Yesterday, in this hot weather, my box fan (old, I admit) began starting
very very slowly in all three speeds. If I switch speeds back and forth it
seems to finally get up to speed. I suspect it will die soon. In the past
I've tried tearing apart other fans and oiling their motors for various
reasons and it never seemed to help much. I suspect they are permanently
lubed at the factory and are sealed from accepting further lube.

Suggestions?

It's a goner?

Ken


--
"Things would be a lot nicer if antique people were valued
as highly as antique furniture!" Anon

On 7/9/2014 1:25 PM, KenK wrote:
Yesterday, in this hot weather, my box fan (old, I admit) began starting
very very slowly in all three speeds. If I switch speeds back and forth it
seems to finally get up to speed. I suspect it will die soon. In the past
I've tried tearing apart other fans and oiling their motors for various
reasons and it never seemed to help much. I suspect they are permanently
lubed at the factory and are sealed from accepting further lube.

Suggestions?

It's a goner?

Ken


I've got a dual window fan like that.
Might have been like that for three years or more but still keeps going.

Frank wrote in
:

On 7/9/2014 1:25 PM, KenK wrote:
Yesterday, in this hot weather, my box fan (old, I admit) began
starting very very slowly in all three speeds. If I switch speeds
back and forth it seems to finally get up to speed. I suspect it will
die soon. In the past I've tried tearing apart other fans and oiling
their motors for various reasons and it never seemed to help much. I
suspect they are permanently lubed at the factory and are sealed from
accepting further lube.

Suggestions?

It's a goner?

Ken


I've got a dual window fan like that.
Might have been like that for three years or more but still keeps
going.


That's good news. This one was in the bedroom and got moved to my office
when it started making noises when running. The noises stopped.

I wonder if cutting a hole in the plastic grill so I can get a finger in
there and give it a spin would help? The blade is turning so slowly
that's not dangerous. I do that on an ancient rotary fan whose wire cage
makes it simple to do and it's been going that way for years.



--
"Things would be a lot nicer if antique people were valued
as highly as antique furniture!" Anon

On 7/9/2014 1:54 PM, KenK wrote:
Frank wrote in
:

On 7/9/2014 1:25 PM, KenK wrote:
Yesterday, in this hot weather, my box fan (old, I admit) began
starting very very slowly in all three speeds. If I switch speeds
back and forth it seems to finally get up to speed. I suspect it will
die soon. In the past I've tried tearing apart other fans and oiling
their motors for various reasons and it never seemed to help much. I
suspect they are permanently lubed at the factory and are sealed from
accepting further lube.

Suggestions?

It's a goner?

Ken


I've got a dual window fan like that.
Might have been like that for three years or more but still keeps
going.


That's good news. This one was in the bedroom and got moved to my office
when it started making noises when running. The noises stopped.

I wonder if cutting a hole in the plastic grill so I can get a finger in
there and give it a spin would help? The blade is turning so slowly
that's not dangerous. I do that on an ancient rotary fan whose wire cage
makes it simple to do and it's been going that way for years.




Early in the season, I may push it a little with a stick. The fan has
two speeds and may hesitate to start on high and I'll push it. Once
started, I run it all night as an exhaust fan and it does not run slower
than the other fan in the housing. Just been limping along with it. If
I thought it was a safety hazard, I would replace it.

On 7/9/2014 12:25 PM, KenK wrote:
Yesterday, in this hot weather, my box fan (old, I admit) began starting
very very slowly in all three speeds. If I switch speeds back and forth it
seems to finally get up to speed. I suspect it will die soon. In the past
I've tried tearing apart other fans and oiling their motors for various
reasons and it never seemed to help much. I suspect they are permanently
lubed at the factory and are sealed from accepting further lube.

Suggestions?

Take the cover off and clean/lube the fan spindle. You might need to
pull off the fan blade to get at it. That usually does it.

On 7/9/2014 1:25 PM, KenK wrote:
Yesterday, in this hot weather, my box fan (old, I admit) began starting
very very slowly in all three speeds. If I switch speeds back and forth it
seems to finally get up to speed. I suspect it will die soon. In the past
I've tried tearing apart other fans and oiling their motors for various
reasons and it never seemed to help much. I suspect they are permanently
lubed at the factory and are sealed from accepting further lube.

