Disassembling and cleaning a Midea plastic box fan, model FB50-16HP. These fans were sold under multiple different brands, including SMC, Hawaiian Breeze, MainStays, and perhaps a few others, but the manufacturing was done by Midea.
I picked one up for cheap at a thrift store ( "Hurricane" model) and found like you that disassembly for cleaning would be a nightmare. Thanks for posting!
*Bought this fan for the summer and so far it works great **Fastly.Cool** ! It's very quiet and not too loud, but also acts as a "white noise" when I go to sleep. No complaints from me!*
My fan is just like this. I wanted to clean it and couldn’t figure out how to open it!! So, of course, I did a RU-vid search lol I so appreciate you posting this! I’m convinced they made it this way so people give up and purchase a new one!
@@JordanU I just HAD to share this lol I found a Lasko PURPLE fan!!! It is made just like the white ones. I can finally have a purple one and be able to clean it!!! It doesn’t take much to make my day 🙃
Thanks for putting up this video! I knew that front cover had to come off some how...I 🙏 I don't break it getting it off!? Again TY for the tutorial video! Helped Sooo MucH!
My husband just noticed I was watching this video and then used an air duster that you would use on a keyboard and it works amazingly well! Why didn't I think of this before???
As long as it's not used somewhere that would get it sticky (like a kitchen), compressed air or even a leaf blower will get it fairly clean without opening it.
Wow they really don't want anybody servicing this thing! That's the worst serviceability I have seen in a while! I suppose the only way to oil this thing would be to drill your own oil holes like you can do with many vintage GE fans.
I used to have a 12” oscillating fan from 2017 made by GD Midea, it had the same type of motor in it. It was frustrating when I saw that it could not be opened up, considering mine came with very dry bearings. I ended up returning it to the store. It’s disappointing seeing fans made with such a throwaway design.
I have one of their recent oscillating fan models, while I haven't attempted to open the motor yet, it doesn't look easy. At least the shaft is exposed on both ends so oil can be dripped in without opening the motor.
I thought the vents were neat as well. I find it incredible that the blade is held on with a nut, meanwhile the rest of the fan is so poorly designed in terms of serviceability.
Mine finally died tonight. I'm shocked it lasted as long as it did though (3 yrs.) It sure was a pain to clean! I sure wish I could find the old metal boxed fans they used to make. I bought ours in the early 90's and that fan lasted us until 2006. Come to think of it,I don't believe we ever lubricated the motor. I had many people tell me to toss it,because it was missing the front cover. We never did!
Same here bro i got the black one and Tory has the blue one and it is a pain to clean but at least for me just pulling the blade off and front guard works for me and wiping down the back guard without trying to pull it apart but Bro the serving of it as far as the motor goes and trying to pull it apart is just a real hindrance lol good video and enjoyed it
@@vacexpert2020 These intrigued me enough to get this one, but only for a few dollars. I wouldn't give $20 for one of these. A 3733 can be had for about $16 around where I am.
@18:35 - they are factory tapes.. The tapes on the outside is to prevent the front cover/panel from sliding out (pry along the edges and slide/pull to remove) .
Often Chinese factories will repurpose components or salvage defective components. These motors were probably for sale en masse and this company decided to make fans with them, that's why they made that plastic mount which serves as an adapter to retrofit it to the fan body. It also probably explains why the motor housing isn't well ventilated. The same goes for cheap Chinese electronics, the components inside can be ancient, like capacitors, mosfets, and chips such as bluetooth controllers.
If you had gone along the bottom, all you have to do is remove the screw, remove the speed selector knob, and then the entire bottom slides off taking the from grill with it. It requires a little coercion on the sides to get it started, but then slides right off. After a few months these fans start to slow down. I use them whenever its not quite hot enough for AC, and my apartment has no airflow. But I'm probably running them well beyond their duty cycle. Keeping the blades clean, and checking the driveshaft of the motor for hair or other obstructions. Personally I got out the snippers and removed the plastic completely from behind the motor. The motor runs hot and I'd like as much air circulating around it as possible. It has made a difference, but again I run these suckers at max for days or weeks at a time. I'm sure they weren't designed for this. Mine are "made" by Pelonis.
My daughter and I were able to oil the motor which was squeaking and then stopped. The oil was all dried inside with dust. After removing all the metal tabs on the outside of the motor (this guy removes a few) we pried the silver metal apart with a flathead screwdriver. After removing the tabs, it's not welded together. We used 3 in 1 all temp silicone oil.
any know where to find the knob replacement for this fan type? i saw various brands with basically this same box fan model mine is utilitech for exemple
While I don't condone stamping together motors, the reason they are able to do that is because most of these consumer fan motors use what are called "sintered bearings". During the manufacture of the bearings, oil is embedded within microscopic pores inside the surface of the bearing. As the oil evaporates with use, new oil gets suctioned out via some physics rule I don't quite understand yet. The end result is a continuously self-oiling bearing that will not require servicing for quite some time. That is, if it's manufactured correctly.
I once had that box fan but it was utilitech branded and was black, after only 2 minutes of running the motor got very hot and I could already smell a slight burning smell, it was crap.
I had a fan alot like that The control was on the top and the nob g Had broken and didnt have feet attached to the case Was entirely colored white and had the same looking blade. It had no name brand but was sold under shell electrics and it was extremely loud
@@JordanU in short I got a string from the blinds caught inside and could not figure out all the pieces for disassembly. This saved me $40. Thanks again
I remember buying a Midea fan under the Mainstays brand for my Windmere that died last year since I saw the windmere you had used a Midea motor. It barely even moved and the motors were stamped together making it impossible for someone to lubricate the fan.
10:44 I mean you still can service it. I already attemped opening the thing using a normal size screwdriver and a small size one to open it up on my recently found HDX/Midea table fan. But I would not bother because those crimp things break I already lost 2 of those while pushing them together
I wonder if this is on all Midea fans that have stamped motors. I'm not sure about Pelonis or the brand Midea itself although it is not sold in North America
I bought a Pelonis brand box fan just like this Midea which requires the same cleaning procedure in Amazon great cooling fan but i am gonna have to return it because the cleaning is to complicated and if you suffer from rheumatoid arthritis like me believe me it just won't do.
So I watched the video twice...I tried prying the fan open as you showed us how to. But I just got my fingers caught a couple of times ouch....I seen I wasn't making any headway lol...I just took the fan out side in my garage and put my leaf blower to it! It cleaned it some, but not as I would have liked it! Great tutorial though!
@@ginagz6601 When it comes to something of this cost and build quality, taking the leaf blower to it is about all the time it's worth. You could probably take the garden hose to it as well, try to avoid the motor and let it dry for a while before plugging in.
Once you break off the tabs on the motor casing, slide a screwdriver between the seams of the casing. It will open and is easily cleaned and lubricated with 3 in 1 all temp silicone oil.
They just want you to throw it away and buy another over again like the pelonis fan I got at walmart that the same kind mainstays is and the motor is stamped together and you would have to cut it to get it open with
Thank God for a smart husband...looked like a complete and total pain in the ass in order to get it apart in order to clean it. I loved the fan but don't think I'll buy another.
@@JordanU What's the name of the songs you played during the sped-up parts? Are those from the RU-vid audio library? Can you send me a link to those songs?
How in the hell can this cool off a whole house and it moves no air so you should smash it and get another Lasko 3733 because it is better and moves so much air will last for over 100 years of amazing service. The Lasko 3733 is easier to clean .
You do have a point on the difficulty of cleaning and servicing, but 100 years might be stretching it since fans nowadays are not built to last like they were back in the 1900's.
