Oscillating fans

[rdc420]

My oscillating "grip clip" style fan fail after two months of use. Hydrobiz stocks the fans, and the they told me that it is typical for these fans to fail after two to three months of use. This feels like a really short time to me. What oscillating fans are people using inside their tents, and what's the lifetime of these? I'm looking for something that will last a while.

[PsyCLown]

Yeah, the oscillating fans aren't great and do not last long.

I make use of box fans, they move a lot more air and last a looot longer as well

[rdc420]

@PsyCLown, please provide some links to the fans that you are currently using.

[PsyCLown]

3 minutes ago, rdc420 said:

@PsyCLown, please provide some links to the fans that you are currently using.

These are the fans I am using, I have mounted up at the top of my tent, blowing air downwards.

https://www.stax.co.za/product/salton-sbf30wh-30cm-box-fan-white/

 

Seems that specific fan is out of stock, but you get the idea as to the type of fan to use. 

 

Not all box fans move the same amount of air, I looked at some of these fans at Game and they seemed to move a lot less air. I think it was the Logik fans.

[rdc420]

Awesome. Thanks for the tip!

[Ill_Evan]

Every 6' clip on oscillating fan I have owned has conked within a year. This is usually the white and blue no-name style fans.

RAM has an oscillating fan for R600 but eish, I don't know if it would be that much better.

I have since moved over to the box style fan same as @PsyCLown, got mine at a Hi-Fi Corp on special. 

[Naughty.Psychonaut]

My dudes 

Two or three months of use is really not the normal amount of time for those clip grip fans though, I have 3 going for a year. 1 probably going for 2 years now. 

After I complete a grow clean my fans properly, last grow I finished was the first time I did a deep clean and ended up opening all of them to get to the dust, it's really really easy to open them up. Take the front off, put your fingers behind the base of the blades around the king pin and push away from the rest of the fan so the blades pop off the pin, take the front screws out then the 2 on the back and there you go, it's open! 

Look inside the little motor? They're super simple to understand. It's got 3 wires. Positive, negative and a 3rd wire that goes to the speed control. You'll see where they all go, see if they all attached? If not it will take a drop of solder to reattach. See if the little motor isn't just dirty? Can the pin move around freely? Get dust out everywhere you can and put a drop of oil on the pin as it comes out the motor, spin it around a few times and all that. If it still doesn't work.... it's probably fucked

[ORGANinc.]

9 hours ago, Naughty.Psychonaut said:

My dudes 

Two or three months of use is really not the normal amount of time for those clip grip fans though, I have 3 going for a year. 1 probably going for 2 years now. 

After I complete a grow clean my fans properly, last grow I finished was the first time I did a deep clean and ended up opening all of them to get to the dust, it's really really easy to open them up. Take the front off, put your fingers behind the base of the blades around the king pin and push away from the rest of the fan so the blades pop off the pin, take the front screws out then the 2 on the back and there you go, it's open! 

Look inside the little motor? They're super simple to understand. It's got 3 wires. Positive, negative and a 3rd wire that goes to the speed control. You'll see where they all go, see if they all attached? If not it will take a drop of solder to reattach. See if the little motor isn't just dirty? Can the pin move around freely? Get dust out everywhere you can and put a drop of oil on the pin as it comes out the motor, spin it around a few times and all that. If it still doesn't work.... it's probably fucked

I just bought one from takealot and to my surprise it was a whole R320, they seem to be out of stock now obviously.

But this is good info, I was hanging plastic oscillating fans with garden wire (quite a big one at a stage), letting them do their thing and then I notice they started making a funny ticking noise going through the rotation. So I just had a look and saw the mechanism pretty clearly, 2 small sprays of Q20 and that she was brand new, oscillating smooth as silk, still grafting like a bomb. 

Things do last longer when you look after them. Ill be sure to look after the clippy grippy fan.

[Naughty.Psychonaut]

Too true, brother. Before I had a real setup and still played around with household items trying to slap a DIY setup together, I grabbed a safeway desk fan from clicks. probably cheapest one out there. This was probably around 2016 to 2017. It still works today. I ran it for about 2 or 3 months non stop at the beginning, but when I bought a setup I grabbed a combo from futurama and got the fan in question as part of the combo, so I replaced the El-cheapo, but she's sitting in her box ready to go if I need a extra little fan for whatever. 

I have a friend that went through this recently, arguing with me about his fan being up to shit and is starting to give in now only after one grow, but when I visit him and tell him that he needs to look after his shit, because there is a visible layer of dust building up on the fan and is probably an easy fix then he goes off saying "but I pay for the thing and it should work right all the time" then I just stop trying to help the dude. 

It's a matter of "as jy nie wil hoor nie moet jy maar voel" but in a financial way

[ORGANinc.]

9 minutes ago, Naughty.Psychonaut said:

Too true, brother. Before I had a real setup and still played around with household items trying to slap a DIY setup together, I grabbed a safeway desk fan from clicks. probably cheapest one out there. This was probably around 2016 to 2017. It still works today. I ran it for about 2 or 3 months non stop at the beginning, but when I bought a setup I grabbed a combo from futurama and got the fan in question as part of the combo, so I replaced the El-cheapo, but she's sitting in her box ready to go if I need a extra little fan for whatever. 

