Lube a ceiling fan?
 

Bought a house with ceiling fans. All work, but some are a little
noisy. Are there places to lube them? Some meay date to 1991.

Lou

Lube a ceiling fan?
 

"LouB" wrote in message
...
Bought a house with ceiling fans. All work, but some are a little noisy.
Are there places to lube them? Some meay date to 1991.

Lou


Never saw a place to lube them. If they are cheap fans they started out
that way. There was a period that fans were being imported and they were
rather poor quality.

Lube a ceiling fan?
 

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:


"LouB" wrote in message
...
Bought a house with ceiling fans. All work, but some are a little
noisy. Are there places to lube them? Some meay date to 1991.

Never saw a place to lube them. If they are cheap fans they started
out that way. There was a period that fans were being imported and
they were rather poor quality.

I'll second that. Ceiling fans are not generally user-maintainable.
They're mostly disposable. I've never seen one with an oil cup.

Mandatory rambling story:
My father-in-law decided to oil his fan because it made noise. He
apparently put two quarts in a one-quart fan, because he then had a fan
that made noise and dripped oil. It dripped for a looong time. Ten
years later, he still had to wipe the occasional drop off the light
fixture. Moral: Don't oil your fan.

If the fan makes ticking or creaking noises when it turns, it's time
for a replacement. They're cheap. Get a new one. You can even get the
one with leopard-skin trim and dangly crystals. (Don't laugh--I just
removed three of these for a client so they could take them to their
new home.)

--
Steve Bell
New Life Home Improvement
Arlington, TX

Lube a ceiling fan?
 

SteveBell wrote:
Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

"LouB" wrote in message
...
Bought a house with ceiling fans. All work, but some are a little
noisy. Are there places to lube them? Some meay date to 1991.
Never saw a place to lube them. If they are cheap fans they started
out that way. There was a period that fans were being imported and
they were rather poor quality.

I'll second that. Ceiling fans are not generally user-maintainable.
They're mostly disposable. I've never seen one with an oil cup.

Mandatory rambling story:
My father-in-law decided to oil his fan because it made noise. He
apparently put two quarts in a one-quart fan, because he then had a fan
that made noise and dripped oil. It dripped for a looong time. Ten
years later, he still had to wipe the occasional drop off the light
fixture. Moral: Don't oil your fan.

If the fan makes ticking or creaking noises when it turns, it's time
for a replacement. They're cheap. Get a new one. You can even get the
one with leopard-skin trim and dangly crystals. (Don't laugh--I just
removed three of these for a client so they could take them to their
new home.)


Thanks to both of you.

Lou

Lube a ceiling fan?
 

"SteveBell" wrote

If the fan makes ticking or creaking noises when it turns, it's time
for a replacement. They're cheap. Get a new one. You can even get the
one with leopard-skin trim and dangly crystals. (Don't laugh--I just
removed three of these for a client so they could take them to their
new home.)

LOL!

Lube a ceiling fan?
 

SteveBell wrote:
Edwin Pawlowski wrote:


"LouB" wrote in message
...
Bought a house with ceiling fans. All work, but some are a little
noisy. Are there places to lube them? Some meay date to 1991.

Never saw a place to lube them. If they are cheap fans they started
out that way. There was a period that fans were being imported and
they were rather poor quality.

I'll second that. Ceiling fans are not generally user-maintainable.
They're mostly disposable. I've never seen one with an oil cup.

All the Hunter "Original" (and other brands) had/have an oil cup.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

Lube a ceiling fan?
 

On Sep 5, 9:51*am, "Edwin Pawlowski" wrote:
"LouB" wrote in message

...

Bought a house with ceiling fans. *All work, but some are a little noisy.
Are there places to lube them? *Some meay date to 1991.

Lou

Never saw a place to lube them. *If they are cheap fans they started out
that way. *There was a period that fans were being imported and they were
rather poor quality.

You mean like "sometime in the last 20 years until the present?" Even
Hunter fans are made in China, at least the ones sold in the Big Boxes
are. I agree with your point though if they are noisy just replace
them with new ones of a recognized name brand, that means Hunter,
Casablanca, etc. that doesn't mean that they won't be made in China
but at least you know they'll be around if you have problems and you
won't get the "well, you bought a $30 fan, what do you expect?" line
when you go to return it.

nate

Lube a ceiling fan?
 

dadiOH wrote:

SteveBell wrote:
Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

"LouB" wrote in message
...
Bought a house with ceiling fans. All work, but some are a
little noisy. Are there places to lube them? Some meay date
to 1991.

Never saw a place to lube them. If they are cheap fans they
started out that way. There was a period that fans were being
imported and they were rather poor quality.

I'll second that. Ceiling fans are not generally user-maintainable.
They're mostly disposable. I've never seen one with an oil cup.

