Why does my pedestal fan not move air?

July 16, 2017 12:02 PM Subscribe

I just bought and assembled a pedestal fan. It seems to run fine: the blade spins fast and it makes a healthy noise. There's only one problem: it doesn't seem to move any air. If I hold a sheet of paper flat on my hands in front of it, the paper is unmoved, even on the High setting; I feel no cooling holding my face an inch from it. However, if I point the fan away from me, I get a slight cooling effect. What is wrong?

You might ask, is the fan blade mounted back-to-font? It's obviously on right: it will only attach one one way.

posted by ed\26h to Home & Garden (4 answers total)

is there a switch that changes which direction the blades rotate?

posted by taskmaster at 12:12 PM on July 16

If you put the same paper on the other side of the fan does it move at all? If it doesn't, then maybe the fan just isn't spinning very fast. Maybe a problem with the motor. If it does and is pushed away from the fan then something is backwards, either the blades (which you have eliminated) or maybe the motor. If it is sucked toward the fan, then I have no idea.

posted by runcibleshaw at 12:49 PM on July 16

Doesn't seem to be. There's a Mode button to select some annoying Start-then-Stop cycle, but it doesn't change the direction. The blade itself mounts with a tumbscrew which is remarkable in that that turns anti-clockwise to tighten. I assume this is so the natural spinning doesn't loosen it. The blade turns anti-clockwise.

posted by ed\26h at 12:51 PM on July 16

runcibleshaw:

Yes, held at the rear in the same manner the paper is blown away.

posted by ed\26h at 12:53 PM on July 16

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cool me offApril 6, 2008