Suggestions?

It's a goner?

Ken



If flipping the switch back and forth actually has an effect on the startup
time then it is likely a bad switch. If simply turning the switch to high
(the normal first position) and the fan slowly but steadily gets up to
speed then the motor is the problem and cleaning and lubricating the
bearings could give it a few more years of useful life. Shaded-pole motors
have no inherent weakness beyond the bearings that would limit their life -
I have some that have been going strong for decades. Modern cheap SP motors
have horrible bearings.

KenK wrote:
Yesterday, in this hot weather, my box fan (old, I admit) began starting
very very slowly in all three speeds. If I switch speeds back and forth it
seems to finally get up to speed. I suspect it will die soon. In the past
I've tried tearing apart other fans and oiling their motors for various
reasons and it never seemed to help much. I suspect they are permanently
lubed at the factory and are sealed from accepting further lube.

Suggestions?

It's a goner?

Ken



How old is old? As old as this? ;-)

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...psigoz7kph.jpg

This fan needs a push start maybe 1 out of 20 times, but once it's running,
it can dry a soaking wet pair of heavy jeans in a couple of hours. It can
be tilted horizontal so it blows straight up, billowing the clothes to dry
them inside and out. Sweet machine.

"KenK" wrote in message
...
Yesterday, in this hot weather, my box fan (old, I admit) began starting
very very slowly in all three speeds. If I switch speeds back and forth it
seems to finally get up to speed. I suspect it will die soon. In the past
I've tried tearing apart other fans and oiling their motors for various
reasons and it never seemed to help much. I suspect they are permanently
lubed at the factory and are sealed from accepting further lube.

Suggestions?

It's a goner?

Ken


--
"Things would be a lot nicer if antique people were valued
as highly as antique furniture!" Anon


Old machinist trick may or may not work. Flush with rubbing alcohol
(running or not) let dry Apply a few drops of air tool oil. (Can be had
from any aftermarket auto parts store)

I've done this with really really old fans and had to repeat ever three or
four years.

On Wednesday, July 9, 2014 6:34:24 PM UTC-4, NotMe wrote:
"KenK" wrote in message

...

Yesterday, in this hot weather, my box fan (old, I admit) began starting

very very slowly in all three speeds. If I switch speeds back and forth it

seems to finally get up to speed. I suspect it will die soon. In the past

I've tried tearing apart other fans and oiling their motors for various

reasons and it never seemed to help much. I suspect they are permanently

lubed at the factory and are sealed from accepting further lube.



Suggestions?



It's a goner?



Ken





--

"Things would be a lot nicer if antique people were valued

as highly as antique furniture!" Anon





Old machinist trick may or may not work. Flush with rubbing alcohol

(running or not) let dry Apply a few drops of air tool oil. (Can be had

from any aftermarket auto parts store)



I've done this with really really old fans and had to repeat ever three or

four years.

Maybe it's just me, but when a $20 old fan starts behaving like
that, I don't want to keep it around. Sure, it might work for another
year or two. Or it might just catch fire one day when you've left
it on and are asleep or tending to something else.

Last weekend a NYC firefighter died in an apartment fire. The
occupants said they had smelled smoke earlier in the day. According
to what I heard on the radio, the fire was apparently caused by an AC
plugged into power strip on an extension cord that got pinched by a
bedframe, something along those lines.

trader_4 wrote:
On Wednesday, July 9, 2014 6:34:24 PM UTC-4, NotMe wrote:
"KenK" wrote in message

...
Yesterday, in this hot weather, my box fan (old, I admit) began starting
very very slowly in all three speeds. If I switch speeds back and forth it
seems to finally get up to speed. I suspect it will die soon. In the past

I've tried tearing apart other fans and oiling their motors for various
reasons and it never seemed to help much. I suspect they are permanently
lubed at the factory and are sealed from accepting further lube.

Suggestions?

It's a goner?

Ken

Old machinist trick may or may not work. Flush with rubbing alcohol
(running or not) let dry Apply a few drops of air tool oil. (Can be had
from any aftermarket auto parts store)

I've done this with really really old fans and had to repeat ever three or

four years.

