When cleaning the fan, you will need the following things:
-a screwdriver, to open the fan
-detergent and some warm water to clean it
-dry cloth or a towel to wipe off the remaining water
Not really a lot of things, right? Well, that’s one more benefit of oscillating fans-they are really easy to open and clean. An oscillating fan cools down more air than a regular fan, so it’s more likely to get dirty faster and more often. That’s why it’s design must allow easy cleaning.
So, the first thing you have to do in order to clean the fan safely is to unplug it from the electricity. After that wipe off the surface dust from the fan. When you have done that, you can begin disassembling it. Remove the grill by unscrewing the screws that keep it together. Some grills don’t have crews but clips and that makes the process even easier. Remove the blades by taking off the screws that keep them attached to the fan. Now you can use detergent to clean the grill and the blades. Be very careful with this because you don’t want any electrical components to get wet. After that use a dry towel or a cloth to dry the washed parts. Before reassembling, the grill and the blades should be left for some minutes to dry a bit more. That way, you will avoid getting injured or breaking down your fan. Reassemble the fan in the reversed order in which the parts were removed. Tightly screw in all the screws, plug it in and test it. Your crispy clean fan should now work perfectly, the ticking is probably gone, and the air is better because you stopped the accumulated dust from spreading around the room.
If you can hear the clicking noise while the head of the fan moves it could be just dirt. However, it could be that the gears are worn or loose. You will have to open it anyway so unplug it and to that.
– Take a screw driver and unscrew the grill of the fan. Take off the blades and clean them altogether with the grill, the shaft and the motor housing. For the grill and the blades you can use only water and detergent but for the shaft and the motor housing vacuum cleaning wouldn’t be such a bad idea. While you are there inspect the motor. If the gears look OK put everything back together again in the reverse order and plug the fan in the electricity. The fan should be running quietly now.
– If the gears look like they need a replacement or tightening up, then your work is not done yet. First check the set screw. If it’s loose tighten it up because this screw balances the blades and when it gets loose they are not balanced correctly and that may cause the buzzing and clicking sound.
– Also inspect the gear assembly and the motor housing. Try tightening them up. If you can then all should be good. But, if they can’t be tightened that means that they are worn and you have to replace them. After they are tightened or replaced lubricate the shaft and reassemble your fan.
