My bedroom fan developed a click that only happened at 2 a.m., when the house was quiet and my brain had nothing better to do than track it. I assumed I’d need to take the whole thing down.

I didn’t. Three fixes, none of them involving a ladder for more than a few minutes.

The three usual suspects

1. Tighten the screws. Grab a screwdriver and snug up the screws on the light kit, the blades, and the mounting plate. A single loose screw makes a surprising amount of noise.
2. Check the bulbs. A loose light bulb can rattle against its socket and sound exactly like a mechanical tick.
3. Balance the blades. If the fan wobbles, use a balancing kit, or the poor man’s version: a penny taped to the top of the light blade. Move it around until the wobble settles.

If it still rattles

• Dust the top of the blades. Built-up dust throws a blade off balance and makes it wobble and hum.
• Check the wall switch. A dying dimmer can buzz and the sound travels up the fan housing.

My click turned out to be one loose screw on the light kit. Two turns of a screwdriver and the 2 a.m. noise was gone. I’d put up with it for a month for no reason.