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My beloved Patton fan sometimes doesn't start moving when switching it on to any speed. Once you gently spin the blades and then turn it on, it starts but then makes a grinding sort of sound until it gets up to speed. Once at speed, it seems to be a little noisy once in a while until it gets warmed up. After it's been running a while, it's fine and quiet and moves a lot of air. Turning it off, it seems like it stops spinning faster than it should, like there is some resistance in the bearing. I'm sure that's what it is. Can these bearings or motors be replaced for a reasonable price?
Thank you very much for the suggestion. I might just pull the motor apart and see what I can do with it as you suggest. I love the fan and hate throwing things away!Thank you very much for the suggestion. I might just pull the motor apart and see what I can do with it as you suggest. I love the fan and hate throwing things away!
Thank you chevyburb for replying. I do have some 3 in 1 oil and some fan motor oil that I will try. I think I'll just try to keep it alive and running as long as I can and then when it quits just tear it apart and see if there's anything I can do to help it. Much appreciated!Thank you chevyburb for replying. I do have some 3 in 1 oil and some fan motor oil that I will try. I think I'll just try to keep it alive and running as long as I can and then when it quits just tear it apart and see if there's anything I can do to help it. Much appreciated!
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If you know how (and have the tools;PULLER,nut drivers,slotted and phillips screw driver,hammer,deep socket set,dikes,vise,work bench,and some high temp bearring grease) to take things appart in general, you should be able to disassemble the fan motor and either pull bearings off shaft and replace or repack w/high temp grease if not sealed bearrings. If cannot aquire a puller for removal then attempt to blow all dirt/dust off bearring and try thumbing some motor oil (or vegetable oil if no motor oil available) while turning bearing on shaft back and forth till bearrings free up.Then reassemble electric fan motor reverse disassembly(be sure to keep parts staged as they come off for reassembly in area off the work area) "NOT" over oiling the bearrings into electrical/copper areas.
$6..00 each for bearings From Tractor supply You will need part number 6202-zz and another $12 or so for a cheap gear puller IF you can change a tire you can replace these bearings, Done it several times on the Patton fans we use at work You fan will be as good as new
Unfortunately, I think the cost of repair would be quite high and most likely close to the cost of a new fan. If you can remove the face grill, try putting some 3in1 oil on the shaft where it goes inside the motor. It may help some.
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Either the condenser fan has bad bearings, or it has a defective fan capacitor.
Turn off the breaker to the outside unit.
Spin the fan blade by hand.
If the fan blade spins easily and will spin a few revolutions with no problem the fan bearings are good.
If not, replace the fan motor due to bad bearings.
I am pretty sure you fan motor is bad because with a bad capacitor the fan motor will not get up to speed and may just sit and overheat.
I'm leaning toward a bad fan motor.
I have a Holmes pedestal fan that does this every few years. I have had this fan for about 10 years.
Unplug the fan and remove the fan blade guard. The fan blade should spin easily when you tap the edge of the fan blades with your finger. If the blade barely moves and abruptly stops, the bearings are dirty and need to be cleaned and oiled with 10W non-detergent motor oil. A quick-fix is a tiny bit of WD-40 where the motor shaft (the rod that the fan blade is mounted on) meets the bearing (the part of the motor that the shaft spins on). To properly fix this, you must oil both the front and back motor bearings which requires removal of the motor housing.
If the fan blade spins easily and you are certain that the fan is getting power (try a different outlet) the motor may be bad. Likewise, if the fan blade will not move at all. I do not know if Holmes sells motors for these fans. Here is their online support website:
With the fan UNPLUGGED, try to spin the fan blade with a pencil or something that will fit through the blade cage.
If the blade spins easily, there is an electronic problem (control or motor) that must be serviced.
If the fan blade is stuck or very hard to move, the shaft and bearing are probably dirty and need to be cleaned. You can temporarily fix this with a tiny amount (a drop) of WD-40 applied to the shaft where it enters the motor. Spin the blade manually to work the oil into the bearing. If the motor spins freely, the dirty bearing condition is verified. To properly clean the shaft and bearings, the motor must be disassembled.
if its sat for any length of time the lube on the shaft can harden. remove the grill and spin the blade to see if it rotates freely. using care to stay away from the blades set it to the highest setting and give the blades a little assist to see if it will begin to spin, if it does,, use some WD-40 or Trilube on the shaft of the motor front and backside
Good Luck Dave. please take a moment to rate my reply
(note) larger fans require more juice to get them going,, so yes , if the cap is flawed and not totally burned out,, ( they are called starting capacitors) then they are not supplying enough amps to get the job done,, which in turn would allow the motor to Hum, but repeated trying will burn out the cap
Signs of a bad capacitor in a ceiling fan include:
Fan runs slowly or not at all on all speeds
Fan will not start but will spin if started by hand
Certain speeds are slow or do not work
The motor hums and turns freely by hand but will not spin
The capacitor is usually a black box inside the switch housing of the fan. If this box appears burnt or melted in any way, that is also the sign of a bad capacitor and it should be replaced.
I'm not all up on Patton Model#s, but this is an older unit, correct? You may try contacting Patton (Owned by Holmes now so you may have to go through them)
If they cannot help you, try www.dtvintagefans.org There's collectors there that may have parts fans that they may be willing to sell a blade.
Alternatively, you may try Grainger, as they sell an assortment of blades. You will need to match a blade to your motor though, which should be fairly easy as the Patton fans use a common McMillan motor which most attic fans also use.
This is usually an indication that either the motor capacitor is bad or the start centrifugal switch in the motor is bad or, possibly both. Spinning the motor bypasses the starting process. Capacitor are fairly inexpensive, I'd do that first. If start switch is bad, motor has to be replaced. Not a cheap motor either.
Shut the power off to the unit, spin the fan blade to see if it spins freely. If it doesn't spin freely, (there appears to be a little drag when you spin it),the bearings are bad, if it does spin freely, then try moving the motor shaft from side to side if there’s any play in the shaft side to side then the bearings are worn and motor needs replaced. Then, check the capacitor, if it’s bulging even slightly, the capacitor is bad and needs replaced. Most of the time people replace the capacitor if motor seems ok. If capacitor is ok, turn power on to see if the motor is getting the proper voltage, if it is and not trying to run, then the windings are probably open, the motor's bad and needs replaced.
There is usually a pin in the shaft of the motor, that corrosponds with a slot in the fan blades, it sounds to me like either (a) the pin somehow came out, or (b) the slot in the blades is rounded. Hope this helps
Thank you very much for the suggestion. I might just pull the motor apart and see what I can do with it as you suggest. I love the fan and hate throwing things away!
Thank you chevyburb for replying. I do have some 3 in 1 oil and some fan motor oil that I will try. I think I'll just try to keep it alive and running as long as I can and then when it quits just tear it apart and see if there's anything I can do to help it. Much appreciated!
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