Maybe it's just me, but when a $20 old fan starts behaving like
that, I don't want to keep it around. Sure, it might work for another
year or two. Or it might just catch fire one day when you've left
it on and are asleep or tending to something else.

Last weekend a NYC firefighter died in an apartment fire. The
occupants said they had smelled smoke earlier in the day. According
to what I heard on the radio, the fire was apparently caused by an AC
plugged into power strip on an extension cord that got pinched by a
bedframe, something along those lines.

Not for nothin' (you said NYC, right?) but I wouldn't equate a faulty fan
motor with a power strip/extension cord getting pinched by a bed frame.
Sure they could both start fires, but so could a curtain blowing near a
stove, a paper plate near a toaster oven or a thousand other things. All
I'm sayin' is that the two sitsheeations ain't the same.

On Wednesday, July 9, 2014 7:17:49 PM UTC-4, DerbyDad03 wrote:
trader_4 wrote:

On Wednesday, July 9, 2014 6:34:24 PM UTC-4, NotMe wrote:

"KenK" wrote in message



...

Yesterday, in this hot weather, my box fan (old, I admit) began starting

very very slowly in all three speeds. If I switch speeds back and forth it

seems to finally get up to speed. I suspect it will die soon. In the past



I've tried tearing apart other fans and oiling their motors for various

reasons and it never seemed to help much. I suspect they are permanently

lubed at the factory and are sealed from accepting further lube.



Suggestions?



It's a goner?



Ken



Old machinist trick may or may not work. Flush with rubbing alcohol

(running or not) let dry Apply a few drops of air tool oil. (Can be had

from any aftermarket auto parts store)



I've done this with really really old fans and had to repeat ever three or



four years.



Maybe it's just me, but when a $20 old fan starts behaving like

that, I don't want to keep it around. Sure, it might work for another

year or two. Or it might just catch fire one day when you've left

it on and are asleep or tending to something else.



Last weekend a NYC firefighter died in an apartment fire. The

occupants said they had smelled smoke earlier in the day. According

to what I heard on the radio, the fire was apparently caused by an AC

plugged into power strip on an extension cord that got pinched by a

bedframe, something along those lines.



Not for nothin' (you said NYC, right?) but I wouldn't equate a faulty fan

motor with a power strip/extension cord getting pinched by a bed frame.

Sure they could both start fires, but so could a curtain blowing near a

stove, a paper plate near a toaster oven or a thousand other things. All

I'm sayin' is that the two sitsheeations ain't the same.

I didn't say they were the same. The point was that in the nyc fire
example, the people had warning that something wasn't right and they
ignored it. Your other examples are similar things where people should
know better.
Is it a good idea to think about how you might fix a misbehaving
electric fan motor, when misbehaving motors have burned down houses and
you can buy a new fan for $20. That's the point.

On 7/9/2014 1:25 PM, KenK wrote:
Yesterday, in this hot weather, my box fan (old, I admit) began starting
very very slowly in all three speeds. If I switch speeds back and forth it
seems to finally get up to speed. I suspect it will die soon. In the past
I've tried tearing apart other fans and oiling their motors for various
reasons and it never seemed to help much. I suspect they are permanently
lubed at the factory and are sealed from accepting further lube.

Suggestions?

It's a goner?

Ken


Remove old lube before apply new. Use correct new.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On 7/9/2014 2:47 PM, Frank wrote:

Just been limping along with it. If
I thought it was a safety hazard, I would replace it.

Does overheat, stall, and fire count?

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
On 7/9/2014 2:47 PM, Frank wrote:

Just been limping along with it. If
I thought it was a safety hazard, I would replace it.

Does overheat, stall, and fire count?


no. and neither does making stuff up.

On 9 Jul 2014 17:25:02 GMT, KenK wrote:

Yesterday, in this hot weather, my box fan (old, I admit) began starting
very very slowly in all three speeds. If I switch speeds back and forth it
seems to finally get up to speed. I suspect it will die soon.

