Common preventive maintenance for fans includes cleaning blades, lubricating parts, checking vibration, and inspecting bearings. Although daily maintenance is minimal, monthly and yearly tasks should not be ignored. Fans are simple, yet critical, components of an HVAC system.
Fans essentially change the airflow and pressure in a given area, which results in a decrease in temperature. Two types of fans are common: centrifugal and axial-flow. Aeration applications, often known as squirrel-cage fans, use centrifugal fans. Axial-flow fans are either propeller-based or tube-axial based. The first (propeller-based) keeps dirt and debris from accumulating. The second (tube-axial based) operates at a higher pressure and flow rate and is more efficient.
Fans are often stand-alone means of cooling particular areas or act as an adjunct to an air conditioning system. They are also a critical component of an overall HVAC system. Because of their relatively simple design, fans can provide years of service with very little maintenance. As a result, it’s very easy to overlook this important part of the system and assume it doesn’t need any maintenance at all.
The problem is that if and when a fan breaks down, the entire HVAC system will stop working. As a result, preventive maintenance must be performed to keep fans operating reliably. Maintenance tasks for fans include tightening belts, inspecting bearings, cleaning blades, and lubricating moving parts.
If maintenance technicians must turn off or sequence fans each day, they should perform an overall visual inspection of the system to see if anything looks amiss.
Beyond a quick daily inspection, fans typically require only monthly and annual maintenance work. On a monthly basis, check and clean pulleys, blades, and filters. Technicians should also check alignment and tension of belts, perform regular lubrication, and inspect dampers and air quality.
Once a year, inspect, clean, and repair wiring, ductwork, coils, and insulation as needed.
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