Dead pedestal fan

Needless to say, as the heatwave gets under wave, our pedestal fan has gone "bang". (Well, actually, it's gone [silence], but you know what I mean). It was whirring away last night in our bedroom and it just stopped, as if it had been turned off.

The thing is, I can't find anything wrong with it. I've checked the fuse, which is fine, and the mains it's plugged into is fine. I've dismantled it (thank the Lhord for the Screwfix security screw set) and essentially it's a motor with 4 wires coming out of it to a switch for the speed control & 2 more to a capacitor. The switch seems to be OK - I've checked that it switches between the common and 3 other outputs. The capacitor seems OK AFAICT - an ohmeter shows a steadily increasing value until it appears open circuit (as it charges up, I assume). I've measured the resistance between the common and the three other wires coming out of the motor and they're all low resistance, so I connected the common and one of the other wires to mains & ... nothing.

So, what am I doing wrong? Or is it dead in some exotic manner?

Reply to
Huge
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I assume the motor is very free to turn. The slightest sticking will defeat it, starting torque is very low. Try connecting it and giving the fan a twirl (Both directions) The motor will need two windings connected to the mains (one with the capacitor in series.) to run. The only way to tell with the equipment you've got is to check the voltae is at the motor connections (ie with it live) There may be shorted turns in the motor windings which is hard to detect.

Be careful, if mains is connected to the motor and it is not revolving, it will burn out pretty damn quick. Can you detect a mains "hum" from the motor when connected? Is there a "fishy" smell from the windings? (Bad sign) Does the motor get warm?

Reply to
harryagain

Huge formulated the question :

If its an oscilating fan, check the flex hasn't broken internally where it is repeatedly bent by the oscillation.

Reply to
Harry Bloomfield

and the osc mechanism not jammed

NT

Reply to
meow2222

I had a problem with a non-running fan the other day. All the individual parts seemed okay and there was electricity present in apparently all the right places. Then I realised that the plastic spacers inside the switch mechanism had all crumbled away out of age and although you could press to make contact, on release, the switch plunger retreated too far into the switch body and the initial electrical contact was lost.

I have a lot of paxolin washers in my spares box so I made some replacement spacers and everything is running nicely again. Might it be something like that?

Nick

Reply to
Nick Odell

I've now tried connecting the motor directly to the mains, bypassing the switch, and it still doesn't run, so I assume it's FUBAR. It isn't worth repairing since a new fan is ~£25. Unless the capacitor is screwed, but I don't think so. I suppose I could order one on spec.

Reply to
Huge

Why order, just clip some caps together from the junkbox, see if it runs.

NT

Reply to
meow2222

IMHO the fan is f***ed.

Reply to
ARW

I concur. It went in the bin this afto.

Reply to
Huge

Are you still allowed to do that? WEEE etc;-)?

I could not care less what you do with your old fan - BTW carefull hammer blows can make a 26" CRT TV fit into a wheelie bin and still leave enough room for a weeks worth of househould waste.

Reply to
ARW

Me neither.

Reply to
Huge

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