I wouldn't assume that. I have a fan like that, that can take 10 or 15
minutes to start, but once running it's fine. I've had it like that
for 3 summers and I expect it to last for another 20.

Say low speed. It will run for about 15 seconds and squeak to a stop.
Then it won't move for 10 minutes, After that it goes so slow it can
take 3 minutes for one revolution. 3 or 2 for the next one, 2 or 1 for
the one after that and a few minutes later, it's up to normal speed.

If you want, I'll take notes and give more accurate details, esp. how
long from start to normal speed. Maybe it's as much as 20 minutes but
I'm not sure.

Maybe it warms up faster in the two higher speeds. I used low until
last night when I switched to medium. Previous summers were similar.

I don't even think about it. I know it will get there eventually. My
AC is broken and I use it every night for 10 hours, and sometimes in the
day too. I have other fans too, one new 4" by the head of the bed,
one new (well, 24 years old really, but it seems new) 6" on the tv in
kitchen, that blows straight at me when I'm seated. One 6" and about 70
years old that blows straight at me when I'm sitting at the computer.
I another 12" fan that is about 45 years old that sits on the TV in the
living room, but I don't use that room much anymore. I have a couple
more fans that my father bought, maybe 10 years before he died in 1955
(that is, made in 1945, or soon after the war.) and they work fine too.

In the past
I've tried tearing apart other fans and oiling their motors for various
reasons and it never seemed to help much. I suspect they are permanently
lubed at the factory and are sealed from accepting further lube.

Right. They have oil-impregnated bearings, which is a lot better than
impregnated girlfriends. When they get warm, the oil comes out and
when they get cold, the oil gets sucked back in. Whoever thought of
that was a real genius imo.

Suggestions?

It's a goner?

Not at all.

Ken

I forgot to say that except for when it squeaks or rattles to a stop
soon after I turn it on, it's perfectly quiet. There is a tiny bit of
noise from the moving air, but none from the motor.



On Wed, 09 Jul 2014 21:10:02 -0400, micky
wrote:

On 9 Jul 2014 17:25:02 GMT, KenK wrote:

Yesterday, in this hot weather, my box fan (old, I admit) began starting
very very slowly in all three speeds. If I switch speeds back and forth it
seems to finally get up to speed. I suspect it will die soon.

I wouldn't assume that. I have a fan like that, that can take 10 or 15
minutes to start, but once running it's fine. I've had it like that
for 3 summers and I expect it to last for another 20.

Say low speed. It will run for about 15 seconds and squeak to a stop.
Then it won't move for 10 minutes, After that it goes so slow it can
take 3 minutes for one revolution. 3 or 2 for the next one, 2 or 1 for
the one after that and a few minutes later, it's up to normal speed.

If you want, I'll take notes and give more accurate details, esp. how
long from start to normal speed. Maybe it's as much as 20 minutes but
I'm not sure.

Maybe it warms up faster in the two higher speeds. I used low until
last night when I switched to medium. Previous summers were similar.

I don't even think about it. I know it will get there eventually. My
AC is broken and I use it every night for 10 hours, and sometimes in the
day too. I have other fans too, one new 4" by the head of the bed,
one new (well, 24 years old really, but it seems new) 6" on the tv in
kitchen, that blows straight at me when I'm seated. One 6" and about 70
years old that blows straight at me when I'm sitting at the computer.
I another 12" fan that is about 45 years old that sits on the TV in the
living room, but I don't use that room much anymore. I have a couple
more fans that my father bought, maybe 10 years before he died in 1955
(that is, made in 1945, or soon after the war.) and they work fine too.

In the past
I've tried tearing apart other fans and oiling their motors for various
reasons and it never seemed to help much. I suspect they are permanently
lubed at the factory and are sealed from accepting further lube.

Right. They have oil-impregnated bearings, which is a lot better than
impregnated girlfriends. When they get warm, the oil comes out and
when they get cold, the oil gets sucked back in. Whoever thought of
that was a real genius imo.

Suggestions?

It's a goner?

Not at all.

Ken

I tend to agree with Trader on this one.

You can buy cheap Chinese made fans for $19 to $29 at any supermarket, and they'll last you 15+ years.

