Ceiling Fans

Ceiling Fan Noise

Fan motors can be quite loud and can get worse with the age of the fan motor. Most of the irritating noise produced by a ceiling mounted fan is vibrational, and as you state in your email, you can 'feel' the noise of the fan. This is due most often to the lack of concern for vibration during installation. This is often coupled with the fact that some fans are not installed properly, that is, they aren't balanced. The blades come in separate packages and are paired up according to weight. This is very crucial and if mixed up before installation can be quite difficult to correct. But aside from that, assuming that these fans are properly installed, there are a number of reasons for the transfer of noise.

Much can be done to eliminate the noise from this type of fan, and I've included two illustrations which might help to bring some clarity to the situation.

In Illustration A, we see a typical ceiling fan installation. Although this fan may be installed securely and balanced perfectly there are certain points which transfer the sound through your floor to your apartment upstairs.

Arrow # 1: The mounting plate is screwed to the bottom of the outlet box. When this vibrates it can project sound, and being made of sheet metal it vibrates easily. The electrical wires that run into the box to the fan often run through a metal tube called "conduit". This can also vibrate producing a hum or tone. This can be reduced significantly merely by placing rubber grommets or washers between the mounting plate and the outlet box.

Arrow # 2: The outlet box or mounting plate can be touching the edge of the ceiling around the hole cut for the fan. This can cause the sound to be transferred right through the sheetrock and ceiling joists directly to your floor and ears. By making sure it has as little as 1/8 to 1/4 inches of space around the mounting flange, you eliminate this common cause of vibration noise.

Arrow # 3: The electrical outlet box itself is in contact with one of the ceiling joists thus causing the entire assembly to be felt through the floor to you upstairs. Grommets and/or rubber washers can be placed between the outlet box and the stud it is mounted to as well. Illustration B shows how it would look if this preventive noise treatment was applied.

Arrow #1 shows us where the grommets or washers would be placed between the mounting plate and the outlet box. Arrow # 2 shows the gap which would eliminate this point of vibrational noise transfer. And at Arrow # 3, the outlet box's not touching the side of the ceiling joist, thus eliminating the noise from this source (note- washers and/or rubber grommets may also be used to effectively decouple the electrical outlet box from the ceiling/floor joist).

All three of these solutions are relatively simple to carry out and the time involved minimal. The cost would merely reflect the labor involved in the task. The cost of the parts (rubber washers or grommets) would be nominal. These remedies would require the cooperation of the tenants downstairs, for they would be the ones that would have to make the changes and be involved in the solutions. It is possible that even after undergoing this preventive noise treatment, that the fan would still be unacceptably loud. Or perhaps the tenants or landlord are unable or unwilling to assist you in your efforts. In that event we would move to alternative solutions.

YES, the Extreme Sound Barrier Mat would be MOST effective and is a popular choice with customers encountering this and similar noise problems. It's a very durable, top quality soundproofing product with a high STC rating of 26, a mass loaded vinyl used in firing ranges, aircraft carriers and also extensively used in state-of-the-art recording studios as a sound barrier. It can be placed under carpet and can be used as carpet padding. The 1/4 inch of open cell foam on the underside makes it a wonderful choice for this type of application but can be used in walls as well as on floors and ceilings. Proper installation following our recommended methods can bring the STC rating up to as high as 53, essentially doubling its effectiveness. If the floor is a hardwood floor it can be placed underneath it, keeping the beauty of the floor intact. This however would require a carpenter or someone with experience installing hardwood floors.

During installation of the Sound Barrier Mat, it is very important to cover the entire floor area, using a latex resilient caulking. Caulk around the edges along each wall as well as the seams in the material (it comes in 4 1/2 ft wide rolls by 30 ft in length). The reason for this is because wherever water would run through, sound will run through. So all the gaps and seams, and/or cracks need to be filed. Yes, the Extreme Sound Barrier Mat would be an excellent solution. If during installation you have any questions or need assistance, the technical support staff here at Extreme Soundproofing is available 24 hrs. a day. We can be reached on our sales line at 858-483-5500. Our clients' satisfaction and comfort is the primary concern here at Extreme Soundproofing, therefore, the simplest, most economical solutions were introduced first. As always, we look forward to your patronage and in you making Extreme Soundproofing your last stop in the fulfillment offal your soundproofing needs.