One of the 3892 kHz crew installs a ceiling fan

[k4kyv]

ROTFLMAO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8IO9HxXsWs&feature=related

[KF1Z]

I don't care who ya are, that's funny right thar!


Mike and Mindy are my new heros............




 

[Jim, W5JO]

Hey Todd, did you do a couple of installations like this one in your Vermont house?  Maybe you should!  Errr Maine!

[c. mac neill w8znx]

Don
tnx
Mac

[flintstone mop]

WOW that looked pretty easy. I'll give it a try!!!!

Fred

[W1RKW]

Can't view it for bizarre reason.

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

Strange you should mention it Jim - I do have a couple new fans awaiting installation here, but since I can't view the video right now (laptop was reformatted which lost my plug ins), can't comment further. the 3892 reference sounds ominous, though... 

[k4kyv]

Do your new fans have real or fake motors?

Real motors are distinguishable by the motor windings located around the perimeter of the motor case, visible through the vent holes in the bottom cover plate.  The entire motor case is made of cast iron, or the most expensive ones, solid brass.  The armature rotor, which looks and works like a flywheel, is also clearly visible. These motors require oiling with 10 to 20w non-detergent machine oil, which should be checked every few years and immediately after a fan is relocated.  The whole fan, depending on size, may weigh up to 60 lbs, sometimes more.  The older motors were non-reversible; the updraught function was achieved by mechanically reversing the blades, using an assembly similar to an aircraft prop pitch mechanism.

OTOH, fans with fake motors, like the one shown in the video, have a small sealed motor about the size of your two fists held together, and the motor housing, which is often made to look like that of a real motor, is nothing more than a thin sheet-metal decorative enclosure with the much smaller actual motor hidden inside.  These fans have very little substance, as you can see in the video, as Mindy catches and holds the entire fan up over her head with hardly any effort.

Unfortunately, real ceiling fan motors have pretty much gone the way of real radios and modulation iron.  The only US company that still made them was Hunter in Memphis, TN, and since 2002 even those have been cheapened and now made in Taiwan.  Just as real radios have been replaced with imported plastic radios, real ceiling fans have been replaced with cheap imported fans with cardboard blades and fake motors, but may carry loads of (usually expensive) exterior styling.

I have seen a few Chinese-made clones of Hunter Originals, and some actually seemed to be well-made, and looked to be of similar quality to genuine US-made ones.

The best fans, if you can find one in good condition, are those made before WW2 but which have been well maintained.  They often show up in antique and junk shops and flea markets, with prices ranging from a few bucks to hundreds of dollars.  Be careful before paying a lot of money for an antique ceiling fan, because it is very common for previous owners to have neglected to maintain the oil level, and ruined the sleeve and bearings by letting the motor operate dry for long periods of time.  As a result, the fan may be extremely noisy, even if it runs at all after being re-lubricated.

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

I haven't even opened the boxes Don, I suspect they are the new/cheap types. Hampton Breeze or some foolish name peddled by Home Cheapo. I looked for older style housings to go with the house, and they're pretty heavy. Original plan was to get ahold of some old Westinghouse or Emerson cast iron drugstore types from 50-60 years ago, but then things changed with the move.

When the day comes, I'll restore a couple old ones - maybe even the type with the porcelain switch in the hub that required a pole to turn on or off. They'd go well with the old deco Arcade coffee grinder I use in the kitchen.

[Jim, W5JO]

I haven't even opened the boxes Don, I suspect they are the new/cheap types. Hampton Breeze or some foolish name peddled by Home Cheapo. I looked for older style housings to go with the house, and they're pretty heavy. Original plan was to get ahold of some old Westinghouse or Emerson cast iron drugstore types from 50-60 years ago, but then things changed with the move.

When the day comes, I'll restore a couple old ones - maybe even the type with the porcelain switch in the hub that required a pole to turn on or off. They'd go well with the old deco Arcade coffee grinder I use in the kitchen.

If you just purchased them, they are the newer, cheaper types and will make noise when you slow them down.  If you have any older versions, I would keep them for your permanent home and let the newbies suffer.