If the problem is in the switch, then it makes sense to me that the switch has corrosion on it's contacts, and that's adding resistance to the motor circuit.

I'd be most inclined to junk the old fan and get a new one. Taking apart the old fan and trying to replace the switch (as if it's likely to still be available) and then putting the fan back together is going to turn out to be several hours work. To me, $29 isn't worth several hours of frustration taking the thing apart and getting it back together. If you knew what to do and how to do it, that would be different. But, whenever you do anything for the first time it's a learning experience, and learning experiences are frustrating because that's where you make all of your mistakes... on learning how to do something. If you're never going to have to do this again in your life, why learn? Your brain is an excellent housekeeper. By the time you ever need to do this same work again, you'll have completely forgotten what you did last time because you never had the need to retain that knowledge. For $19 to $29, I'd just buy a new fan.

On 7/9/14, 1:25 PM, KenK wrote:
Yesterday, in this hot weather, my box fan (old, I admit) began starting
very very slowly in all three speeds. If I switch speeds back and forth it
seems to finally get up to speed. I suspect it will die soon. In the past
I've tried tearing apart other fans and oiling their motors for various
reasons and it never seemed to help much. I suspect they are permanently
lubed at the factory and are sealed from accepting further lube.

Suggestions?

It's a goner?

Ken


I suspect the starter capacitor. I wouldn't fix the dang thing.

I threw out a perfectly good 20" 5-blade plastic box fan when I
discovered it used 135 W and for only 800 cfm.

I replaced it with a 20" 5-blade plastic box fan advertised to move 2500
cfm for 80 W. I found it gave me 800 cfm for 90 W.

For $15 at the corner store I bought a 16" pedestal fan with the
traditional wire cage. It will blow 1300 cfm out the window for only 40
W.

On 50% of the time, the first would add about $10 to my monthly electric
bill. The last would add only $3 while moving more air.

For interior use, I have for years been using 12" table fans with wire
cages from the same store. Used 50% of the time, one would add $1.75 to
my monthly bill.

The old-fashioned wire grills seem to put up less resistance than
plastic grills. Fans with 3 broad blades seem to be much quieter and
more efficient than those with 5 narrow blades.

I guess they make 5-blade plastic fans because noise sells.

On Wed, 09 Jul 2014 20:55:00 -0400, Stormin Mormon
wrote:

On 7/9/2014 2:47 PM, Frank wrote:

Just been limping along with it. If
I thought it was a safety hazard, I would replace it.

Does overheat, stall, and fire count?
It would but they are virtually all "impedence protected"

On Wed, 09 Jul 2014 21:30:17 -0400, J Burns
wrote:

On 7/9/14, 1:25 PM, KenK wrote:
Yesterday, in this hot weather, my box fan (old, I admit) began starting
very very slowly in all three speeds. If I switch speeds back and forth it
seems to finally get up to speed. I suspect it will die soon. In the past
I've tried tearing apart other fans and oiling their motors for various
reasons and it never seemed to help much. I suspect they are permanently
lubed at the factory and are sealed from accepting further lube.

Suggestions?

It's a goner?

Ken


I suspect the starter capacitor. I wouldn't fix the dang thing.

Starting capacitor on a "shaded pole" motor??? Virtually all box fans
are shaded pole motors, not capacitor start.

I threw out a perfectly good 20" 5-blade plastic box fan when I
discovered it used 135 W and for only 800 cfm.

I replaced it with a 20" 5-blade plastic box fan advertised to move 2500
cfm for 80 W. I found it gave me 800 cfm for 90 W.

For $15 at the corner store I bought a 16" pedestal fan with the
traditional wire cage. It will blow 1300 cfm out the window for only 40
W.

On 50% of the time, the first would add about $10 to my monthly electric
bill. The last would add only $3 while moving more air.

For interior use, I have for years been using 12" table fans with wire
cages from the same store. Used 50% of the time, one would add $1.75 to
my monthly bill.

The old-fashioned wire grills seem to put up less resistance than
plastic grills. Fans with 3 broad blades seem to be much quieter and
more efficient than those with 5 narrow blades.

I guess they make 5-blade plastic fans because noise sells.