I have a friend that went through this recently, arguing with me about his fan being up to shit and is starting to give in now only after one grow, but when I visit him and tell him that he needs to look after his shit, because there is a visible layer of dust building up on the fan and is probably an easy fix then he goes off saying "but I pay for the thing and it should work right all the time" then I just stop trying to help the dude. 

It's a matter of "as jy nie wil hoor nie moet jy maar voel" but in a financial way

Ya I suppose this is unfortunate for some, we cant say for a fact that all these fans will keep working if we make sure alles is shup. Fact of the matter is that in everything we buy today, there will be some duds. Just less chance of early disposal if we play our part, a bit of give and take.

[PsyCLown]

The quality varies between the different brands, a friend recently purchased a small clip on oscillating fan off Takealot and within a month it burnt and tripped the mains.

The design was not ideal with the oscillation leading to wear on the power wires.

 

Generally they do not seem to last long and they also do not move much air, they're not cheap either. You can get fans which are known to last longer and move more air for the same price (or less).

[Ill_Evan]

10 hours ago, Naughty.Psychonaut said:

If it still doesn't work.... it's probably fucked

This is the case. I would open them up and do a clean after every harvest. It's usually the gear that connects to the swing arm that oscillates the fan that gets all fecked, either it loses grip and doesn't oscillate as well anymore, or the motor gets so pup that it can't spin the fan and oscillate at the same time. 

Okes that don't at least clean the blades of their fans are gross. Imagine chucking dust and kak onto your next grow from your last grow. Nee man. 

[PsyCLown]

26 minutes ago, Ill_Evan said:

This is the case. I would open them up and do a clean after every harvest. It's usually the gear that connects to the swing arm that oscillates the fan that gets all fecked, either it loses grip and doesn't oscillate as well anymore, or the motor gets so pup that it can't spin the fan and oscillate at the same time. 

Okes that don't at least clean the blades of their fans are gross. Imagine chucking dust and kak onto your next grow from your last grow. Nee man. 

It is not dust, it is terpenes and trichomes! 

 

Imagine chucking terpenes onto your next grow from your last grow? Mmmmm, yum! haha 

[Naughty.Psychonaut]

25 minutes ago, PsyCLown said:

You can get fans which are known to last longer and move more air for the same price (or less).

this is a good point, if you can get something more reputable for same price or less it really is a no brainer! However I like to note that looking after your stuff is something that'll help everyone in every situation. I don't wana go around telling people to not learn something new hahahah imagine how long your fan will last if it's something that's known to last longer plus you look after it and take good care of it? 

the bigger stornger box fans for same price or better than the clip grip ones are also not always available everywhere.

fans, we have them in our cars, computers, lights, AC units, they're litterally everywhere. they gather dust, all fans do this. the smaller the fan the quicker dust will get to the motor and the more frequintly you gotta clean them. this is just a thing of fans that we have to take into concideration

I must be reeeally lucky then 4 good fans in a row! 

I would like to bet that looking after your stuff has a bigger impact on how long they last than bad luck and a good example of this is that every single clip grip fan I bought so far is still working today. have not lost one. 

anything and everything that's man made is meant to not last forever, that's the business model. however some people are still able to use electronics that where made in 1990s typically because of how they look after them. 

39 minutes ago, PsyCLown said:

The quality varies between the different brands, a friend recently purchased a small clip on oscillating fan off Takealot and within a month it burnt and tripped the mains.

The design was not ideal with the oscillation leading to wear on the power wires.

 

Generally they do not seem to last long and they also do not move much air, they're not cheap either. You can get fans which are known to last longer and move more air for the same price (or less).

a fan burnt and tripped the mains? what fan was this? the wire shouldn't wear at all. this is a major factory/design flaw with insane danger risks that the manufacturers can be held accountable for. you deserve restitution in that case brother, they could've burnt your house down with you in it!!!! damn I would not have let that one go

[Prom]

18 hours ago, PsyCLown said:

These are the fans I am using, I have mounted up at the top of my tent, blowing air downwards.

https://www.stax.co.za/product/salton-sbf30wh-30cm-box-fan-white/

 

Seems that specific fan is out of stock, but you get the idea as to the type of fan to use. 

 

Not all box fans move the same amount of air, I looked at some of these fans at Game and they seemed to move a lot less air. I think it was the Logik fans.

Uhhh I had 2 Salton non oscillating fans, a 30 and a 50cm.. both stopped working within a year. My 40cm oscillating fans from Takealot or Checkers Hyper still run fine, the takealot ones now into their second year non stop running, SCE, paid something around 220-250 per fan. I avoid Salton.. quality of the motors seem to be crap. The fans look like new.. just the motors gave up doing the job. 

[PsyCLown]

3 hours ago, Prom said:

Uhhh I had 2 Salton non oscillating fans, a 30 and a 50cm.. both stopped working within a year. My 40cm oscillating fans from Takealot or Checkers Hyper still run fine, the takealot ones now into their second year non stop running, SCE, paid something around 220-250 per fan. I avoid Salton.. quality of the motors seem to be crap. The fans look like new.. just the motors gave up doing the job. 