All the Hunter "Original" (and other brands) had/have an oil cup.

Very interesting. Where on the fan was the oil cup? Maybe I just
haven't recognized them.

--
Steve Bell
New Life Home Improvement
Arlington, TX

Lube a ceiling fan?
 

SteveBell wrote:
Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

"LouB" wrote in message
...
Bought a house with ceiling fans. All work, but some are a little
noisy. Are there places to lube them? Some meay date to 1991.
Never saw a place to lube them. If they are cheap fans they started
out that way. There was a period that fans were being imported and
they were rather poor quality.

I'll second that. Ceiling fans are not generally user-maintainable.
They're mostly disposable. I've never seen one with an oil cup.

Mandatory rambling story:
My father-in-law decided to oil his fan because it made noise. He
apparently put two quarts in a one-quart fan, because he then had a fan
that made noise and dripped oil. It dripped for a looong time. Ten
years later, he still had to wipe the occasional drop off the light
fixture. Moral: Don't oil your fan.

If the fan makes ticking or creaking noises when it turns, it's time
for a replacement. They're cheap. Get a new one. You can even get the
one with leopard-skin trim and dangly crystals. (Don't laugh--I just
removed three of these for a client so they could take them to their
new home.)


You can *tell* me not to laugh, but it's not entirely a voluntary action.

nate
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **

Lube a ceiling fan?
 

"Nate Nagel" wrote in message
...
SteveBell wrote:
Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

"LouB" wrote in message
...
Bought a house with ceiling fans. All work, but some are a little
noisy. Are there places to lube them? Some meay date to 1991.
Never saw a place to lube them. If they are cheap fans they started
out that way. There was a period that fans were being imported and
they were rather poor quality.

I'll second that. Ceiling fans are not generally user-maintainable.
They're mostly disposable. I've never seen one with an oil cup.

Mandatory rambling story:
My father-in-law decided to oil his fan because it made noise. He
apparently put two quarts in a one-quart fan, because he then had a fan
that made noise and dripped oil. It dripped for a looong time. Ten
years later, he still had to wipe the occasional drop off the light
fixture. Moral: Don't oil your fan.

If the fan makes ticking or creaking noises when it turns, it's time
for a replacement. They're cheap. Get a new one. You can even get the
one with leopard-skin trim and dangly crystals. (Don't laugh--I just
removed three of these for a client so they could take them to their
new home.)


You can *tell* me not to laugh, but it's not entirely a voluntary action.

nate
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **


Hunter Originals require a light non-detergent oil and have a reservoir that
should be checked each season.

Lube a ceiling fan?
 

On Fri 05 Sep 2008 02:37:08p, SteveBell told us...

dadiOH wrote:

SteveBell wrote:
Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

"LouB" wrote in message
...
Bought a house with ceiling fans. All work, but some are a
little noisy. Are there places to lube them? Some meay date
to 1991.

Never saw a place to lube them. If they are cheap fans they
started out that way. There was a period that fans were being
imported and they were rather poor quality.

I'll second that. Ceiling fans are not generally user-maintainable.
They're mostly disposable. I've never seen one with an oil cup.

All the Hunter "Original" (and other brands) had/have an oil cup.

Very interesting. Where on the fan was the oil cup? Maybe I just
haven't recognized them.


I owned several Hunter "Original" fans at one time. IIRC, there is a small
hole (approx. 3/16" diam.) on top of the housing where the oil is inserted.
When a new fan is purchased, it comes with a bottle of oil to completely
fill the reservoir. There are instructions as to how frequently to add
amounts of oil. If you have one of these and have no instructions, you
should really contact Hunter for the specs.

--
Wayne Boatwright

*******************************************
Date: Friday, 09(IX)/05(V)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
Countdown till Veteran's Day
9wks 3dys 6hrs 8mins
*******************************************
Welcome back to square one.
*******************************************

Lube a ceiling fan?
 

SteveBell wrote:
dadiOH wrote:

All the Hunter "Original" (and other brands) had/have an oil cup.

Very interesting. Where on the fan was the oil cup? Maybe I just
haven't recognized them.

In the portion that contains the switch. The wires ran downward thru a pipe
to isolate them from the oil. The whole thing unscrewed if needed (after
disconnecting wires at ceiling).

As someone said, there was a filler hole in the upper part of the bell
shaped motor housing....tip the fan, add oil until it runs out the top of
the cup. To check oil level, stick a pipe cleaner or similar down the side
of the cup. I haven't added any oil for at least 10 years to my 32 year old
fans.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

Lube a ceiling fan?
 

dadiOH wrote:

SteveBell wrote:
dadiOH wrote:

All the Hunter "Original" (and other brands) had/have an oil cup.