The motor heats up, that expands the bearings slightly and the motor starts spinning. WD40 everything in sight in the motor, and apply some spray 3/1 oil any place you can get to near the bearings. Leave it outside for a few hours to dissipate the small, and then enjoy the fast-moving fan again.

"KenK" wrote in message
...
Yesterday, in this hot weather, my box fan (old, I admit) began starting
very very slowly in all three speeds. If I switch speeds back and forth it
seems to finally get up to speed. I suspect it will die soon. In the past
I've tried tearing apart other fans and oiling their motors for various
reasons and it never seemed to help much. I suspect they are permanently
lubed at the factory and are sealed from accepting further lube.

Suggestions?

It's a goner?

I had the same fan. It lasted several more winters (I used it in front of
the fireplace insert). It was amusing to watch the SLOOOOOW turns and then
at some point see it whirling away full speed. It did not get hot, smoke,
make noise, or burn the place down (man, I live dangerously!). Eventually,
it stopped going, even with a bit of a helpful spin from me. So, I got my
money's worth, and then some.

On 7/9/14, 10:26 PM, wrote:
On Wed, 09 Jul 2014 21:30:17 -0400, J Burns
wrote:

On 7/9/14, 1:25 PM, KenK wrote:
Yesterday, in this hot weather, my box fan (old, I admit) began starting
very very slowly in all three speeds. If I switch speeds back and forth it
seems to finally get up to speed. I suspect it will die soon. In the past
I've tried tearing apart other fans and oiling their motors for various
reasons and it never seemed to help much. I suspect they are permanently
lubed at the factory and are sealed from accepting further lube.

Suggestions?

It's a goner?

Ken


I suspect the starter capacitor. I wouldn't fix the dang thing.

Starting capacitor on a "shaded pole" motor??? Virtually all box fans
are shaded pole motors, not capacitor start.

Well, I unscrewed the plastic grille from my Lasko 3733 20" box fan and
there it was, a permanent split phase motor with a 250 V 4.0 microfarad
capacitor. (Horrible fan. I keep it in the kitchen because I can hang
it from the ceiling in a jiffy to blow smoke out the window before it
stinks up the house.)

How would you switch speeds with a shaded pole motor?

trader_4 wrote:
On Wednesday, July 9, 2014 7:17:49 PM UTC-4, DerbyDad03 wrote:
trader_4 wrote:

....snip....


Last weekend a NYC firefighter died in an apartment fire. The
occupants said they had smelled smoke earlier in the day. According
to what I heard on the radio, the fire was apparently caused by an AC
plugged into power strip on an extension cord that got pinched by a
bed frame, something along those lines.

Not for nothin' (you said NYC, right?) but I wouldn't equate a faulty fan
motor with a power strip/extension cord getting pinched by a bed frame.
Sure they could both start fires, but so could a curtain blowing near a
stove, a paper plate near a toaster oven or a thousand other things. All

I'm sayin' is that the two sitsheeations ain't the same.

I didn't say they were the same. The point was that in the nyc fire
example, the people had warning that something wasn't right and they
ignored it.

What warning was that? Just curious...

Your other examples are similar things where people should
know better.

Should know better, but don't always.

Is it a good idea to think about how you might fix a misbehaving
electric fan motor, when misbehaving motors have burned down houses and
you can buy a new fan for $20. That's the point.

Well, that makes some sense except that I know for sure that I couldn't
replace my antique (might just be old) fan for $20. Yes, I could get a $20
fan but it sure wouldn't be a direct replacement for the CFM's that that
thing moves. The OPs box fan? Maybe.

On 07/09/2014 05:54 PM, trader_4 wrote:


snip


Maybe it's just me, but when a $20 old fan starts behaving like
that, I don't want to keep it around. Sure, it might work for another
year or two. Or it might just catch fire one day when you've left
it on and are asleep or tending to something else.

Last weekend a NYC firefighter died in an apartment fire. The
occupants said they had smelled smoke earlier in the day. According
to what I heard on the radio, the fire was apparently caused by an AC
plugged into power strip on an extension cord that got pinched by a
bedframe, something along those lines.




I agree!!!!


I am probably the cheapest ******* on earth...but I would not waste time
with a seized-up motor.


