Antique AC table fan not turning in the right direction

I have an antique table fan. When power is swtiched on the motor produces a humming sound. The propeller does not turn even after giving a spin in the clockwise direction. A great force is holding on to the rotor.

However, when fan is turned in the anti clock wise direction maually it starts to spin with a slow speed.

I have changed a new capacitor but the problem persists.

What could be the issue?

Any help and pointers appreciated.

Thank you

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Reply to
asidu
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Was the fan running ok previously while in your posession?

If so, and if nobody screwed around with the motor wiring connections since then I'd hazard a guess that there's an internal short between the two stator windings

That's not too easy a thing to fix without some experience in motor rewinding, and the proper tools and supplies.

Good Luck,

Jeff

Reply to
jeff_wisnia

Is there any sort of label on the motor? Could it be DC?

Reply to
Larry Fishel

Oops, I missed this part. I guess that suggest AC (and that you would probably know enough to make sure it is).

Reply to
Larry Fishel

Turn it around

Reply to
notbob

You might try replacing the brushes.

Reply to
HeyBub

Huh? OP said AC motor I did not know DC motor capacitor either.

Reply to
Tony Hwang

Dried up lube? With the fan turn off, how easily does the fan spin?

Should spin very easily.....if not, sounds like a mechanical issue.

DIsassemble, clean (mild solvents), lube lightly & re-assemble.

How about a photo?

cheers Bob

Reply to
DD_BobK

Summer is here, Sell it on e-bay and go get a cheap chinese made one at Family Dollar.

Reply to
Fat-Dumb and Happy

I have two non-antique fans that have to be on for a minute to 10 minutes before they warm up enough to spin.

I have an antique fan, that my father used in his office unti l953, that I used until about 1993, that needed oil, but eventually I took it apart and couldn't seem to align the front and rear bearings. Even thought they're both mounted in spheres and are self-aligning, they just don't move enough.

This is why Jeff said what he did. I have no experience with this.

I wouldnt' have thought a table fan needs a cap.

Dunno.

Reply to
mm

turn the fan around

Reply to
Steve Barker

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Thanks Jeff for your inputs and time.

Yes the 230V AC table fan was working fine till recently. It gradually slowed over time. Only the highest speed worked in its last week of operation then it came to a stop.

Now the rotor turns easily with a minimum force when no electrical power is applied. Once power is switched on the rotor's mechanical motion gets really hard in the forward direction. I reckon this happens due to the magnetic field that is generated by the current flow. However

Since the motor can turn in reverse direction can I conclude that the mechanical condition of the motor is OK. Only the winding is screwed up and it needs to be replaced or rewired.

Any one has pointers how to rewire the stator. Its going to be a messy and tough job.

Asidu

Reply to
asidu

Around the 9th grade, I had no money for extras, so the only Erector Set motor I had (besides the wind-up one) was the one my class-mate gave me that was broken.

I had no money for wire either, and wouldn't have known where to buy the stuff. So I unwound the old winding looking for the problem. Every coil of wire broke off from the next one, into 4 pieces iirc, one for each side of the rectangle.

So I had at least 100 pieces of wire. I scraped the enamel off of each end of each piece, and hooked each piece to the next piece, because there woudln't be space enough to do a bulkier job. I wound it all up adn wrapped it with cloth, and it worked! Pretty well.

But after a while it started to smoke. Why? Because the cloth I wrapped it with was cloth electric tape. Friction tape. With adhesive. One thing we had plenty of was rags. I came so close to fixing it right.

Never did see a particular problem, iirc, that caused it not to work at first.

Reply to
mm

As this is new info, is your fan plugged into a 230V outlet?

Reply to
Malcom "Mal" Reynolds

Hello all:

the latest post on this that I can see claims "the fan only worked ON ITS HIGHEST SPEED during the last week of life......................Did anyone think to check the speed selector???? a shorted contact mabey??

just a thought.

can the OP post a closeup pict or diagram of the switch?

Reply to
Harrison Lighting and Neon

Since it is an antique, the original blade may have been replaced with the wrong one.

Flipping the blade won't matter.

Hank

Reply to
Hank

Since it is an antique, just a wild thought. If the fan is AC/DC compatible, it might actually have a DC motor with rectifier in the circuit. If the diode or diodes have died, might that be causing the condition you describe?

Reply to
Peter

AC/DC motors dont use rectifiers but you can reverse them by reversing the wires that go to the armature. Usually not much of a problem if the wires plug in to the brush holders.

Jimmie

Reply to
JIMMIE

Are there really any AC/DC home appliances left in the wild? (Other than maybe in the storage rooms of the oldest buildings in NYC and a couple other cities?) How many decades has it been since Mains DC was even available for anything other than elevators and subways?

Reply to
aemeijers

And did they have diodes back then? Table radios were still using tubes for diodes through the 50's.

Reply to
mm

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