aircraft propeller. I also thought if that fan ever fell on me while running I would be chewed-up like being put in a human size blender or thrown into wood chipper/shredder....the only thing that would have been left of me would have been blood splatter on the walls.

[sometimewoodworker]

OK

The reason cieling fans go clack clack is because the bearings in the fan haven't been "run in"

You should run a fan for 8 hours, flat out to bed in the bearings after installation, but that info doesn't get passed on.

Modern bearings (within the last 30+years) do not need running in.

[orpheus454]

Why anybody would want one of those rotating head small diameter things is beyond me.

If you want excellent quality plain, simple and efficient, get the 56" Mitsubishis from HomePro for 2200 odd baht.

I've installed 4 of these now and they're excellent.

[csabo]

I dont like the ones that dangle because the swing and make noise. I eventually replaced one (ten years later) with a whisper quiet one with a very think base. Similar to the one a previous commenter posted (the one with the red background). There's a lot to chose from these days. Here's my fav's

[Pib]

I think above is really a modified engine assembly from one of the Star Wars hover crafts....or maybe a modified boat propeller system.