This video is a life saver. Me an my wife use a fan like this when we sleep. Randomly started screeching for a few seconds every few hours waking us up multiple times throughout the night so I followed along with this video and boom I’m now the hero! I had to use the household 3 in 1 though because the store was out of any electric motor oil. It seems to have still worked fine and even if I have to change it sooner it’s worth being able to sleep in peace 😊
Thank you so much, I am one of those people that has my fan on all the time. Mine started making some horrible noises. With you clear instructions I managed to clean and lube it up and its running better than new.
I've been keeping a Utiliteck high velocity floor fan since it seized up several years ago. Initially, I searched for a demonstrative video illustrating how to service one...oil the bushings/bearings, but to no avail. Maybe it's been 4-5 years ago, but I just recently came across your tutorial video... My fan is back up & running!
Great video, used your video as a guide and it worked perfect for a 20+ year old Hampton bay velocity fan. The oil sponges were positioned a little different but accepted the new oil as it should (both sponges were dry, and never serviced during 20 years of construction use). Sanded the light rust around the aluminum bars of the motor/rotor, as it seem to be scratching a bit as well. For the copper coils that were caked up in dust and debris, i first brushed and aired out as much as i could and then i sprayed the coils and aluminum bars with electrical contact cleaner.
Honestly this video helped me cuz there was something stuck in between the blade and motor and i couldn't for the life of me figure out how to remove the blade part
Thank you so much for such a clear and detailed tutorial. It's probably the best I've seen. I have the same fan as shown and it started squealing really loud this morning so I'm going to follow your tutorial. It hasn't been oiled since I purchased it probably 10 years ago. It's July in SC and I need that fan. Thanks again.
I just went through this on our 14” Lakewood high velocity fan. It is model HVDJ-14 and I just realized we’ve had it for about 20 years. I oiled up the very dry oil wicks, cleaned everything and polished the frame and now it looks and runs as good as new. I miss Lakewood.
That's great to hear! Those Lakewoods are solid and surprisingly hardy even without much maintenance. I miss Lakewood too. They had really good products. But at the same time, I don't think it's a bad thing that they went out of business, because their products were getting really cheap towards the end. If they were still around today, the quality of their products would likely be abysmal. At least we remember Lakewood as a good fan manufacturer because they went under before their products were became too cheap.
@@TheSuperFanMan yep. When I was a child my mom and grandmother had Kmart(Lakewood) and Lakewood box fans among other types. Those box fans were almost bulletproof and got a lot of use in a house with no central air. Would love to have saved one of them. Lakewood’s demise was driven, in large part, by Walmarts constant push for lower prices. Their hand was forced and they had to start sourcing some of their components from China. This ultimately led to their closure as they were selling them at a loss to Walmart. Same thing happened to Huffy, which now only exists in name. Rubbermaid struggled at the hand of Walmart and was acquired by their competitor Newell. This list goes on. Could these companies have survived if they told Walmart to shove it? Maybe but it would’ve been a challenge. Walmart has done more harm than good in the communities it has setup shop. I only shop there when absolutely necessary. Sure many large businesses have questionable practices but Walmart takes the cake. Sorry for the rant. Love the videos. Will you be doing any more antique or vintage fan rebuilds/restorations again soon?
@@BobbyS1981 I absolutely agree. I think big box stores in general were one of the biggest reasons why companies like Lakewood went out of business. There’s a chance Lakewood could’ve survived a bit longer but eventually they would have went under. A similar thing happened to a Canadian fan company, Seabreeze a few years ago. I’m assuming all of the cheap big box store fans drove their sales down. I’m not the biggest fan of Walmart either. I actually don’t even remember when I last shopped there lol. It’s all good! I like hearing about other people’s opinions, so rants are always welcome. Thanks! Yep, I actually have a couple 1920s antique oscillating fans in the middle of restoration, and even some old ceiling fan projects too. I’ve been filming video clips for all of them, so they should be coming one by one soon. Going to try to post the video for one of the antique oscillators within the next couple weeks!
@@TheSuperFanMan Panasonic Electronics, too. Panasonic used to making premium quality products, but since 2017 until present, Panasonic, on their certain products (e.g. air conditioners), has cheapened out build qualities, sourcing from China and unreliable. Panasonic is just name nowadays, nothing Panasonic.
Thank you for this video! Trying to clean this fan has been a nightmare before. I have a dust mite allergy and this gives me hay fever every single time 😩. I couldn't figure out how to remove the blades and the back grill but now I know. Will be cleaning mine in the next couple of days.
