A fan over a bed often runs from morning until the room goes dark, and in a home hospice room it can run for months. That is not unusual, but a fan that runs that long wears in ways a fan in a dining room never will. The motor warms, dust settles on the blades and housing, and a blade that was balanced on the first day can start to rock. This guide is about keeping that fan safe and quiet for as long as the room needs it.
Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.
Turn it off before anything else
Before you touch the blades, switch the fan off at the wall and wait until the blades have stopped completely. The pull chain is not a substitute for the wall switch when you are working above the fan. If one wall switch controls both the light and the fan, shut off the breaker for that circuit, or ask the electrician who did your wiring to show you which breaker it is. Write the breaker number on the inside of the panel door so the next person can find it without guessing.
The weekly look
Once a week, look at the fan from the floor and then from the bed. Watch for a wobble on the lowest speed, a tick that keeps time with the blades, and any blade that sits lower or tilts differently from the others. Check the screws that hold each blade arm to the motor housing, and tighten any that have loosened. If the wobble stays after the screws are snug, the blades may need a balancing kit, which is a small clip-on weight fitted to one blade at a time until the wobble stops. Note each change in the log.
Dust and the motor housing
Dust the blades with a dry cloth or a pillowcase slipped over each blade. Dust collects faster than people expect in a room that stays closed. Dust the top of the motor housing when the ladder is out, because that is where heat gathers. Do not spray cleaner into the housing. Wipe the outside with a damp cloth only, and let it dry fully before the fan goes back on.
Direction and speed
Most fans have a switch that reverses the blade direction. In warm weather the setting usually moves air down and across the bed, and in cool weather the reverse setting on low speed moves warm air that has risen back down into the room. Check the switch once each season, when the room's temperature changes. Set the speed so the pull chain does not swing into the bed rail. Record the switch position in the log so the next person knows what was set and why.
Name who climbs the ladder
Decide in writing who may climb a ladder to service the fan. For most households that is an adult family member, and only when another adult is in the house. Never stand on a chair or the bed frame to reach it. The hired caregiver's work in this room is the person in the bed, not the ceiling, so the fan belongs on the family's list of jobs. If a repair goes beyond tightening screws, such as a motor that hums without turning, have a licensed electrician look at it. Ask the hospice what it will and will not do about fixtures in the home. Household repairs are generally outside what hospice provides, so plan for them yourselves.
Keep it on one sheet
Put the fan's schedule on the same sheet as the room's other checks: the switch position, when it was last dusted, when the screws were last tightened, and the name of the person who does each task. A fan checked every week is quiet. A fan left alone for a month starts to ring.
For the order in which to set up the rest of the room, Start Here lays out the sequence.