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| Thread ID: 140476 | 2015-10-19 10:01:00 | Electrial question - ceiling fan blowing not sucking | andrew93 (249) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 1410198 | 2015-10-21 00:47:00 | Ok, does it have an arrow saying direction of rotation somewhere? If so, is it turning that way? Is the Air Outlet blocked by any chance? I say this because if it is you can get the impression that it’s blowing as air gets forced back. Long shot but it has happened. ;) P.S. I've just re-read your lead post and see it is mounted in the ceiling. You haven't had insulation installed by any chance and they have blocked the outlet? |
B.M. (505) | ||
| 1410199 | 2015-10-21 01:39:00 | Thanks for the comments BM. I can't see any directional arrows on the unit. There has been no change to the insulation but I will try to remove the unit and have a look with a mirror to see if the pipe is blocked - good thinking. Although it is quite a long flexi-tube running to the exterior wall from the ceiling so not only is access difficult but the pipe may not be straight. I am tempted to give the tubing a blast with a leaf blower and see what happens - but again access is difficult. Cheers |
andrew93 (249) | ||
| 1410200 | 2015-10-21 01:52:00 | From the photo, the fan should be running anti-clockwise looking from below for it to be extracting. Try running it momentarily with the cover off and you should see which way it is going. |
Terry Porritt (14) | ||
| 1410201 | 2015-10-21 02:21:00 | P.S. I've just re-read your lead post and see it is mounted in the ceiling. Urm... the original post title kinda suggests that it's a ceiling fan. :lol: |
Greg (193) | ||
| 1410202 | 2015-10-21 02:30:00 | Urm... the original post title kinda suggests that it's a ceiling fan. :lol: No kidding, that's what I just said. :confused: |
B.M. (505) | ||
| 1410203 | 2015-10-21 02:54:00 | Thanks Terry. I have checked and it is running anti-clockwise. The set up is the fan is in the laundry ceiling and connects to a flexi pipe that goes about 4m to an external wall via a roof cavity. The pipe on the back of the drier joins the flexi pipe in a T junction within the ceiling that is about 500 mm or less from the fan. The idea is that the fan forces the air out towards the external wall by drawing air from the laundry and encouraging the air from the drier to follow the path of least resistance towards the external wall. I believe this set-up was used because of space constraints and also constraints with the length of the tubing on the back of the drier. Two storey house, laundry is on the ground floor with the flexi pipe running in the ceiling cavity between floors, hence the difficulty of getting access. With the drier on I have just confirmed I can feel hot blowing from the external wall (so it is working and there is no blockage) but the fan is also blowing hot air back into the laundry. I have also tested the air flow with the drier off and it is still blowing back into the laundry (confirmed using wet finger, smoke, a piece of dust and a feather). There has been no change to the piping or insulation or fittings or anything. The only thing that recently changed was I repaired the door to the drier. The door wasn't sealing correctly. So I'm wondering if the fan is turning in the correct direction and there is hot air blowing out of both ends of the flexi pipe despite the fan operating - is it because the air pressure from the drier is higher than the pressure able to be exerted by the fan? In other words, do I need to install a gruntier fan? Maybe that's the answer... |
andrew93 (249) | ||
| 1410204 | 2015-10-21 02:59:00 | Although it is quite a long flexi-tube running to the exterior wall from the ceiling so not only is access difficult but the pipe may not be straight. I am tempted to give the tubing a blast with a leaf blower and see what happens - but again access is difficult. Cheers Ahhh, well that in itself adds another dimension because those little fans are quite restricted in how much air they can shift when discharging through ducting. The installation pamphlet would probably say, but I’ll bet that is well gone. :D The other thing is can we have a photo of the outlet arrangement on the outside wall. The reason I ask is some of those are more prone to blockages like wasp nests. However, I do like the leaf blower check though and will keep that in mind for future reference. :thumbs: |
B.M. (505) | ||
| 1410205 | 2015-10-21 03:23:00 | If looking straight at it it's running anti-clockwise as you say it is then it is extracting, try a sheet of paper covering the whole thing to confirm as anything that doesn't cover the whole thing will be affected by eddy currents,& turbulence and the like. An intake fan can often feel like air is coming the other way. Or just don't bother. It's a flawed design, no extractor fan will keep up with the drier. If the drier is the only source of moisture in the laundry you are better off just blocking off the hole and letting the drier vent directly outside without any assistance. Does the laundry really need venting? The drier surely does but that's taken care of. Move the Fan to the bathroom and put a new duct in there :) - that'll remove more moisture from your house than this ever will. |
dugimodo (138) | ||
| 1410206 | 2015-10-21 03:38:00 | Haha, thanks for the tips. When describing the setup I was starting to think the same thing - block the end of the pipe where the fan is and the problem is solved. You might be right with the eddy currents - and if I don't worry about it then it isn't a problem! By the way - we are way ahead of you with the bathroom fans - ours were installed directly above the showers before the rules were changed! :) No moisture is good moisture! If looking straight at it it's running anti-clockwise as you say it is then it is extracting, try a sheet of paper covering the whole thing to confirm as anything that doesn't cover the whole thing will be affected by eddy currents,& turbulence and the like. An intake fan can often feel like air is coming the other way. Or just don't bother. It's a flawed design, no extractor fan will keep up with the drier. If the drier is the only source of moisture in the laundry you are better off just blocking off the hole and letting the drier vent directly outside without any assistance. Does the laundry really need venting? The drier surely does but that's taken care of. Move the Fan to the bathroom and put a new duct in there :) - that'll remove more moisture from your house than this ever will. |
andrew93 (249) | ||
| 1410207 | 2015-10-21 03:41:00 | Sorry if I repeat answers, rushing. Depending on which way you want airflow to go, fans cut air and send it backwards, so whichever the way the rotor is spinning, if its cutting at the side you looking at, its sucking air through that way, if its not cutting on your side, then its blowing towards you. If its blocked, the air can be pushed back to you too. Cheers, KK |
Kame (312) | ||
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