Want to keep cool in the Summer without it disturbing your peace and quiet? Ceiling fans are a must in Summer. Without a ceiling fan we’d really struggle to function through those hot days.
But ceiling fans can make a lot of noise. So how do we solve the problem? We’ve reviewed 5 of the quietest ceiling fans you can buy.
What if you’ve already have a noisy ceiling fan? Can you make it quieter? We’ll also be looking some common reasons for why fans make sounds and how you can make your fan less noisy.
Here are the top 5 quietest ceiling fans on the market:
OUR TOP PICK
The Hunter Dempsey Low Profile Ceiling Fan will be a great fit for anyone with a low ceiling. It’s been designed specifically for use in places with low ceilings, sitting flush to the ceiling.
The low-profile design also doesn’t make your low ceiling obvious to others, instead it enhances the height of the room.
Its whisper wind motor allows you to get the refreshment of the cool air you so desperately need during Summer, but you get to enjoy it in peace.
With a multi-speed reversible fan motor, you get to control the speed of your fan as well as use it during Winter to keep some warmth in your home.
The fan comes with an energy-efficient dimmable LED light. Since the bulbs in the fan are long-lasting you don’t have to replace them often so that’s a cost-saving.
You’ll also be able to save money based on the fans warranty. The company has specialized in manufacturing and designing fans for the past 126 years. This is a guarantee that you’re getting a good quality product and that it will last for a long time.
It comes with a remote, but that’s the only way to operate the fan. With that being said, be careful not to lose the remote if you decide that this is the fan for you.
EDITORS CHOICE
If you have a big place, this will be the fan for you. It’s designed in a way that it can especially benefit places with high ceilings with a blade span of 62”.
But of course, the thing you’ll be the most interested in is how quiet it is. This ceiling fan is really quiet and what’s great is that it has 3 speeds to choose from. If you get to control the speed of the fan, you get to control the noise.
Sometimes the lights on a ceiling fan can be way too bright. The lamps on this fan aren't very bright. This’ll be great for you if you prefer less harsh lighting but won't be bright enough as the only light source in your room.
You also have the option of dimming the lights, which you can do using the remote.
The remote comes with batteries but it's probably a good idea to rather buy some fresh batteries and replace them.
The fins are reversible so in winter you can use it to help warm your room too.
BEST VALUE
This is the best ceiling fan to buy if you’re on a budget. But you may wonder whether it still gets the job done. Despite the lower price it works really well and is still one of the quietest ceiling fans on the market.
One of the things we liked about this ceiling fan is its flexibility when it comes to placement.
It’s made to be used in small to medium sized spaces, but because of its low-profile design, it can also be used where extra space is needed.
This is a hugger ceiling fan, which means that it doesn't come supplied with a downrod as it’s made to mount flush to the ceiling.
But there’s something else that we absolutely adored about this fan. Nobody would think of using a ceiling fan in winter. The goal is to stay warm. But what if there was a ceiling fan that could help you beat the cold?
This ceiling fan rotates warm air naturally found inside your home, helping you stay comfortable and cozy inside the house during the cold season. Since you probably won’t have to use that heater as much, you get to cut down on energy costs too.
One thing you need to be aware of is that the fan doesn’t come with a remote control. If you’re happy to live without it though, this ceiling fan will be a great choice.
Quietest Ceiling Fan With Pull Chain
Hunter ceiling fans are manufactured in a way that they can operate quietly and still run efficiently. The reversible fan motor delivers powerful downdraft for cooling during summer and updraft to help warm the room in winter.
It doesn't come with a light which is great of you're looking for a no-frills ceiling fan solution. The low profile design and 42" blades are ideal for a small to medium size room with ceilings lower than 9-feet.
We would have preferred a remote option but the pull chains work well and are easy to use.
If you’re like me though, you’ve probably pulled the wrong chain on your ceiling fan many times. The Hunter fan makes this easy by having labelled pull chains.
The wobble free design reduces wear and also makes this one of the quietest ceiling fans available.
Quietest Ceiling Fan With Light
Made with a modern design and smaller blades, this fan is better suited for limited spaces. It can be placed in rooms that measure 10ft x 10ft or smaller.
It’s a dual mount fan so you’ll be provided with greater flexibility when you want to mount the fan. You can choose from a downrod or angled mount position.
It comes with 4” down rod and measures 13.66 inches from the ceiling to the bottom of the light fixture if you go with standard mounting.
