# Inline fan broke after 5 minutes...



## supergator (Aug 26, 2006)

Well, I made my own make shift cool tube with a hurricane lamp and suncourt 6" inline fan. It worked great while the fan was running but I turned it off and left the light on for five minutes so I could rewire it to a higher speed and it got pretty hot. I turned the fan back on and it ran for 3 minutes and turned off. Now it won't start at all. Anyone know about this kind of thing??? 

Pretty sure I burnt the motor.


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## bejohnst (Aug 26, 2006)

Doing a little research the fans can only handle up to 140* Farenheight so yea its a possibility it just got over heated and burnt up. You didn't connect the high speed wires and the low speed wires together did you?


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## ftw2012 (Aug 26, 2006)

i had the same thing happen with my suncourt inline fan.   i dont understand AC electricity much but i know that hooking up the wrong hot wires will destroy the motor.    not like a dimmer switch or a light socket.


mine ran for about 5-10 min before it quit.....i returned it and got another....wired it right and has worked fine for about 2 months now.


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## supergator (Aug 26, 2006)

I had it wired correctly Im sure it just burnt out due to the heat.  Ftw2012, where did you get your fan? I got mine online and I am going to try and send it back but it states that if you use it in temps over 140 degrees then it voids the warranty. Time to play dumb


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## W Ã¯ l l (Aug 26, 2006)

I can't think of any electric fan that doesn't simply reverse the direction of the spin anytime the electric current has been reversed. Ceiling fans...radiator fans...computer fans...electric lawn mowers...all of them. 

In other words, the worst that will occur by crossing the lines and would be pulling air into the space instead of exhausting is out. And that'd only be if it was already inline when the electrical connections are made. 

If you have a ceiling fan handy, you can see what happens when the current is reversed by flipping up/down the black switch mounted on the motor. It's okay to flip it either up or down while the fan is on...won't hurt it. Or, you could just simply cross/uncross the lines of your suncourt and see what happens.

supergator...take it apart...rewire it...maybe a connection came loose. If the fan isnt spinning, but the motor is hot...unless youre prepared to rebuild the motor...best to swap it out for a new one with the merchant. 

If it does run, leave it running for a night before sticking it over the light. 

btw...get the center of the fan on the same axis as the center of the light. Best to start moving that air where its warmer instead of moving cooler air that has risen up. 

btw x2...save yourself some money...build your own. Go to a Home Depot or Lowe's and ask for an oven range hood exhaust fan replacement.


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## W Ã¯ l l (Aug 26, 2006)

Or...if you've a range hood and fan in it that is hardly ever used...snag it out of the kitchen and put it to use for your grow space.

You'll even find, if available, the wiring and switch for making it a 2 speed fan.
Hellz...likely even its own mounting bracket.

I was replacing my hood during a kitchen makeover...salvaged the old hood's fan. It totally kicks ass. I don't know the actual CFM...just that the thing kicks ass. 

The warmest the air around the tops of the plants here reaches is 82F. Thats without running the AC.


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## W Ã¯ l l (Aug 26, 2006)

Yea.....you can even yank down a bathroom ventilation fan and put that to use too.


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## ROOR (Aug 26, 2006)

bathroom fans are noisy as hell...need to find ones with high cfm, but low sones (how quiet it is)...


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## supergator (Aug 26, 2006)

I've rewired it and nothing. Will, Thanks for the info, I will check my hood above my oven and maybe check my local homedepot. Thanks for the replies.


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## supergator (Aug 26, 2006)

I just checked the one above my oven and it would've worked perfectly in the ducting only its an 8" fan and mines a 6". I'm gonna go check some stores for a smaller fan. Wish me luck.


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## supergator (Aug 26, 2006)

Just before I bought an oven hood replacement fan at homedepot I realized that I could just swap the fan blades from the broken one to the one I found in my kitchen. It was a pain to get the fan blade off the suncourt, let me tell ya. But it worked. I  purchased the replacement fan anyways just to be safe for $12 and I didn't even need it.

We'll see how it holds up tomorrow once I install it to the light. Gonna be extra careful not to burn this one. 

A huge thanks to Will, I was just going to order another one and kiss the money goodbye.


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## ftw2012 (Aug 27, 2006)

i bought my fan at home depot.....the directions said that on my fan that switching the wiring would result in motor failure.....i didnt think it mattered either until the motor failed......


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## ROOR (Aug 27, 2006)

yeah, you cant switch the lines.. Ones a positive and ones a nuetral, hopefully has a ground wire too..Its very impt to wire things properly, not just anywire will do mentallity...motor failure would be the best problem to have, a FIRE in the house being the worst...


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