Fan-tastic (x2)

Why you should look for discarded small table fans

Summer has arrived, and with it the need for better air circulation.  Luckily I've got two little table-top fans for which I paid $0.  Less fortunately, when I tried to use the trusty old square fan (a freestyle find over a decade ago) for the first time this year it wouldn't start spinning, and the other fan that I had pulled out of the trash room had never spun at all.  After some internet research and watching a videos on you tube I was able to restore full functionality to BOTH fans.  Turns out the most common cause of fans not working is that dust and hair get sucked in and gum up the works. So if you plug in the fan, turn it on, and hear a buzzing sound but no spinning blade is happening that means the electrical parts still work, but the mechanical parts are stuck.

Here's a quick photo journey of how I fixed this small tabletop fan, and quick DIY that saved me over $30 since I used the same process to repair two fans.

How to examine your free table fan and decide if it can be repaired, step-by-step instructions

Step 0. Gather supplies, including screwdriver(s), small scissors (fingernail scissors or embroidery scissors), pointy-tip tweezers, WD-40, paper towels

Useful tools: nail scissors and pointy-tip tweezers

Step 1. Plug in and test fan. If there is no movement of the fan blades, but you can hear the electricity buzzing, that is a good sign.  In my case there was no movement of the fan blades when plugged in and turned on, but yes! there was buzzing sound when turned on.

Our test subject, a free tabletop fan

Repairing the free table top fan

Now that I had some indication that the electrical part of the fan was still working, I thought the problem was likely something mechanical that was stuck. Let's continue on to Step 2....

2. Unplug fan and remove cover by unscrewing all the connections around the back.  These are likely small screws, somewhat recessed, that hold the back plastic part of the fan to the front plastic cover part of the fan.

Removing the tiny screw that hold the front cover to the back cover.

Fan with the front cover removed.

3. Use tweezers and a nail scissors to pull off any dust on the center shaft.  Cut any hairs that were wound around the shaft and pull off the pieces.  Use a paintbrush or paper towels to wipe off any dust, including on the back cover and on the fan blades.  Do this for the front cover that you removed (I ran that piece under the sink sprayer and then let it dry thoroughly, but that was probably overkill).

Brushing the dust off of the back cover and fan blades.

View of the center shaft with some detritus wrapped around it, need to remove that gunk!

4. Bring fan into bathtub (or do this outside) and spray WD-40 on the parts that *should* be moving, like the center shaft.  WARNING: If you spray WD-40 inside your bathtub the surface will become EXTREMELY SLIPPERY, make sure you clean it properly before trying to use the tub or shower for bathing.

If you spray WD-40 in the bathtub, it will make the tub REALLY SLIPPERY.  

5. Wait a few minutes for the WD-40 to soak in, slowly rotate the fan blade by hand to make sure the liquid is evenly distributed.

6. Carefully set the fan upright, but facing a wipeable surface like the side of the tub or the back of the toilet seat.  When you turn the fan back on any excess WD-40 will come flying out the front IF the repair was successful.

7. Making sure fingers and hair are clear of the fan, plug fan back in and turn on to test if blades spin properly.

Spinning fan blades indicate a successful repair.

8. Once blades spin properly, do a happy dance of DIY success. Let fan run a few minutes until no more WD-40 is flying out the front.

9. Turn off fan, unplug fan. Wipe any stray WD-40 off the fan blades or other parts it might have leaked on to, and then reconnect front cover using the same tiny screws you removed in step 2.

One of 6 tiny screws that held the cover pieces together.

10. Enjoy new, or newly repaired, fan.

Conclusion

Happy freestyling, and don't be afraid of trying to fix that free fan. With the right screwdriver and a few small supplies it only took about 20 minutes.

Cutlery? Oh I've got it in the bag.

Cutlery set and pizza cutter!
Price: Free.

Silverware set, in the bag.

Forks, spoons, and knives are so easy to come by in plastic form these days, but I prefer to use metal utensils.  They just have a better feel to them, and are usually easier to clean and not assumed to be disposable.  I have a set at work that I can clean and store in a drawer so I'm not lugging extra weight around in my backpack.  But aside from all that, I found a silverware set (and BONUS pizza cutter) recently.  I do not need more silverware, I have two sets, and three if you count some fancy old stuff that is still bagged up from when my mother gave it to me.  However, I have a friend who is moving and setting up a new place, so all those kitchen supplies are welcome. It is surprising how quickly those odds and ends can add up in cost when buying them new, even in terms of time spent on shopping.  So I'd like to thank whoever was so thoughtful that at least they neatly bagged this silverware set before discarding it.  You've made this freestyling particularly easy.

Happy freestyling.