Fireface13
New member
SEarched thru google and this site. Purchased some 3-in-1 oil. Took the cover off. Feeling stupid and clueless.
Any help is much appreciated...
Any help is much appreciated...
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How Do You Lubricate Oscillating Fans?
- Thread starter Fireface13
- Start date
G
Guest
I don't know how.. but have been wondering myself.. Great thread idea bro..
the only thing you can do is, lay the ventilator down with the front of the cage off. take the propeller off and dribble some oil down the metal stem that rotates to run it. give it time to run down into the motor. i got one that had frozen up on me, working again this way. also sometimes you can hand start them again if they refuse to turn on. have had to do this a number of times. just press the on button in full speed and turn the propellor by hand as fast as you can, like starting the lawn mower, lol. some times they catch and will continue turning by themselves again. the problem is when you turn them off, you have to do the whole spinning the propeller thing again.
Fireface13
New member
Thank you kindly gaiusmarius for the quick reply!
Off to do some maintenance...
Off to do some maintenance...
Ono Nadagin
Active member
what portion of the fan are you trying to lubricate
if it is the oscilating mechanism I would recomend a lithium grease or Grafite powdered lubricant in that order
If it is the shaft of the fan motor itself that is making moise and you want to lubricate that is most likely the fan motors brushes wearing out and buying another fan would be cheaper than finding the correct replacement brushes for your fan motor.
Gaius... your fans motors has worn brushes and will fail soon because of it... it may last a month or a year, but it is going out and you should think of replacing it sooner than later.
if it is the oscilating mechanism I would recomend a lithium grease or Grafite powdered lubricant in that order
If it is the shaft of the fan motor itself that is making moise and you want to lubricate that is most likely the fan motors brushes wearing out and buying another fan would be cheaper than finding the correct replacement brushes for your fan motor.
Gaius... your fans motors has worn brushes and will fail soon because of it... it may last a month or a year, but it is going out and you should think of replacing it sooner than later.
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i always have a replacement ready, some times they last me years and sometimes mere months. i always buy a few of them when they offer them for sale cheap. once in a while you can buy real good quality ones for like 25 euros, this one even has a remote control. by the way, my current fan is in good condition. like you said, i've had a fan last another year after kick starting it by hand and another type didn't even last till the end of that run, lol. was a cheapo model. most of them don't even open at the motor section any more.
GirlWonderGrows
Member
I've had extensive experence with ghetto-ass fans, and I'm glad someone posted to ask about this. When I'm in a pinch and just need the damn thing to work, I blast wd40 through all the vent holes in the motor casing. This works for about 2 months at most before the fan is strugling again. WD-40 isn't a very persistant lubricant and the application method is most generiously described as 'expedient'...
I've found hairs and shit tangled behind the fan blades to be a major source of trouble, cleaning all that out is the first step of course. Then dripping the 3 in 1 down along the shaft seems to work pretty well. These things have got 'planned obselence' stamped right on them, so they are only going to last a bit anyway.
Good luck
GWG
I've found hairs and shit tangled behind the fan blades to be a major source of trouble, cleaning all that out is the first step of course. Then dripping the 3 in 1 down along the shaft seems to work pretty well. These things have got 'planned obselence' stamped right on them, so they are only going to last a bit anyway.
Good luck
GWG
G
Guest
Try Air King 9016 16 inch or 9018 18 inch wall mount oscillating fans,they are heavy duty and last years and years.
yeah the wall mounted fans are good, as they are made for continuos use. but the thing is they tend to be quite loud compared to the oscillating ones.
G
Guest
It is an oscillating fan,and its as quiet or quieter than any 18 inch oscillating fan I've seen,air king is very heavy duty 3 speed with pull chain
Rush Limbong
Member
I have a fan I've used for a previous grow, and have recently started "testing" all my equipment, including the fan.
I noticed on high there was an annoying vibration, not too loud, but enough to aggravate you. I figured it was the plastic housing around the motor, so I took it off.....well, it worked, but it left the motor and all the working parts exposed. Now I'm concerned with heat from the motors parts maybe starting a fire or something. I'll be using this fan in a Hydro Hut, which is made of plastic in the inside, so I'm not to thrilled knowing that the fan might come in contact with the plastic...
moral of the story is: Go buy a new fan
I noticed on high there was an annoying vibration, not too loud, but enough to aggravate you. I figured it was the plastic housing around the motor, so I took it off.....well, it worked, but it left the motor and all the working parts exposed. Now I'm concerned with heat from the motors parts maybe starting a fire or something. I'll be using this fan in a Hydro Hut, which is made of plastic in the inside, so I'm not to thrilled knowing that the fan might come in contact with the plastic...
moral of the story is: Go buy a new fan
shit Babbabud, i had no idea. how can it start a fire? makes me glad i have a real good one at the moment.
sounds like a good model Ballastman. i hate it when any part of my ventilation or fans make more noise then nescessary.
sounds like a good model Ballastman. i hate it when any part of my ventilation or fans make more noise then nescessary.
