Are BOX fans dangerous????

[jimmy]

I recently had a conversation with an insurance adjuster who told me one of the causes of fires in a home are these box fans...do you have any info regarding this??

[RicodJour]

Any cheap motor that's left running for long periods of time, with loads of household dust blowing over it, and isn't cleaned periodically, is a candidate for over-heating and starting a fire.

R

[Jeff The Drunk]

Most of these motors have thermal protection. But I suppose that can fail.

[notbob]

He's a lying sack of sh*t!

I've used 20" box fans for 40 yrs. Old, new, plastic, or metal, they do what they are designed for. I'd recommend a 20" Lasko, the model with the extra knob for temp (thermostat ...honest!). Last one I bought was $20 as Lowe's.

The only prob I ever experienced was wind. Sometimes a late night/early morning wind would come up and knock the fan out of the window sill. Being and incredibly lazy ass, I'd drop the venetian blinds jes far enough to hit the top back edge of the fan and give it a little resistance from falling. Any good anchoring system will prevent any probs.

nb

[Ed Pawlowski]

Anything with a motor is a potential fire hazard. These are generally cheaply made, but I've not heard of any particular hazard from them. Did he give any details as to why? I've used them for years and never had a problem, nor have I hear of any others. But . . . . I did a quick search and found this

of Product: Lasko, General Electric, Galaxy, and Air King Brand Box and Pivoting Floor Fans

Units: About 5.6 million

Manufacturer: Lasko Products Inc., of West Chester, Pa.

Hazard: An electrical failure in the motor can pose a fire hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: Lasko has received 42 reports of fires possibly associated with motor failures, with seven reports of injuries, including burns and smoke inhalation. At least eight of the reported fires resulted in extensive property damage.

Description: This recall involves various models of Lasko, Galaxy, Air King and General Electric fans manufactured between January 1999 and July 2001, and sold through February 2004. Styles and model numbers of recalled fans, which are either stamped or on a label on the bottom of the fans, are listed below:

[RicodJour]

So, you believe that your personal experience - one person's experience - outweighs a conversation with an insurance adjuster? Hmm. This wasn't some salesperson selling something - looking to gain something from a lie. How often do people call you first when their house catches on fire? Sheesh.

See Ed Pawlowski's response about the fan recall. It's rather ironic that the fan brand you recommend is the one in the that report that the CPSC recalled. All of these cheap fans are made in China, and we all know how reliable and trustworthy the Chinese are...at least they can be relied on to dump their excess lead into our dinner ware. Do you really think that you're getting a quality product, shipped from overseas, for $20?

In future, maybe you shouldn't start name calling when you have nothing really to base it on. Thanks.

R

[spud42]

Box and=20

I knew a family who died in a house fire caused by a box fan=20 The firemen told their relatives That a box fan is not a window fan=20 Even though thats where it mostly ends up=20 a little rain and they rust up and the enamel wears away

a quick search=20

UNITED STATES=20 CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION=20

The insulating enamel on the windings may have broken down=20 and caused sparking and arcing.resulting in overheating thermally protected motor or a impedance-protected motor.=20 as the varnish broke down and temperature on the winding rose,=20 the protection failed to keep the windings from erupting in flames A contributing factor to portable fan-related fires or potential fires = was the presence of=20 plastic materials. When a fan with plastic blades, motor housing or = enclosure overheated or=20 caught fire, the plastic reportedly would melt and drip onto combustible = materials such as carpet,=20 clothing, bedding, paper, etc.=20

: The incident data show that the second largest number=20 of incidents was related to the power-supply cords.=20 The current power-supply cord requirements for portable electric fans = allow SP-1, SP-2,=20 SPT-1 and SPT-2 type constructions. These single-layer-insulation types = of cords are not=20 sufficient to prevent damage as described=20 According to AHAM, imported portable fans represent more than 75 = percent of=20 all portable fans sold in the U.S., and China is the major exporting = country of these products Information concerning safety=20 standards on the fans, cords, or plugs was also very limited. For = example, only 63 involved fans=20 or cords were identified as UL Listed;=20 Spud

[Steve Barker]

ya, i had one tell me 90% of house fires are from computer monitors. They say what sounds good at the time.

[Steve Barker]

I'd say he's full of crap. I buy box fans at auctions to use in the chicken coop. They get the full gamut of dust and feathers and who knows what else. I just run 'em till they quit and throw them in the burn pile. Not one has even so much as smoked.

[Jon Danniken]

100 percent of house fires are caused by ignition of combustable materials, that is a FACT.

Jon

[AZ Nomad]

87.3% of all statistics are made up

[RicodJour]

Even if they did catch on fire, big deal. You'd just have an impromptu neighborhood BBQ. If it were your family you might feel a little different, no?

R

[Ed Pawlowski]

"Jon Danniken" wrote

Then why don't they just put the combustibles outside? At least keep them in a metal box.

[J Burns]

The Lasko link on the page says they'll send you up to four cord adapters if you register. I imagine they're fused.

[Steve Barker]

I'm just saying in all my years and all my fans, i've never seen one smoke or flame. And yes, i'd say my life experience is just as good as some lying insurance adjusters.

[J Burns]

The CPSC says that of 5.6 million fans of certain models, there have been 42 reports of fires including 8 with serious damage.

If there are 100 million households in the US, that's a risk of about 1 in 12 million of a serious fire from one of these fans. If you have one of these fans, the risk of fire appears to be about 1 in 100,000. The risk that one of these fans will cause a serious fire appears to be about 1 in a million. Lasko will send owners a cord adapter for protection.

[Larry Fishel]

If these are the words he used, it really doesn't mean a whole lot. Being crushed by a refrigerator is one of the causes of death in the house. That doesn't mean you shouldn't have a refrigerator in your house.

The stats someone else posted suggest just over one significant fire per MILLION of this particular brand/models of fans. Even if I found that I had one of those models, I wouldn't consider that enough of a risk to bother returning it... Maybe that's just me. That's a bit more likely than your chances of being killed by lightening in the U.S.

Maybe I might keep it away from any curtains...if I had any curtains. I don't, partially because I consider them a much worse fire risk than a cheap fan...

[mm]

I used a 21 inch fan with slightly beat-up metal case that I had found on the street as an exhaust fan when I was scraping (sanding) my parquet floors. It ran 8 hours a day for one or two days and within a half hour of my finishing the scraping, it "burned" out. But there was no fire. It just slowed to a stop with maybe a bad smell.

Maybe the extra load, sawdust for 8 or 16 hours caused it to wear out early.

[hibb]

I was on the local fire department for 10 years and none of the fires we had during my time were caused by box fans. But I have heard of it happening just as with clothes dryers and Christmas tree lights.

[Steve Barker]

not to mention they block the view and the light. And isn't that what a window is for?