Fans - Why???

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bill White
  • Start date Start date
there is no perfect sealing (could not be!) of the bearings (even ball
ones); if tiny dust particles can enter there (especially when they
get weared a bit by time!), for sure can grease when gets warmed &
liquified get there ...

yeah is easier to lubricate sleeve bearings one ....
He is referring to sleeve-bearing fans while you are describing
ball-bearings. Generally a ball-bearing isn't to be relubed, by
the time this seems necessary the balls are deformed and little
can be done but to keep fan spinning for a very short while in an
emergency.
Click to expand...

I do not like ball bearing ones, Why?
well they last w/o oiling but: when get a little weared out, became
noisy (high pitched bearings noise & lubeing them up with some oil
resolves a problem just temporarly (or even worse - get noisier if
using light oil only!), after weeks ... again the problem arises if
you can not grease them properly ... very quality brand name ones are
better but why throw fortune in fans?

IMHO people spending money on expensive fans have also a top notch
machines & change them fast when "get too slow" to run the last
super-duper newest game or so ...
However, it is possible to get grease into one, by either
pressure (plug hole in center of bearing and hold firmly against
nozzle of a grease gun) or at least a little bit by heating the
bearing while submerged in grease, then cooling it as much as
possible. Grease liquifies and air inside bearing expands when
heated, escaping, then contracts drawing in some grease.
However, neither of these are worthwhile attempts to rejuvenate a
small, typical PC fan's bearing(s), once a ball bearing is acting
poorly it's time to replace it,
Click to expand...

Yep ... :-) , but in few months you end with the same problem again;
thats why I think its better to lube it up when its new to prevent too
soon wearout ... :-)
though at least with most
ball-bearings they'll be quite a bit louder for the last few
weeks or longer of their life, unlike a sleeve-bearing which may
seize when system is turned off & cooling down, so it's QUIET the
next time system is turned on with fan not spinnning.
Click to expand...

I had bit time problems with my HD fan (cheap China made, just one
ball bearing- not good) starting rattling quite soon regardless
whatever I´ve done to silence it down & driving me nuts
.... using heavy Lithium grease solved the problem (for all my fans!)

While greasing them up, before I heat the fan with a hair dryer a bit
& blowing with my mouth a small plastic tube previously filled with
that grease to that hole around the bearing of the fan while if was
spinning ... works 4 me ... :-)

thats my experience to share ...
 
Have to strongly disagree, multiple times I've seen (heard)
ball-bearings get extremely loud after being oiled.
Click to expand...

No, that's not true.
I have lube nearly hundreds of such fans under 10 years
and all of them got quiet and work many many more years.
Your idea that lubing makes them noisier looks stupid to me.
Dry bearings always makes more noise. It's very known.
I have PC fans working for over 10 years 24/7 and they got
some oil every year and are still going strong, very quiet.
 
No, that's not true.
I have lube nearly hundreds of such fans under 10 years
and all of them got quiet and work many many more years.
Your idea that lubing makes them noisier looks stupid to me.
Dry bearings always makes more noise. It's very known.
I have PC fans working for over 10 years 24/7 and they got
some oil every year and are still going strong, very quiet.
Click to expand...


How exactly does one know if a (mostly sealed) ball-bearing is
dry? Ball-bearings can and do make noise before becoming dry.

I am 100% certain that at least some, 4 occasions come to mind at
the moment, ball bearings that were loud, got louder after being
oiled. Perhaps not ALL do, especially if they really were dry,
but the evidence I heard as to the effect of adding oil was
pretty obvious.

Sleeve bearings are just the opposite, practically always get
quieter after oiled, unless an extremely thin oil was used which
essentially flushed out the thicker oil, all the oil then
draining out. Generally this does not happen since the fan
wouldn't be oiled if it already had sufficient lube in it
already.
 
How exactly does one know if a (mostly sealed) ball-bearing is
dry? Ball-bearings can and do make noise before becoming dry.

I am 100% certain that at least some, 4 occasions come to mind at
the moment, ball bearings that were loud, got louder after being
oiled. Perhaps not ALL do, especially if they really were dry,
but the evidence I heard as to the effect of adding oil was
pretty obvious.

Sleeve bearings are just the opposite, practically always get
quieter after oiled, unless an extremely thin oil was used which
essentially flushed out the thicker oil, all the oil then
draining out. Generally this does not happen since the fan
wouldn't be oiled if it already had sufficient lube in it
already.
Click to expand...

Don't ask me for the theory.
I'm a 50 yrs mechanic and electronic technician
and have a lot of practical experience that says
against your theories.
Never any ball bearings gets louder when I lube them.
Allways quiter.
 
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