I currently don't have a video on the varnishing process, however it's quite easy. The products I use are the SprayOn EL600 clear insulating varnish and the Dolph's EB-41 black insulating varnish, depending on which colour suits the motor windings better. I tend to reserve the EB-41 for antique fans that have windings covered in dark friction tape. Before I apply the varnish, I first clean the windings very thoroughly. I spend a lot of time doing this to ensure the windings look pretty much brand new before sealing them in varnish. Some CRC electronics cleaner helps clear out more greasy build-ups without damaging the windings. I use a soft paint brush to get everything out of the nooks and crannies. I then varnish the windings in one of two ways: - I mask parts of the stator I do not want the varnish to get on, take it outside and spray the varnish from the aerosol can. This method is quick and good for varnishing the entire winding. - I spray some of the varnish into a glass jar and use a small paint brush to manually apply it. This gives you more control over where the varnish goes. The varnish is usually dry and ready for service in a day or two. Hope it helps!
Excellent fan tutorial on how to clean and service a high velocity fan SuperFanMan now I know what tools I must get in order to do the same and the oil I do have I’ve enjoyed the video
Thank you! I don’t have any videos on repairing a non-working fan, but I can offer some pointers for your fan. Does the motor hum or buzz at all when you switch it on?
Just in case anyone else is having problems with removing the screws from around the outside for disassembly and doesn't have power tools, I found that if I am struggling to get a couple of the screws to move on and do the others, and that would loosen things up sufficiently
You could be a certified fan doctor at Home Depot! I remember working at Homebase(now defunct store went out of business) for a summer after highschool, and the head of fan department was always fantasizing what would happen if he rammed a forklift through the fan aisle with all its running litup fans. Like he told me that's what he was going to do his last day there, he kept on fantasizing on it, etc. 😂 Thank God you never had to work at that horrible place.
Haha I may be no Home Depot fan doctor, but there have been numerous instances when I was just browsing the fan aisles and ended up giving fan selection advice to folks who were shopping for new fans! I'm not too familiar with Homebase, but it looks like I would've been too young to work there when it was still around. By the sound of it, I guess it's was a good thing.
Excellent video, however I decided to first see if just taking off the blade and oiling the shaft in front and the back with a zoom spout (get to the back shaft through the motor vents) would fix the terrible squelch. Yep no more noise. This would have been my go to if that would have failed.
Thank you! Yes, your method absolutely works too! Fully disassembling the motor does allow a better access to the oil wicks for long term lubrication, but simply applying oil without disassembly will still sufficiently lubricate the bearings.
My HDX has been used for many hours over the last several years. If I suddenly have green oil drops coming from the motor housing (never happened before), does tgat mean my fan is toast, or can I simply clean it and oil it as you've done here? FWIW, I've had no strange noises despite the leaking.
Yes it should be fine! It likely just had a build up of leaked oil inside the motor housing, and it dripped out one day. If anything, it's a good sign that the factory did add sufficient amount of oil.
Hi, unfortunately this fan isn't currently in my possession, so I'm unable to check the exact wiring schematic of the fan. But the wiring of the motor (based on colours of the wires) is visible in numerous shots in the video, so perhaps it could be used as a reference.
Hi, any suggestions for replacing deteriorated oil felt/foam wicks? My 90's 20' dayton fan (looks like a lakewood) needs one since it crumbled. Also can you make a video of how to trouble shoot a 3 speed fan with a bad motor winding. I have a broken fan that I cannot figure out. Replaced cap, but could not find the thermal fuse. I repaired an old 9' lakewood fan by fixing the thermal fuse and finding a small wire that had detached from the winding (it was dumb luck). It's gotta be a fuse or broken wire. Thanks!
Some yarn or felt from craft stores can be cut to short lengths and stuffed into the area surrounding the bearings. Undyed yarn is ideal, since there is no worry about the dye leaching out. Once they’re saturated with oil, they’ll stay put. Those Daytons (indeed made by Lakewood) are solid fans! With occasional maintenance, they’ll last forever. Do you know the approximate age of your motor? Most fan motors from the early 70s and older were not fitted with thermal fuses. Typically the fuse is easy to spot if the motor does have one. Older fuses were often small glass tubes, closely resembling an incandescent Christmas string light bulb, while newer ones are small plastic boxes or cylinders. So if it is an older motor, there’s a good chance the motor has an open winding. I’d check with a multimeter to see if there is continuity. If it doesn’t, it likely needs to be rewound. Hope it helps!
Please don’t!! Cooking oil cannot properly lubricate bearings. It may “work” for a short time but the heat will rapidly deteriorate it. I highly recommend getting the proper oil. It’s relatively inexpensive; certainly cheaper than a new fan!
How would you recommend getting the wrong oil out of the bearings? I'm i moron and just used household 3 n 1 oil and I'd like to replace it with what you are using, but I'm sure the oil wick is now soaked in this other oil. Getting some rattling noise as well and I hope all this cleaning does something to help it.
