Hum on all speeds?

Any change from starting up to running?

Humming often comes from poorly bonded lamination in motors or poorly secured windings.

It could also be caused by a start winding (if present) not going open circuit once the fan is up to speed.

If is is on two units it very well could be a design defect.

Maybe you are just hoping for too much, based on the exceptional performance of your previous fan. A "slight hum/noise" from an electrical device is often just part of its normal operation.

Hi Brickeyee and thank you for your response.
Just realized my typo on the post. I know it is MINKA AIRE. Sheesh. :)

As soon as you click "on" no matter what speed, you hear the sound. And I don't know how to type the description of the sound but it doesn't stay the same, it cycles. Shoot, my electrician called the cycle something but I don't remember what. It's a quick cycle but you can hear it.

And yes, both expensive Minka Aire fans, identical models bought from the ideal place, make the identical sound.

It's beginning to look like i might need to pick a different model and go through all this crap again. Sigh.

Wayne, maybe I do have high expectations but from a fan that is supposed to be quiet, I don't think this qualifies. And when I am sitting directly underneath it, in the case of both fans. When it's been running for a time and then I turn it off, I can feel myself relax because the noise is gone.

I guess to test it I should buy another model and try that and see how it goes.

Dumb question maybe, but are you sure it's an electrical hum and not mechanical? I've had fan/light combos that buzzed badly but it turned out the light bulbs were touching the housing or the glass fitting. Smaller bulbs and some adjustment, and the issue went away.

Are you using all the approved fittings and no dimmer? Unless the dimmer is specifically right for that fitting, they'll cause issues too.

Alan,
Not dumb questions at all. Thanks for checking with me. It could very well be mechanical. It sounds like the motor to me but then I'm no expert. You can hear the sound as soon as you click it on. It's not a buzz. I doubt it's the light bulbs since both identical units make the same sound but we'll check that out.

We are using everything that came in the box with the fan. When the electrician first called Minka, they mentioned the dimmer too. They even sent new controllers. No difference. We direct wired the fan, bypassing everything, and it still makes the noise. All this is leading me to believe that this model Volterra, is not up to Minka standards. I really don't think I'm being unreasonable about the sound, either but even if I am, if this can't get fixed, they will have to go. The library and my office are supposed to be the two places to go for quiet in the house.

I guess the next frustrating thing is going to be how to find another fan that will go with the looks of the room and give me the quiet that I need.

If the fan has lights unscrew the bulbs and see if the sound disappears.

Many cheap bulbs will have filament vibration when used on a dimmer.
It the capability to dim the bulbs is present it can cause the noise, even when the bulbs are full on.

It usually appears as a 120 Hz hum as the voltage on the filaments cycles through 60 Hz.

Thanks Brickeye. We'll give that a try this afternoon. The electrician is coming back over with one last thing to try, per Minka, before we send these back. We're going to get a long extension cord and see if we can try a different circuit in case there's something weird with the wiring in this house. The two rooms that have these fans are an addition from the previous owner.

Thank you again for trying to help me figure this out.

I had the same problem with mine and had an electrician look at it. He couldn't figure it out and told me to return it but I didn't have the receipt anymore. It's very nervewracking and I hardly use the fan now.

My other Minka Aire ceiling fan has a light fixture that no longer works. I've only had it a year. The electrician couldn't figure that one out either.

So, I have 2 barely functioning Minka Aire ceiling fans. I will never buy this brand again.

Well we solved the problem. Brickeye, we went to take the bulbs out, they're those itty bitty things, but once the housing of the light fixture was off, we turned the fan on (lights still in) and there was no noise. It seemed to be that tightening the finial to attach the housing worked like a volume control. We put some padding between the finial and the glass and then just kept adjusting it until it was silent.

Hey...we have the exact same complaint. 2 Minka Volterra fans - the humming is horrible. I, too, am contemplating removing them and replacing with another brand. I won't buy another Minka Aire fan, either.

Same problem..calais fan (hugger). I installed this for my sister this last weekend and the fan hums (not the lights). Fan hums at all times. I have two minkas in my house that have been there two or three years. LOVE THEM! No sound at all. We pay for that reputation! This fan is unbelievable. My sister is going to have to deal with them about this now which when I called yesterday before I left the company said it should wear it self out in 24 hrs (much be their speech)and I even asked about balancing or dimmer switch which my sister has and he said it would not be either one of those. Any suggestions from anyone? I feel bad now that I recommended Minka to her but mine are great. Again, the fan only hums (just like a cheap boxstore fan) but the lights don't.

"I installed this for my sister this last weekend and the fan hums (not the lights)"

Did you remove the light bulbs and fixture housing to be sure?

Hi folks,
This is popping up in my google alerts a lot again and I'm getting emails about it. I'd just like to say, as I did further up in the posting, that we were able to fix the problem.

Here's that post:

Posted by susanwrites (My Page) on
Mon, Dec 13, 10 at 22:21

Well we solved the problem. Brickeye, we went to take the bulbs out, they're those itty bitty things, but once the housing of the light fixture was off, we turned the fan on (lights still in) and there was no noise. It seemed to be that tightening the finial to attach the housing worked like a volume control. We put some padding between the finial and the glass and then just kept adjusting it until it was silent.

