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Re: Fan maintenance



> Bob Olesen wrote, in part:

> I bought an inexpensive fan from Radio Shack a few years ago that
> initially 
> did a nice, quiet job of helping to cool my bedroom tank lights.
> Gradually, 
> the noise became more and more bothersome to me, to the point where,
> when I 
> read these posts, I was tempted to purchase another fan that had
> quiet as an 
> engineering priority.

> Once I cleaned and lubricated it with graphite, it was once again as
> quiet as 
> I needed it to be. I didn't need a quieter, better engineered fan
> after all - 
> I just needed to maintain the one I had.
> 
> Point is, sometimes this type of thing can creep up on us, and a fan
> within a 
> large, heavy hood with enough light crammed in it to need a fan in
> the first 
> place, can easily be overlooked when it comes to maintenance.
> 

Excellent points, Bob.  I would add that it might be a good idea to
check with the manufacturer, if possible, on the appropriate lubricant
for a particular fan.  Graphite generally is good for worn brass "dry
sleeve" bearings and can "rejuvenate" carbon-impregnated sleeve
bearings.  

I think that a light oil (5 weight, nondetergent) might be better for
ball bearing fans.  I got an extra year's worth of service from my
house furnace fan by occasionally oiling what GE had claimed were
permanently lubricated bearings on the motor.  Small tubeaxial fans, of
course, like very little lubricant, if any -- especially compared to a
2 horsepower furnace fan :-) .  

And unless they need it, adding lubricant could hurt rather than help.

Scott H.

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