Fan longevity

[RoamingKat]

I have been parked for a while.   I have been keeping the vent fans running continuously for days now.
The solar handles it without even putting a dent in the capacity, but now I wonder about burning out the fans.

I have two fantastic ceiling vent fans and two endless breeze fans.    The vent fans are built in...they are the ones I worry about.

I am in the wicked heat and humidity of the NC, so ventilation is critical.   Most of the time the air is completely dead ... except for storms, then the windows are all closed anyway.

So, what is the general life expectancy of these vent fans?

[GotSmart]

I have been parked for a while.   I have been keeping the vent fans running continuously for days now.
The solar handles it without even putting a dent in the capacity, but now I wonder about burning out the fans.

I have two fantastic ceiling vent fans and two endless breeze fans.    The vent fans are built in...they are the ones I worry about.

I am in the wicked heat and humidity of the NC, so ventilation is critical.   Most of the time the air is completely dead ... except for storms, then the windows are all closed anyway.

So, what is the general life expectancy of these vent fans?

That depends. If you keep them clean much longer than if they are not cleaned. Perhaps a few years of continuous use    

All fans are removable so no worries about changing the motors.

[MN C Van]

There's motors that've been running for decades.
I wouldn't doubt somewhere there's one that has been going for a hundred years.
This one runs a machine- don't know, but older than anyone here
   

I wouldn't worry about it- anything can fail, but I know how it is sitting somewhere and the one thing you have to focus on you start to wonder about ...

[GotSmart]

The old electric motors could be rebuilt in a day. Every town had a shop or two. Now it is toss and Amazon. There is a generation of repairmen that are going to be missed. That is why I encouraged my daughters to use my tools. They are not afraid to open a part to see how it works. 

Deep in the ozarks, that skill is still alive with the hillbillies and the Amish.

[sternwake]

Reading on other forums, the motors used on older fantastik fans were workhorses, but the ownership of that brand changed, and they now use a different fan motor which does have a higher failure rate and is of suspect quality.

The older reliable motors are supposedly 'blackcan' shaped and the newer ones are 'flat pancake' motors, and the latter are louder and less reliable.

Not only will a clean fan blade last longer, it will move more air as well.

My ceiling exhaust fans ( computer fans) get dirty pretty quick, and after I clean them, they are louder, because they are spinning significantly faster and moving more air.

Keep the screens and fan blades clean, and the fan will last longer.

[TWIH]

So whats the best way to clean them, a damp paper towel or wet wipe? If you can reach them...

[tx2sturgis]

So whats the best way to clean them, a damp paper towel or wet wipe?  If you can reach them...

Firehose on WIDE OPEN.

Of course, you will need to find a fire hydrant first.

[tx2sturgis]

Fan longevity? Years. Possibly decades.

But suppose they were rated like hard drives...example: 100,000 hours before failing (MTBF, mean time before failure).

Lets say for these vent fans it was rated at 50,000 hours. I have a small component fan rated at 80,000 hours.

In theory you will get those 50,000 hours out of it, whether you run it 24/7 or only three hours a day for decades.

24/7 usage would yield a bit over five and a half years. I would say that is reasonable. Or 3 hours a day might have the fan finally quitting after 45 years...

The fan is designed to be used when you need it for comfort and ventilation. I say use it that way...the one in my trailer has been on almost 24/7 for five months and yeah it's kinda dirty...I need to go clean it....dangit.