We've been running both fans 24/7 since then and they are completely silent and a joy to have.

susanwrites, I am having the same problem with my Minka Aire. Can you tell me what kind of padding you used and where you put it? my fan came with an "o" shaped piece of padding that goes between the housing for the light and the fan itself, so i'm curious what I might add to that to experiment on whether your solution will work for me too.

It's been a few years but I think he just had a piece of rubber something that he cut to fit but I have no idea where he put it. We have since sold the house so I can't check for you. Sorry.

I have the same problem and it drives me insane. I end up not using the fans at all. I recently brought up this topic on another forum and someone posted this link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: How to reduce the hum in a ceiling fan

thanks anyway susanwrites. I tried using some of the non-slip lining that you use in your kitchen shelves to put glassware on and it seems to have really helped!

gr8day - thanks for the reference. I'm going to see if my recent fix adequately solves the problem - if not, I'm going to move down the items on the list you referenced! Appreciate it!

Hi all,

Recent Minka Aire Concept I owner here.

Jumping in to say that the lining does not solve the issue for me.

I describe the hum as similar sounding to the tone used when taking a hearing test. It's not a buzz like the sound you'd expect from a fan motor - it's a tone.

It's very strange - the sound almost makes me nauseous and like others have described, I cannot relax when the fan is on - the tone is very affecting.

It is caused by the fixtures with the worst being the glass. With the fixtures off, the tone is either not present or not audible.

Thank goodness for Amazon's easy return policy. A couple of clicks and back it goes.

Rob

Solved with WD-40
Problem: Buzzing vibration from inside MinkaAire model 68MKA. Noise only present when powered on; as soon as turned off, noise stopped. Worse with higher speed.

Solution: The turning blades, near their attachment point inside the fan, are pushed down by air as they spin to slightly touch a metal stationary flange that is beneath them. The blades vibrate against the flange. Using WD-40 with a straw, insert the straw below decorative edge of blades and above the trim of the light housing until it reaches the flange and spray a little bit. It will coat the flange and lubricate the blades where they touch the flange as they spin.

Hope this solves it for you!

I have four Minka Aire Wave fans all purchased in 2018 - two with lights and two without - both hummed right away; hasn't broken in to reduce hum; both Minka Aire and my dealer have been helpful and parts have been replaced; this I might try. Drives me crazy - I only have them on when I am not in the room. May bet new fans, but I really do like the design of these. Thanks for your input here.

I have two minka aire fans, a Delano in the bedroom and a Groton in my office. The Delano is silent. although it had a slight balance problem that's been minimized by the contractor. The Groton is steady a a rock, BUT it hums on medium and high fan speeds. Operating the light makes no difference. The problem is much worse in the room above the fan, the hum is louder and if you stand in the right spots, you can feel it through the floor. What'e even worse is that there's supposed to be sound insulation in the space between the ceiling and the floor above.

The contractor may have mounted it to one of the flooring joists, or the fan itself might be defectve. They've been trying to locate a fan mounting kit with sound/vibration isolation like a rubber gasket or grommets or something, but no one, not even minka aire, seems to have anything that would help.

Does anyone know where we might locate a sound isolation mount for a ceiling fan? Or do you suggest we should replace the fan?

Thanks in advance!

I just bought a new 52" Minka aire fan and the motor is noisy too. For the price of these things, it is ridiculous that they have small quiet motors. They need to spring for better parts. I agree that hunter fans are far superior and 1/3rd the cost.

Just bought 4 of the Minka Aire Lights to replace the perfectly quiet yet older and visually outdated (probably 17 years!) Hampton Bay fans that were in the home I purchased.

The Minka Aires are horribly loud on all settings. All 4 of them. Beyond a hum even. The electrician thought on the first one that there was a defect, but they’re all loud. Reading these reviews is sad. Having to not only uninstall and reinstall and return and rebuy and reinstall I certainly would have hoped they’d have fixed this after 10 years.

We’ve had Minka fans installed in two homes as I love the look. We have noticed the larger fans have no noise while all the smaller some do. Some things you can live with others you can’t. Pick your poison I guess. Mine are staying. Maybe as I get older and lose my hearing it won’t continue to be an issue!

Minka Aire Wave F845 (smaller blades). Brand new. Distinct humming (electrical) noise. It isn't that loud but unbearable for a bedroom. Minka customer support said bad capacitor that doesnt provide right power to the motor. The capacitor should arrive next week. We shall see if replacing it would solve the problem. Doubt it..

absolutely correct. Same problem. Just bought mine. Very attractive but same noise. Very disappointing this has not been corrected after so many customer complaints, and they are still selling this fan.

This is exactly the humming noise we are experiencing at all speeds with our new Minka fan. We replaced the old fan in our bedroom and wanted a quiet, dependable fan so we bought the Minka and had it installed by a licensed electrician. Buying Minka was a bad mistake. All we get is a runaround from them. Clearly, they know about this problem, but finger point at everything it ”might” be. We’ll never buy a Minka product again. Crummy product, and even lousier customer service. if anyone ever needs a fan, do yourself a favor and buy anything except Minka

It’s strange that our larger fans don’t have a hum. We have the smaller ones in four areas of our home and only one hums.the two large ones in living area no hum. Four of the smaller ones posted only one hums. Weird.