February 26, 2025

An Essential Guide to Industrial Fan Bearings

Bearings are crucial for industrial centrifugal fans, supporting the fan shaft and minimizing friction. Proper bearing selection ensures efficiency, longevity, and reliability in high-performance ventilation systems.

The Role of Bearings in Centrifugal Fans

Bearings hold the shaft in place as a fan rotates. In overhung applications, they are placed in close proximity to the wheel, placed together on the drive side of the fan housing, supporting the wheel mounted on the end of the shaft. In center-hung applications, one bearing is placed on the drive side and the other is placed on the inlet side of the fan as the wheel rotates on the shaft between the bearings.

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May 14, 2024

How to Measure Your Fan for Retrofits or Replacement 

Reasons for Measuring a Fan 

Generally, there are two reasons to measure a centrifugal fan – the user wants to retrofit the fan (or parts) or replace it with a new fan. In either case, accurate measurements are critical to replicating the system currently in place, especially if no drawing is available. If possible, separate or isolate the fan from the system to access key measurement points. If duct work on the inlet or outlet is in the way, this could impact measurement accuracy. 

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October 12, 2023

Industrial Fan Balancing

What is a Balanced Fan? Think “Finishing the Job.”

A balanced fan must stay below specific vibration limits for safe operation while running at full speed. Excessive vibration will decrease the life of your fan and can lead to catastrophic failure.

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January 31, 2023

How to Clean a Blower Wheel

3 Ways to Clear Debris from an Industrial Fan

Sometimes the most simple things like cleaning get overlooked, potentially leading to many more serious issues. It’s important to properly clean a blower wheel, as material buildup on a wheel can cause vibration and damage your fan. Even “clean air” may contain various particles and debris. A simple cleaning procedure can keep your fan healthy and decrease downtime.

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July 14, 2022

A Roadmap to Get Your Bearings: How to Repair a Fan Bearing After Failure

How to Repair a Fan Bearing After Failure

Fan bearing failure is quite avoidable with appropriate greasing, maintenance, monitoring, and end-of-L10-life replacement. Still, bearing failure is the number one issue we get calls about. And on top of that, the number one reason for bearing failures is the lack of lubrication. Because it’s so common, we want to make sure you know how to repair a fan bearing after failure.

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August 8, 2016

Lubricant Additives & Their Functions

Bearing life is a major component in overall fan life. Maintaining proper lubricant levels with appropriate lubricant for the application will extend bearing life and require fewer replacements. A simple preventative maintenance program implemented for your fan can save thousands of dollars in replacement parts over the course of several years. Such a plan would involve such steps as regular lubrication of fan and motor bearings, connection inspections, and vibration analyses.

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