Even though the ceiling fan is a cheaper option, it works well and it's really quiet. The Honeywell Ceiling fan comes with a quiet and reversible motor, allowing you to control the temperature of your home with ease.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t come with a remote but it is compatible with Honeywell ceiling remotes if you want to buy one. The pull chains work well enough though so it's not really necessary.
It comes supplied with 2 dimmable LED bulbs. The contemporary design and elegant blades make this one of the more attractive ceiling fans we've seen.
What makes a ceiling fan noisy?
If you’ve bought a ceiling fan and it tends to make an annoying sound, you’ll need to understand what makes a ceiling fan noisy before you do anything to fix it. The noises that are the most common are humming sounds.
Here are some common reasons for why your ceiling fan is making that humming sound and more:
The blades of your fan are dirty or unbalanced
Since your ceiling fan is elevated, you don’t really see what the top of the blades look like. But it’s important that you check the blades for dirt. If your ceiling fan tends to shake, it may be that the blades are dirty.
When the blades of your fan are dirty, it makes the blades unbalanced. This causes the shake and unwanted sounds.
The light attached to the fan is loose
Sometimes when you change the bulb of your fan, you accidentally knock the light fixture, and it loosens. If anything is loose on your fan, it will make a rattling noise, which you don’t want.
There are loose screws
Sometimes the screws in your fan come loose, causing a noise.
Loose wire connectors
This involves the junction box. It contains a lot of wires that can come loose. If one of the wires even lightly touches the edge of the box, it makes a rattling sound. You’ll probably hear this sound as the fan moves.
Joist noises
If you’ve mounted your fan on a ceiling joist, this could be the cause of the sounds from your ceiling fan. Why? The fan noises that your fan naturally makes will be amplified through the joist. So, it ends up making a louder noise.
Bad capacitors and low voltage levels
Bad capacitors and low voltage levels go hand in hand. Messed up capacitors can cause a humming noise. The low voltage levels cause the motor to struggle which makes the noise. If the voltage levels are below 105 volts, you can trust that it’s the culprit.
Dimmers
Dimmer controls are commonly used to control fan speed. The problem is that dimmer switches weren’t made to be used on fans. Since it’s, “unnatural” to use the dimmer switches with the ceiling fan, you will hear a noise. A humming noise, to be exact.
How to quiet a noisy ceiling fan
We really don’t want you to waste money by buying another ceiling fan. So, if your ceiling fan is guilty of having one of the problems we mentioned earlier, let’s see what we can do to fix it:
Clean your ceiling fan blades and rebalance
Yes, if you have dirty blades you need to clean them. It’s an obvious solution, I know. But the reason I’m mentioning it is because once you’re done cleaning the blades, you need to check whether they’re still unbalanced. This will help you to see whether the dirt was the problem.
Since the dust can be quite bad for your health, wear a bandana or mask over the top half of your face. Use a step ladder to reach the fan and place it under your fan, if possible.
There’s different methods you can use to clean the blades. I would recommend using an old pillowcase. You can slide the pillowcase over the blades and then firmly drag the top of the pillowcase over the blade. This should collect all the dust inside.
This just saves you time and energy because you won’t have to sweep tons of dust up off the floor. If there’s still a bit of dust leftover on the blades, use an all-purpose cleaning spray and paper towels to wipe it off.
Be super careful to not dislodge the blades while you clean.
To clean it properly it would be best to take the fan down and give it a blast with your air compressor.
If you don't want to take it down then you could give it a clean with a shop vac.
If the dirt wasn’t the issue, you’ll need to check whether the blades are properly secured to the arms.
Make sure that all the connections to the blade are tightened. That should do the trick.
Tighten the light fixture and everything around it
If you can see that the light fixture is loose, you’ll need to follow a few steps to sort it out.
You need to turn off your circuit breaker to begin with, so that you don’t electrocute yourself in the process of fixing things.
Move a stepladder directly under the ceiling fan. Then remove the bulbs and globes from the light fixture. You’ll need to unscrew them.
Now here comes the more complicated step. The bottom half of your fixture is fitted over a housing that’s connected by three screws. The main housing is connected to the ceiling fan shaft.
You need to shake the light fixture gently for the purpose of seeing where the fixture is loose.
