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Matt Reiter
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| Joined: | Wed Oct 14th, 2020 |
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Hello everyone, my old Homart fan is slowly dying on me, when I turn it on the motor just hums and wont spin til I grab the blades and give it some help. What do y'all think, bearings going out, brushes, or? Thanks Matt
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Noah Britt
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If you give the blade a spin with your hand will it keep spinning for a while, or will it stop after a few seconds?
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Matt Reiter
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| Joined: | Wed Oct 14th, 2020 |
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It takes right off and starts running, but I know it can't be good for the motor.
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Noah Britt
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I mean when you spin it with the fan off.
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Matt Reiter
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| Joined: | Wed Oct 14th, 2020 |
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Oh, sorry, with the fan switch off it will not spin at all without significant force.
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Tom Zapf
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| Joined: | Tue Feb 24th, 2009 |
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matt the first question is did you recently replace the belt? has the motor and the sleeve bearing been oiled? if you take off the belt the motor should spin and the fan blade should spin, both by hand. if the belt is too tight it will not get going well by itself. your motor has a start-switch inside it only for spin up and then it disengages ...when you shut the fan off you should hear a click as the fan stops. this re sets the start switch (some call it a clutch) for the next time you turn it on. This start switch can get gummed up and it doesnt click in which case your motor will hum but not start moving without help...i suspect this is your issue..... see if you can get some advice here from someone who knows how to have that switch get back to work....i have had this issue on 2 of these fans and one of my motor guys took care of it so your fan should live again !
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Matt Reiter
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I will have to remove the belt to try what you described, both the motor and the fan shaft are religiously oiled, I just fired it up a week ago after sitting all summer and it started this problem a couple days ago. I remember hearing that "click" last spring but dont recall hearing it this week, I hope that is all the problem is, thanks for the help!
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Tom Zapf
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you can tap on the side of the fan and see if that jiggles it to click. i had that happen, when they get sticky it just starts and you have to un gum it up. this sounds verrrrrry familiar i bet it is that start switch
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Matt Reiter
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| Joined: | Wed Oct 14th, 2020 |
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I got the belt off, the motor pulley is EXTREMELY stiff can barely turn it, tried tapping on the side of the motor doesn't seem to be helping much.
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Stan Adams
Super Moderator
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If the motor is hard to turn, You found your problem then, the motor shaft should spin freely. Either the oil isn't getting to the bearings or they are gummed up. You may have to tear down the motor to clean the shaft & bearings.
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Matt Reiter
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In the process of tearing down the motor right now, VERY DIRTY AND GREASY!!
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Matt Reiter
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Does anyone know if the bearings are pressed on? Cant seem to find a way into the mount collars.
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Stan Adams
Super Moderator
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If they are sleeve bearings, do not remove them. Clean the bearing surface & oil it. There should be felt around the outside of them to hold oil. Clean the motor shaft well & put a couple of drops of oil on it.
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Matt Reiter
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| Joined: | Wed Oct 14th, 2020 |
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Well guys, got the motor apart, suprising the inside is fairly clean, contacts for the "clutch" clean, everything else looked good. Put a few squirts of mineral oil on the bearing and it freed right up, let it soak overnite, going to reassemble the fan this afternoon, will update when completed.
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Matt Reiter
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Got her all buttoned up and she purrs like a kitten. Picked up a new belt at Ace Hardware, hard to believe they have them on the shelf. The new belt has just a tad bit more tention than the old one after adjusting. What is recommended for tention bout a half inch play when you squeeze them?
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Stan Adams
Super Moderator
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That sounds a little snug to me, I would back it off a bit
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Thomas Peters
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| Joined: | Mon Nov 16th, 2009 |
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Hopefully you purchased a fractional horsepower belt, they resemble automotive, however, are made differently. Using an automotive belt on this fan would give shorter fan life.
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Matt Reiter
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I got the belt at Ace Hardware, I believe it said utility belt on the package,I seen the exact same belt on the antique fans guy YouTube video, he restores a lot of fans he gets from Whiskey Lizard.
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Stan Adams
Super Moderator
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Yep the Ace Hardware belts are fractional horsepower
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Matt Reiter
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Yes sir, says it on the package for fans
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Tom Zapf
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well i am happy to hear it is a "save" and running well again!. yes keep the belt on the looser side... great work!
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Matt Reiter
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The belt has a good 2 inches of give when I squeeze it between the pulleys. Is that too much or not enough?
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Tom Zapf
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as long as it pulls the fan at the normal speed, you probably just tighten it a scootch if it stretches with tim but tension should be easy-peasey and not tight or the start clutch will keep trying to engage
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