I have a shop fan on my porch that I leave on 24/7 when it’s humid out. It has three speeds. The lowest speed is rather noisy.

If I don’t run it, humidity condenses on the front door. Then mosquitoes are attracted to the moist door. And this leads to them sometimes entering the house.

I bought this ($19), so I can dial the lowest speed even lower to the exact point the noise is low enough but the wind is fast enough.

It was just a thought that occurred to me since it’s electric, could it not be run at a different speed if the input electricity was changed?

Yes, it can. Works beautifully.

  • acockworkorange@mander.xyz
    9·
    13 days ago

    That’s correct. Fan motors rely on the fan to cool themselves. At lower speeds they suffer from increased thermal degradation of the winding insulation.

    • Zachariah@lemmy.worldOP
      3·
      13 days ago

      I was wondering what effect I could have on the fan. Any links you recommend to find out more about this?

      There still a significant amount of air moving through it, so I wonder if I’m still good.

      • acockworkorange@mander.xyz
        3·
        13 days ago

        Most likely it will just shorten the lifespan of your motor. It’ll last 6 years instead of 9. Not that big a deal. When it goes, it’ll be time for you to get a silent one.

        These things are usually made with a fair amount of safety margin. It’s not like you’re operating under harsh conditions. The only thing is the 24/7 operation. But if it didn’t get too hot around (long hours above 110 F), it shouldn’t be too bad.

        • Zachariah@lemmy.worldOP
          3·
          13 days ago

          Very rarely above 100°F here. But almost always high humidity. I’ve run it around the clock for six months of the year for a decade. If it dies from this, I’ll be a bit bummed but I’ve definitely got my money’s worth.

          • Raltoid@lemmy.worldEnglish
            31·
            12 days ago

            As someone who also runs a fan 24/7 during certain times of year: You might want to open it up and check the wiring.

            One model I had once started overheating from gunk in the almost open wheelbearing. The power cable was routed on top of, and pressed against the metal motor casing and it started melting.