If the fixture moves when it’s shook, tighten the three screws around the outside of the housing. But if the light fixture housing shakes, you’ll need to take it off. Loosen the three screws that secure the light fixture housing. Carefully twist the ceiling fan light fixture counterclockwise and lower it.
You’ll have to be really careful to not put any strain on the electrical wires as you hold the light fixture in your one hand. You need to tighten the nut on the inside center of the housing.
The next step is to push the ceiling fan light fixture around the housing. Make sure that the notches on the fixture fit around the necks of the securing screws.
And that’s it! Now all you have to do is put the globes and bulbs back where they belong in the light fixture and test it out.
Check for any loose screws
Look for any loose screws that connect the ceiling fan blades to the motor. This is quite important, because if the screws connecting the blades to the motor are loose, it could seriously hurt someone. The other place you’ll want to look is inside the motor housing.
Tighten any loose wire connectors
Make sure the wire connectors are fastened. If you really want to make sure that the wire connectors don’t come loose, you can wrap each connector in electrician tape. Don’t forget to make sure that the circuit or breaker box is switched off, just in case.
If you are nervous about doing this on your own, call an electrician.
Get a ceiling fan hanger to reduce noise
A ceiling fan mounted into the ceiling will only amplify any existing noise the fan makes. The solution to this problem is to buy an approved ceiling fan hanger. The hanger should be mounted between the ceiling joists.
When this is done, the fan noises that have been annoying you so much, won’t be heard as much since the fan will be isolated.
Replace bad capacitors
You’ll need to try and replace the capacitors. You may also need to replace the switch up. You can do it yourself but it might be better to call in an electrician.
Replace dimmer controls with speed controls
Since the dimmer controls don’t work well with ceiling fans, replace it with the standard speed controls.
If all else fails you can reduce ceiling fan noise by using some sound dampening tactics. Soundproof curtains are normally used to keep sound out of a room but they will also help to dampen noise in a room.
Ceiling Fan Buyers Guide
Here are a few things to look out for before buying your ceiling fan.
Where you want to put the ceiling fan
If you’ve never bought a ceiling fan before, you need to know that ceiling fans are built differently for different locations. A ceiling fan designed for outside use, will probably not be able to be used inside.
Every location has specific weather elements that can affect the quality and life of your ceiling fan. So, be sure to buy a ceiling fan that’s specifically designed for the location you intend to place it.
Keep in mind the height and size of your room
The ceiling fan you buy needs to be dependent on the height and square footage of the room you want to place it in. So, the first thing you need to do before you even consider buying a fan, is to measure the length and width of the room and then multiply the two measurements. This will give you the square footage.
Now you need to measure the ceiling height to determine what kind of installation you’ll need. This guide will show you what you’ll need depending on your ceiling height:
- Ceiling less than 8 feet – flush mount application
- Ceiling height 9-10 feet – standard application
- Ceiling height greater than 10 feet – extended downrod
- Sloped ceiling – sloped ceiling fan adapter
Different lighting needs
Depending on your preferences, you’ll either want a fan that provides more natural lighting or a ceiling fan that’s a bit brighter and is used for general lighting.
If you want more natural lighting, don’t buy a fan that comes with a light kit. But if you want more general lighting, buy a ceiling fan that’s provided with a light kit.
How much airflow the ceiling fan provides
The motor used in the fan determines how much airflow the fan creates. The bigger the area, the more airflow you’ll need from the ceiling fan. To determine how much airflow you’ll need for your space, you can take a look at this article, which will give you the different formulas you can use.
Once you know how much airflow you need, you can keep any eye out for fans that meet that specific need.
What is a high CFM fan?
Before we can understand what a high CFM fan is, we need to know what CFM is. CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) is a measurement used to measure the volume of the air (in cubic feet) that the fan is able to move in one minute. The higher the CFM, the more air the fan will move.
When fans are marked as a high CFM fan, it’s to show that they can move a good amount of air. These are the fans you’d probably want to look out for.
Conclusion
There are really good quality ceiling fans out there. Today we’ve just reviewed 5 of the best and quietest ceiling fans you can buy. They have features that make them unique and different to other fans. At the end of the day, this review is just a guide. You’re the best person to choose which fan will work for you.
If you’re buying a fan for the first time, keep in mind all the things you need to look out for. And don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions and scrutinize the product.
And don’t give up on your noisy ceiling fan if there’s something you can do to fix it. You might be surprised at how easy it is to reduce ceiling fan noise.