I have a ceiling fan I installed about 3 years ago and lately it's been making this squealing noise when it runs. It's definitely got a lot of dust on it by now, but I'm not sure if I can clean the blades without taking it down or if I need to remove the whole thing. Is it normal for them to make noise after all this time?
Accumulated dust is almost always what causes squeaking in ceiling fans, so you're in luck because it's the easiest thing to fix. You can clean the blades without taking it down: turn off the fan, get up on a ladder, and carefully wipe a damp cloth over each blade, then dry it well. If the noise persists after cleaning, then you'll probably need to take the whole thing down to check the motor bearings, but most of the time cleaning takes care of it.
Log into answer.