Around here new box fans go for $15 and $3 at a rummage sale.

On 7/9/2014 10:30 PM, wrote:
The motor heats up, that expands the bearings slightly
and the motor starts spinning. WD40 everything in sight
in the motor, and apply some spray 3/1 oil any place you
can get to near the bearings. Leave it outside for a few
hours to dissipate the small, and then enjoy the fast-
moving fan again.

For about two days, till the WD and three in one dry out.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On Wednesday, July 9, 2014 11:36:35 PM UTC-4, DerbyDad03 wrote:
trader_4 wrote:

On Wednesday, July 9, 2014 7:17:49 PM UTC-4, DerbyDad03 wrote:

trader_4 wrote:



...snip....





Last weekend a NYC firefighter died in an apartment fire. The

occupants said they had smelled smoke earlier in the day. According

to what I heard on the radio, the fire was apparently caused by an AC

plugged into power strip on an extension cord that got pinched by a

bed frame, something along those lines.



Not for nothin' (you said NYC, right?) but I wouldn't equate a faulty fan

motor with a power strip/extension cord getting pinched by a bed frame.

Sure they could both start fires, but so could a curtain blowing near a

stove, a paper plate near a toaster oven or a thousand other things. All



I'm sayin' is that the two sitsheeations ain't the same.



I didn't say they were the same. The point was that in the nyc fire

example, the people had warning that something wasn't right and they

ignored it.



What warning was that? Just curious...




Last weekend a NYC firefighter died in an apartment fire. The

occupants said they had smelled smoke earlier in the day.

micky wrote in
:

Say low speed. It will run for about 15 seconds and squeak to a stop.
Then it won't move for 10 minutes, After that it goes so slow it can
take 3 minutes for one revolution. 3 or 2 for the next one, 2 or 1 for
the one after that and a few minutes later, it's up to normal speed.

If you want, I'll take notes and give more accurate details, esp. how
long from start to normal speed. Maybe it's as much as 20 minutes but
I'm not sure.


Mine starts much sooner - a minute or two. Last time I started it I tried
giving the blade a push. Seemed to help.

Thanks, but don't bother with the notes.

--
"Things would be a lot nicer if antique people were valued
as highly as antique furniture!" Anon

trader_4 wrote in news:09385a72-c3b2-494f-a521-
:

Maybe it's just me, but when a $20 old fan starts behaving like
that, I don't want to keep it around. Sure, it might work for another
year or two. Or it might just catch fire one day when you've left
it on and are asleep or tending to something else.


It's in my 'office' area. It only runs when I'm there.


--
"Things would be a lot nicer if antique people were valued
as highly as antique furniture!" Anon

"trader_4" wrote in message
...
On Wednesday, July 9, 2014 6:34:24 PM UTC-4, NotMe wrote:
"KenK" wrote in message

...

Yesterday, in this hot weather, my box fan (old, I admit) began
starting

very very slowly in all three speeds. If I switch speeds back and forth
it

seems to finally get up to speed. I suspect it will die soon. In the
past

I've tried tearing apart other fans and oiling their motors for various

reasons and it never seemed to help much. I suspect they are
permanently

lubed at the factory and are sealed from accepting further lube.



Suggestions?



It's a goner?



Ken





--

"Things would be a lot nicer if antique people were valued

as highly as antique furniture!" Anon





Old machinist trick may or may not work. Flush with rubbing alcohol

(running or not) let dry Apply a few drops of air tool oil. (Can be had

from any aftermarket auto parts store)



I've done this with really really old fans and had to repeat ever three
or

four years.

Maybe it's just me, but when a $20 old fan starts behaving like
that, I don't want to keep it around. Sure, it might work for another
year or two. Or it might just catch fire one day when you've left
it on and are asleep or tending to something else.

Last weekend a NYC firefighter died in an apartment fire. The
occupants said they had smelled smoke earlier in the day. According
to what I heard on the radio, the fire was apparently caused by an AC
plugged into power strip on an extension cord that got pinched by a
bedframe, something along those lines.

When I say old the fans were built in the 1930's. If/when they fail again
they typically slow down again.