FRONTPAGE Keep 'Em Spinning: How To Lubricate PC Fans

Hi,

wagex said:

those meters on those apps are terribly inaccurate not to mention all the variables that could be changed by just the angle of the mic / inches of distance. those DB's are more than likely ambient noise, as im sure that is alot higher than those fans do.

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I agree that they are inaccurate in the absolute sense but it has worked well for me in measuring relative noise levels to compare different fans and different speeds.

I forgot to put that silence in the room (no computers on, no cars going by outside and me holding my breath) measured 53.5dba. So the noise levels of the fans will be relative to that. (I guess that my ipad 53.5dba would probably be in the 30-35dba region in reality.) It was just an easy objective way to measure relative sounds levels.

The mic of the ipad was placed directly on the grill of the case above the centre of the fan. I have a protector on the ipad so it was probably 1mm to 2mm above the grill. Interestingly, you can sometimes get a different figure for 'airflow' noise, when you place the mic halfway between the centre of the fan and the outside edge of the fan, also with mic directly above the grill. This only showed up when there is some bearing noise but the airflow was quieter. But if the bearing noise get too loud then it dominates the airflow noise.

And ... to investigate why some fans sounded quieter but measured louder at 0cm, I started measuring dba levels at 25cm and 0cm, and found you can have a fan A that is louder than fan B at 0cm but fan A can be quieter than fan B at 25cm. I would guess it is due to the difference between bearing and airflow noise, the frequencies generated, which then determine how quickly the sound levels drop off.

I use the oil that comes with electric hair clippers, I think it's called C1 oil.



You can order this online.

I also use the oil that comes with my Wahl electric hair clipper.
That's good oil.

I agree about not using vegetable oil. I used olive oil on my hair clipper and it only lubes it well enough for one shave but the clipper oil works for several.

It kept my ball bearing fans on my old build (I think it was ball bearing as there's no cap, just a sticker) running since 2005!

Now I have a newer computer with 4 sleeve bearing fans so I cleaned and lubed them along with my Corsair PSU fan (sleeve bearing).

The computer is about as quiet as it was before but it seems to be quieter and push more air.

When I turn off the fans, two of them spin 25-50% longer than they used to.

knightshade91 said:

I also use the oil that comes with my Wahl electric hair clipper.
That's good oil.

I agree about not using vegetable oil. I used olive oil on my hair clipper and it only lubes it well enough for one shave but the clipper oil works for several.

It kept my ball bearing fans on my old build (I think it was ball bearing as there's no cap, just a sticker) running since 2005!

Now I have a newer computer with 4 sleeve bearing fans so I cleaned and lubed them along with my Corsair PSU fan (sleeve bearing).

The computer is about as quiet as it was before but it seems to be quieter and push more air.

When I turn off the fans, two of them spin 25-50% longer than they used to.

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Wahl electric hair clipper oil. Now there's a blast from the past. My mother used to use that, and it was about the perfect heaviness for a fan.

I never saw that oil later. I would have added it to the group shot.

ehume said:

Ball bearing fans tend not to have a cap. They seem to believe their bearings are sealed. Maybe so, but you can watch a low viscosity oil seep in. That’s not really sealed, is it?

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So, after applying the oil, how long should one wait before using the newly lubricated fan? (set-in period?) Also, how long should one wait once the fans are in use before discontinuing use (turning off) of the fans?

optimise your day...
apply lubricant in the evening, goto bed
Let the oil "creep-in" overnight, see what gives the next day

hello,

i have the following zalman fan:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...V6830&cm_re=zalman_fan-_-35-118-048-_-Product

when i peeled off the label, there was no cap to pop open. so what do i need to do in order to lubricate this fan?

thanks for any help.

walletinspector said:

hello,

i have the following zalman fan:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...V6830&cm_re=zalman_fan-_-35-118-048-_-Product

when i peeled off the label, there was no cap to pop open. so what do i need to do in order to lubricate this fan?

thanks for any help.

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If there is a pit under the label, put some heavy oil there. If no pit, you are not likely to be able to lubricate it.

I also vouch for 3-in-1. I use that when repairing our bun toasters at work. The motors are running 24/7, 365 days a year and we get about two to three years of life from them. They are surrounded by 200+ degree heat at all times and under load during 95% of the time

Sleeve bearings fans

The sleeve fans are cheaper, usually of lower quality, and make less noise in the short term (but of course make lots of noises as they wear out). But top quality sleeve fans such as Panaflow don't follow that generalization.