Eco fan ailing

[Liam]

May possibly sound daft but I was speaking to a fellow moorer over the weekend who's had problems with her Ecofan slowing down... a quick dust over with an old paintbrush to remove the dust, and it was working back at 'normal' speed so this may be worth a try before you start swapping parts.

[WotEver]

Should be 90 degrees. The "hot" cylinder has a piston. The "cold" one has a lump of something inside that displaces the air from the hot to the cold end - the displacer! So when all the air is at the cold end it contracts and pulls the piston in, when all the air is at the hot end it expands and pushes the piston out. That's about it really

 

Richard

I don't know why my brain is struggling with this... I'll think about it on my drive home.

 

Thanks

 

Tony

[RLWP]

This one is a different configuration, but it works the same way: Link

 

I've made one of those too. It will run if you sit it on top of a mug of tea.

 

Richard

Edited February 15, 2010 by RLWP

[nb Innisfree]

May possibly sound daft but I was speaking to a fellow moorer over the weekend who's had problems with her Ecofan slowing down... a quick dust over with an old paintbrush to remove the dust, and it was working back at 'normal' speed so this may be worth a try before you start swapping parts.

 

That's how ours started, worked for a while but eventually stopped altogether. Perhaps it's an early warning of failure

[Water Woman]

My ecofan slowed to the point it was hardly moving, after two and half winters of constant use. I found a firm on t'internet and spoke to them. I sent it off to them and they called me telling me what the problem was... they told me how much it would cost and I paid them by card over the phone. It came back two days later like new and has run wonderfully ever since. It cost twenty quid to have it sorted. If anyone wants the name of the company I will look it out, just let me know. I certainly felt it much colder down the boat without it and was glad to get it back.

WW

[WotEver]

This one is a different configuration, but it works the same way: Link

 

I've made one of those too. It will run if you sit it on top of a mug of tea.

 

Richard

Thanks for that link - it's now clear

 

... they called me telling me what the problem was...

What was it?

[carlt]

As Spring is arriving they will gradually slow down until Summer arrives, when they switch to reverse, making a highly efficient air-conditioning unit.

 

I've made one of those too. It will run if you sit it on top of a mug of tea.

Don't you get your nose caught in the wheel?

[AlanH]

Mine did the same, albeit after five years. Suddenly went into slow motion.

I checked the symptoms on www.ecofan.co.uk - which said overheating can cause motor failure and I took a gamble on ordering a new motor for 10 pounds plus P&P.

It was easy to fit but you have to solder the leads onto the new motor.

 

Its working perfectly again - total cost under 15 pounds.

You was robbed. I got five motors for something like 90p each pklus about £3 postage from the USA.

 

Look here:

http://www.herbach.com/Merchant2/merchant...._Code=DCPMFIELD

 

Edited to add URL

Edited February 16, 2010 by AlanH

[RLWP]

As Spring is arriving they will gradually slow down until Summer arrives, when they switch to reverse, making a highly efficient air-conditioning unit.

 

 

Don't you get your nose caught in the wheel?

 

I leave the teaspoon in to poke me in the eye as a reminder

 

Richard

[nb Innisfree]

As a last resort I have just removed the fan and motor and drilled a small hole in the end of the plastic housing at the rear motor bearing and put a drop of 3in1 in it + blown the motor out with compressed air, working ok now, fingers crossed.

[RobinJ]

Well I bit the bullet and fed my Ecofan some WD40, and guess what? it loved it, so all is well (for the timebeing)

The problem with Peltier devices is they are voltage sensitive, but in the Eco fan this is not likely to be a problem unless the boat is on fire!

They should rotate faster in the winter as the temperature difference should be higher?

They do need cleaning regularly (due to dust etc.) and make sure they sit flat on the top of the fire (good thermal contact), they also need plenty of free air around the top!

We have had one for a long time and it is effective at pushing warm air the length of the boat, what they do not do is get your feet warm - hot air rises anyway?

 

Robin

[koukouvagia]

We have had one for a long time and it is effective at pushing warm air the length of the boat, what they do not do is get your feet warm - hot air rises anyway?

 

Robin

 

I know the merits of an Ecofan have been debated ad nauseam but since I wasn't sure whether the effects are simply psychological, I performed a little experiment.

Temperature outside the boat 36 degrees

Temperature with the thermometer on the table: 75 degrees

Temperature with thermometer at ceiling height 77 degrees

Temperature with thermometer on the floor 65 degrees (with Ecofan)

Temperature with thermometer on the floor 60 degrees (without Ecofan)

 

So it does appear that the Ecofan helps to keep the toes warm.

[RobinJ]

ITemperature outside the boat 36 degrees

Temperature with the thermometer on the table: 75 degrees

Temperature with thermometer at ceiling height 77 degrees

Temperature with thermometer on the floor 65 degrees (with Ecofan)

Temperature with thermometer on the floor 60 degrees (without Ecofan)

 

So it does appear that the Ecofan helps to keep the toes warm.

Very re-assuring!