Is your fan making rubbing or grinding noises? One idea may be to oil your ceiling fan. Usually, this is not required, but there is an easy way to check to see if your fan has an oil reservoir. If it does, your fan may need oiling as regular maintenance. We’ll walk you through checking for the oil reservoir here in this article. This article will show you how to oil a harbor breeze ceiling fan.

The oil reservoir hole is generally located on top of the motor, near the downrod. If your fan does have an oil reservoir, you will see a small hole labelled oil hole. If you’re not able to find it, it likely does not exist – in this case, your fan does not need oiling. Many of the newer fans on the market today actually don’t need oiling – so checking for the oil hole is a good idea for squeaky fans that made rubbing or grinding sounds.

If your Ceiling Fan has a Oil Reservoir Hole

If you are able to find a oil hole, then use a pipe cleaner and insert it into the hole. This will help test the fan’s oil level. If the pipe cleaner comes out with oil on it, then it does not need oil. If the pipe cleaner comes out and has no oil on it, or it’s a super small amount of oil, then it needs to have oil added. The type of oil to be added is non detergent electric motor oil. This works well for fans. You can also take a look at Hunter Oil for Fans. This oil is specially formulated to be used specifically with ceiling fans.

If you’re going to find your own ceiling fan oil, take a look first to see what the manual says that came with your fan. It may point out what kind of oil should be used with the fan. If not, then what you want is non detergent motor oil. Don’t use just any oil, as certain oils can light on fire. Electric motors could cause the oil to light. Look for a 10, 15 or 20 weight oil. Avoid using 3 in 1 oil, as this also has detergents in it.

Do not use WD 40 to oil the fan, as this is not a motor oil!

Antique Ceiling Fans & Oil Reservoir Holes

Antique fans are more likely to have oil reservoir holes. This is due to the age and the function of the fan. Newer fans generally don’t require oiling as much as an older vintage or antique fan. Again, the best way to verify is to look for an oil reservoir hole. If there is a reservoir hole, use the pipe cleaner method we mentioned to verify if the fan has sufficient oil. If the oil level is completely empty, you will want to fill it as soon as possible!