You’re not a moron! When I first started collecting fans, I used WD-40 to lubricate fans, a worse mistake than using household 3 in 1 lol. The household 3 in 1 won’t necessarily harm the motor, especially in short term. In fact, I doubt you’ll notice a difference in performance or behaviour between a fan that’s been oiled with the household 3 in 1 vs. a fan oiled with the electric motor 3 in 1. Over time, the contents in the household 3 in 1 oil have the tendency to become gummy with the contaminants it picks up in the bearing, which could potentially seize up the motor. But it’s not the end of the world since it can be remedied. You can reach into the oil wick with a q-tip and gently dab to absorb some of the old oil out. Honestly it’s not necessary to take every single molecule of the old oil out of the wick. As long as most of it’s out, there shouldn’t be any issues. Also don’t aggressively poke the oil wick, because compacting the material can reduce its ability to hold oil. For the bearing surfaces, the rolled up paper towel method I used this video works to clean out the old oil. For the rattle, check all screws to ensure they’re tight, especially the grub screw on the blade hub. Sometimes the bearings themselves may rattle from excessive wear, but that’s if the fan was used for a long time without adequate lubrication. Hope it helps!
Possibly. Does the motor hum at all when you switch it on? If yes, then this oiling method will very likely fix it, as that is a symptom of locked bearings due to poor lubrication. If there is no hum, either the thermal fuse in the motor blew from overheating or the fuse in the plug blew. The fuse in the plug is replaceable, so if you have a multimeter, I would check the continuity. If there is no continuity across the plug fuse, replace it (hardware stores carry fuses. The current rating must be the same or close) and the fan should work again. If the plug fuse is not the issue, the motor thermal fuse is blown, which is not replaceable and the fan is most likely done. Hope it helps! Feel free to ask any questions.
Ah, I remember when I found one of these in the trash. It was covered in so much cigarette tar that I just threw the grilles in the dishwasher so I wouldn’t have to deal with the smell, and they came out just like new. Ended up making $60 selling the thing because so many people wanted it that one guy paid $20 more than my asking price lol
I would say some yarn (ideally white, as there are dyes in coloured yarn) can work as a good substitute. It can be cut into short lengths and stuffed into the bearing housing. Once it’s saturated with oil, it’ll stay put. Hope it help!
Yep, it’s completely safe! The motor shaft rotates inside of the stationary bushing, so there is no direct contact between the oil wick material and the shaft, thus no effect of friction on the wick. As for heat, the motor will definitely get warm during operation, but absolutely nowhere near the melting or combustion temperature of any yarn material.
They’re thin fiber washers, designed to reduce friction against the bearing and create proper alignment between the rotor and stator. I don’t quite remember the dimensions of the washers at the moment unfortunately.
No problem! Ceiling fan motors are built with reversibility in mind. There is a certain section within the copper windings that can determine the rotation direction of an AC induction motor. On ceiling fan motors, those windings are tapped and connected to the reverse switch, allowing the motor to be bidirectional. This is also used on electrical reversible window fans for intake & exhaust airflow. Theoretically a unidirectional motor can be modified to be bidirectional, but the labour required to change the winding setup would be very intensive.
It’s an orbit oscillating fan, which I’m unfortunately not too familiar with. Are you looking to oil the fan, or to clean it? If it’s just for cleaning, you can simply remove the grille to access the internals. For oiling, I would suggest accessing the motor from the front. Remove grille, blades and see if the motor can be dismounted from there. Feel free to ask any questions that come up!
usually it requires some more force (pull vertically) for older fans with gunk build up around the top of the rod. Clean as best at the top around the rod then pull hard, might want to put the fan on the floor when doing so.
Sorry about the late reply, but yes, as David mentioned, it’s a pretty common occurrence for metal blades to get stuck. In most cases, cleaning and applying some WD-40 will help loosen it. For extreme cases, a gear puller can easily take them off: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-sygGD1QdDHg.htmlsi=2PutD5KkXBvQYX5O
Do you mean a brand new wind machine? I currently don’t have one on hand, but I can make a video if I do come across a used one. I won’t be buying one brand new though.
@@TheSuperFanMan no its called "brandson wind machine". Brandson is the name of the brand. it is almost impossible to open near the rotor. I think mine got a termal fuse but i can't open it.
I’m not familiar with that fan model, and it’s not sold here in North America so unfortunately I can’t offer much help. The motor disassembly procedure on these high velocity fans is pretty universal though, so this video or some other ones on RU-vid may be helpful.
F-I-R-E Avoid it. Motors, heat. oil, do things right, like shown here. To mfg anything, the mfg has to be very concerned for public safety. Extra oil does not mean better, with any electric motor. Good video. Recommend a parts source?
Does the motor hum or buzz at all when you turn the switch onto any of the speeds? If not, the thermal fuse in the motor, or the fuse in the plug is likely blown. The plug fuse is replaceable. The small plastic cover on the plug can be slid out and the fuse can be removed for a replacement. If a new cord fuse doesn’t fix it, then unfortunately the motor fuse is likely the culprit, which can’t be replaced.
Most fans easy to get to lube spot. Ots almost intentional making it so difficult to get to AND IVE NEVER SEEN THIS BRAND LAST BECAUSE OF LUBE PROBS. PURPOSEFUL THROW AWAY BUY ANOTHER if thats ya biz plan i buy a diff brand