Very interesting. Where on the fan was the oil cup? Maybe I just
haven't recognized them.

In the portion that contains the switch. The wires ran downward thru
a pipe to isolate them from the oil. The whole thing unscrewed if
needed (after disconnecting wires at ceiling).

As someone said, there was a filler hole in the upper part of the
bell shaped motor housing....tip the fan, add oil until it runs out
the top of the cup. To check oil level, stick a pipe cleaner or
similar down the side of the cup. I haven't added any oil for at
least 10 years to my 32 year old fans.

OK, I feel better. I was afraid I'd been missing something and advising
clients poorly. My guess is that oil cups are mostly on older fans. I
have seen exactly one of those, and the job on that one was replacement
due to complete failure.

--
Steve Bell
New Life Home Improvement
Arlington, TX

Lube a ceiling fan?
 

On Sat 04 Oct 2008 12:55:59p, l, not -l told us...


On 5-Sep-2008, "SteveBell" wrote:

Never saw a place to lube them. If they are cheap fans they
started out that way. There was a period that fans were being
imported and they were rather poor quality.

I'll second that. Ceiling fans are not generally user-maintainable.
They're mostly disposable. I've never seen one with an oil cup.

All the Hunter "Original" (and other brands) had/have an oil cup.

Very interesting. Where on the fan was the oil cup? Maybe I just
haven't recognized them.

I have 25-30 year old Sears 52" ceiling fan (model 292.905500) which
uses a felt pad oil wick lubrication system. This fan has a side-ways
mount motor, with a drive wheel that turns a cast hub, to which the
blades attach. The felt pads lubricate the interface of the hub to the
hub shaft.

Parts illustration can be seen at:
http://tinyurl.com/3ptcyj, which is shorthand for
http://www.searspartsdirect.com/part...nentFullSize.a
ction?imageUrl=http%3a%2f%2fcontent.searspartsdire ct.com%2flis_png%2fPLDM
%2f00043312-00001.png

Any ideas about how much oil one should put on the pads (cylinder around
hub shaft and felt washer at the bottom).

I'm guessing no more than 1/2 teaspoon. The felt should fully absorb it.
If the pad doesn't seem saturated after adding the oil, add a bit more. If
it seems excessive, absorb any over amount with paper towels until no more
readily comes off.

--
Wayne Boatwright
(correct the spelling of "geemail" to reply)

*******************************************
Date: Saturday, 10(X)/04(IV)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
Countdown till Veteran's Day
5wks 2dys 5hrs 57mins
*******************************************
Remember the cold war? How pre-millennial!
*******************************************

Lube a ceiling fan?
 

My parents have an ancient Hunter fan. The oil cup is on top of the
motor where the cast bracket is part of the top of the motor housing.
I had to get on a ladder and run my finger around the top until it
fell into the cup, probably 3/4" diameter. I squirted about 1-2 ounces
into it, then manually gave the blades a spin to distribute. The fan
had run so dry that the motor could not turn the blades. Once a little
light machine oil made it slick again, it ran just fine.
Tom

All the Hunter "Original" (and other brands) had/have an oil cup.

Very interesting. Where on the fan was the oil cup? Maybe I just
haven't recognized them.
---- Posted via Pronews.com - Premium Corporate Usenet News Provider ----
http://www.pronews.com offers corporate packages that have access to 100,000+ newsgroups

Lube a ceiling fan?
 

On Sat 04 Oct 2008 06:46:56p, Tom Kendrick told us...

My parents have an ancient Hunter fan. The oil cup is on top of the
motor where the cast bracket is part of the top of the motor housing.
I had to get on a ladder and run my finger around the top until it
fell into the cup, probably 3/4" diameter. I squirted about 1-2 ounces
into it, then manually gave the blades a spin to distribute. The fan
had run so dry that the motor could not turn the blades. Once a little
light machine oil made it slick again, it ran just fine.
Tom

The opening size varied considerably with the specific model and year of
manufacture. Some were as small as 3/16", just enough for the tip of an
oil can. The oil ends up in a reservoir where the collar bearing assembly
"floats" in it. I've owned several Hunters, the earliest made in the early
1920s, the newest made in 1972. All of the models I owned had the Adapt
Air™ feature, which was use to mechanically reverse the blade pitch prior
to the advent of electrically reversing the fan direction. These fans are
virtually indestructable.

--
Wayne Boatwright
(correct the spelling of "geemail" to reply)

*******************************************
Date: Saturday, 10(X)/04(IV)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
Countdown till Veteran's Day
5wks 2dys 4hrs 26mins
*******************************************
'MEOW'. . . SPLAT . . . 'RUFF' . . .
SPLAT . . . (Raining cats & dogs)