Ono Nadagin
Active member
if a fans bearing fails it will stop the the drive shaft from turning but being an induction motor it will continue to apply current, and with the shaft frozen in position it will heat up till it arcs a section of its windings out and possibly catch its surroundings on fire
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GirlWonderGrows
Member
I dislike discouragment of DIY. These things can be made to last longer than they were intended to (1-2 seasons usualy) with a bit of care. I've never seen a motor get hot enough to start a fire, and I've come back to fans that were jamed for 24+ hours. You should not let it go this long, and if you are planning a 'stop by and check on it' then get a new high quality fan. But for the most part, there is no need to buy into the "throw it away and get a new one" mentality.
As a point of fact, it is not the brushes that go out first on cheap ass motors like fans. Its the lubrication. They don't seal it very well, and they only add enough lubrication for a few thousand hours of operation. Its a very well timed planed obselence- they can get it down to within a few hundred hours. Its pretty uncanny, all the cheapo A/C's and dehumidifiers I've used took a shit right around 8 months, shortly after the waranty expired.
Long story short, yes, please use utmost caution particularly if you are not going to be able to monitor the situation closely. But don't be afraid to get in there with some 3 in 1 and make that puppy work for another few months. Save landfill space, save money, and learn a little something new. Hooray! We all win!
GWG
As a point of fact, it is not the brushes that go out first on cheap ass motors like fans. Its the lubrication. They don't seal it very well, and they only add enough lubrication for a few thousand hours of operation. Its a very well timed planed obselence- they can get it down to within a few hundred hours. Its pretty uncanny, all the cheapo A/C's and dehumidifiers I've used took a shit right around 8 months, shortly after the waranty expired.
Long story short, yes, please use utmost caution particularly if you are not going to be able to monitor the situation closely. But don't be afraid to get in there with some 3 in 1 and make that puppy work for another few months. Save landfill space, save money, and learn a little something new. Hooray! We all win!
GWG
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G
Guest
GirlWonder I dont get your thinking here,we're talking about oscillating fans even the best heavy duty wall mount units are only 60 or 70 dollars,to try and fix a run of the mill oscillating fan seems such a waste of time and energy to me,I have to agree its time to trash it and buy a new one.I done "let the smoke out" of that dang oscillator lol
Ono Nadagin
Active member
I like how you braodly cllaim it isnt brushes that go out.
Anyway... If your willing to risk a fire or loss of ventillation in your grow by all means risk it, but I think it is the hieght of irresponsibility to recommend other do so....
IMO.... always fix, repair of replace any bit of growroom equipment in your growroom or home for that matter as soon as it is discovered it is in disrepair as 'trying to get 1-2 mroe seasons' out of it may cost you your grow or worse your home/grow building.
Anyway... If your willing to risk a fire or loss of ventillation in your grow by all means risk it, but I think it is the hieght of irresponsibility to recommend other do so....
IMO.... always fix, repair of replace any bit of growroom equipment in your growroom or home for that matter as soon as it is discovered it is in disrepair as 'trying to get 1-2 mroe seasons' out of it may cost you your grow or worse your home/grow building.
Why would you risk your families saftey over a cheap ass fan?? for the good of DIY?? I dont think so. Lets use our common sense folks. When the blades stop spinning the energy has to go somewhere ...its transformed to heat and can be very dangerous. Always use common sense please!! Stay safe !!
G
Guest
found this on ceiling fans should apply with all fans i imagine
I use synthetic transmission lube, 80-130 (manual gearbox, not automatic
transmission fluid which is very thin --- sam). I imagine that any similar
lubricant, synthetic or not, would work as well, but the synthetic flows down
in better and works well.
Do not use WD-40, 3-in-1 oil or any other lightweight oil. Motor oil is good
as well, but it does not stick to the bearings as well. DO NOT use automatic
transmission fluid - extremely thin.
Grease would be perfect, white lithium, divine! But, getting the grease
down into the bearings would be very difficult.
Just about three or four drops should be all it takes. Getting it
on the lower bearings of the ceiling fan will be tough. I have an
oil can that I pump a drop to the tip of, then hold it against the
bearings until they wick the oil inside. This is very slow. It takes
about 15 minutes per fan to oil, clean the top of the blades, oil
a little around the hanging ball, pull the globe off and clean
the globe inside, and make sure everything is OK.
I use synthetic transmission lube, 80-130 (manual gearbox, not automatic
transmission fluid which is very thin --- sam). I imagine that any similar
lubricant, synthetic or not, would work as well, but the synthetic flows down
in better and works well.
Do not use WD-40, 3-in-1 oil or any other lightweight oil. Motor oil is good
as well, but it does not stick to the bearings as well. DO NOT use automatic
transmission fluid - extremely thin.
Grease would be perfect, white lithium, divine! But, getting the grease
down into the bearings would be very difficult.
Just about three or four drops should be all it takes. Getting it
on the lower bearings of the ceiling fan will be tough. I have an
oil can that I pump a drop to the tip of, then hold it against the
bearings until they wick the oil inside. This is very slow. It takes
about 15 minutes per fan to oil, clean the top of the blades, oil
a little around the hanging ball, pull the globe off and clean
the globe inside, and make sure everything is OK.