Interesting, mine are still going strong - hopefully it stays that way.

 

The SCE brand from Checkers seems decent too, if mine do pack up I will consider the SCE brand box fans then. They are generally well priced.

 

Considering the Saltons are out of stock, perhaps makes sense for peeps to buy SCE instead then. I have noticed that some of the smaller checkers do not stock them, one may need to goto a Checkers Hyper to get.

[Prom]

16 hours ago, PsyCLown said:

Considering the Saltons are out of stock, perhaps makes sense for peeps to buy SCE instead then. I have noticed that some of the smaller checkers do not stock them, one may need to goto a Checkers Hyper to get.

I got mine during winter.. wasn't on the shelves, asked if they have and they got me 2 from the stock area. Super friendly.. came back with one, as I just asked if they have 40cm desk fans. Gave him a smile, need a second one.. and he went back fetching another one  So if you don't see any.. ask, they might just have it in storage during winter. 

The takealot version is here: https://www.takealot.com/goldair-40cm-oscillating-desk-fan-white/PLID17260415

Had to swallow about the price.. I remember, I bought my two 2 years ago for 229 or 239 a piece.. in that area.. double price but both run fine after 2 years, zero issues with those Goldair fans. The first year they where standing and oscillating none stop.. till I hung em upside down to free floor space. Uhh, knocked em over a LOT while running.. one blade even chipped and I used Alu tape to just shape it back.. running .. and running  those I really give my stamp of approval  i honestly knocked em of their pots more than 20 times each.. reason they hang now.. no more knocking over ^^

[rdc420]

On 11/5/2021 at 9:04 AM, Naughty.Psychonaut said:

a fan burnt and tripped the mains? what fan was this? the wire shouldn't wear at all. this is a major factory/design flaw with insane danger risks that the manufacturers can be held accountable for. you deserve restitution in that case brother, they could've burnt your house down with you in it!!!! damn I would not have let that one go

This also happened to me with the "grip clip" fan, same as this, but purchased on takealot.

[Dr. Green]

I use logik box fans from game comes with a 3 year warranty I've had them for about 2 years now still running fine

 

[Naughty.Psychonaut]

11 hours ago, rdc420 said:

This also happened to me with the "grip clip" fan, same as this, but purchased on takealot.

this is just me, but I would at least get my money back. 

did it also trip your mains? a little 20w fan? then you need to contact the manufacturers and tell them that, but before you do, test your outlets with a multitool and see if there isn't something wrong with power delivery from your wall sockets. or even just the one the fan was plugged in by. chances are small but never zero. Only a much larger electrical appliance that pulls way more power can cause a surge big enough to trip your mains. like a stove or washing machine. not a desk fan. also good measure is every now and then to go touch your plugs and sockets they are plugged in by, even touch the wire to see if nothing is running hot because of any short connections. just run your hands along all the areas of concern, you will even feel it on the appliance, depending on how the thing was put together, but a more reliable indication would be the plugs itself. 

if everything feels A-OK all the time and you know your power supply isn't the problem then you know it was a design/factory flaw.

I hope you keep your proof of payments or "slips" when buying these things?

if there is a visible sight where the wires wore out and created a short you need to photograph it and all that. get in contact with the manufacturers. there is just no way 2 to 3 months is a normal running time for those things especially if it's wires wearing out and shorting. I would understand if it happens after 10 years, sure, but a couple months???? No. but still that thing shouldn't even get hot if a wire shorts cz of how little power it sucks. the motor and the power it takes to run it is so little that the motor itself will stop working before anything gets hot or trips main circuits..... unless the problem is in the main circuit, this can cause the fans plugs and motor to run hot and potentially trip the mains, yeah...... anyway

I am one of those people that believe in reports even if I get nothing from it, if that company recieves enough concerning emails about their product potentially burning peoples houses down they will make changes to the design and or way they're put together. 

[trichomechaser]

18 hours ago, Dr. Green said:

I use logik box fans from game comes with a 3 year warranty I've had them for about 2 years now still running fine

 

+1 on these. These are my go-to choice. I even stocked up on a few of them in case some break. Can't recommend them enough.

[Dookie69]

I read one of Prom’s other comments about hanging box fans (to blow directly down). That’s my go-to now. Great idea Prom.

[Dookie69]

I’ve had non stop issues with a certain brand of small oscillating fans, however the supplier has always swapped them out which is a good thing. But for reliability I go for box fans now.

[rdc420]

On 11/10/2021 at 12:11 PM, Dookie69 said:

I’ve had non stop issues with a certain brand of small oscillating fans, however the supplier has always swapped them out which is a good thing. But for reliability I go for box fans now.

Sounds like a great supplier. Hydrobiz doesn't offer any warranty/guarantee on their small oscillating fans.

I will swap to a box fan as soon as the clip grip fan breaks.

[Dookie69]

Yeah it’s not really a warranty as such, it’s more like a bad batch which has had so many failures that the manufacturer is happy to just swap out till all the bad ones are out of the system.