Wobbling Fans
The most common cause of a wobbling fan is unbalanced blades — small warps in the blade material, uneven dust buildup, or a blade bracket that's slightly bent all throw off the balance. A blade-balancing kit, available cheaply, clips small weights onto the blades to correct this and often solves the problem in a few minutes of trial and error.
If balancing doesn't fix it, check that the blade brackets are seated fully into the motor housing and that all mounting screws are tight — a loose bracket lets a blade flutter even when weight is perfectly even. Wobble that persists after both checks often means the downrod or mounting bracket at the ceiling isn't secure.
Clicking, Humming, or Grinding Noises
A rhythmic clicking usually comes from something physically contacting the blades or housing during rotation — a loose light kit globe, a pull chain hitting the housing, or a screw that's backed out slightly. A steady hum with the fan otherwise running fine is often just the motor's normal electrical hum, especially on cheaper motors, but a hum that gets louder over time can signal a failing capacitor or bearing.
Grinding or scraping sounds point to worn motor bearings, which generally isn't a repairable part on most residential fans — at that point replacement is usually more practical than sourcing motor parts for an aging unit.
Fan Won't Turn On, or Only Runs on Some Speeds
If the fan is completely dead, check the wall switch, the pull chain switch inside the fan housing, and confirm the breaker hasn't tripped, in that order. Fans that run on low but not high, or on some speeds and not others, usually have a failing speed-control capacitor inside the fan housing — a relatively inexpensive part, but it does require opening the fan housing and working with wiring.
Remote and Wall Control Issues
Fans with remote controls can develop signal issues if the receiver inside the canopy loses connection or if dip-switch settings conflict with another nearby fan on the same frequency. Reprogramming or resetting the pairing usually resolves this without any wiring work.
When to Call an Electrician
Any work involving the wiring at the ceiling box — replacing a fan, adding a fan where there wasn't one, or troubleshooting a fan that trips a breaker — should go to a licensed electrician, especially if the existing electrical box isn't rated to support the weight and motion of a ceiling fan, which is a common issue in older homes that only ever had a plain light fixture there.