Noisy fan! Let's see if we can quiet it down.

In this video, I swap capacitors to reduce the fan speed, and thus the fan noise, on this Grainger/Dayton 2MA11 24" fan. We brought the fan speed down from about 73 dB to the mid 50s.
15 uF capacitor: amzn.to/3C11Lo9
10 uF capacitor: amzn.to/3tj8TbK
8 uF capacitor: amzn.to/3teJuQw
Fan: amzn.to/3IA7JyU
Thermal imaging camera: amzn.to/3C2xFRl

[@ssippiman]

Old attic fan converted to a box fan with casters. Double gang box mounted on the side with switch for fan and a regular plug to use for whatever (drill batteries, small tools etc..) goes with me to every job in the summer. The large sharp curved blades just move so much air it’s unbelievable and so quiet!! You could get a voltage changing thing to control speed?? Cool video!!

[@jerzilla3795]

The capacitance is not related to the speed of the motor, but rather the phase shift occurring in one of the motor’s sets of windings. Any increase/decrease in speed will be the result of the two windings inducing excessive slip and over time, this will cause the motor to overheat.

[@MyLittleMagneton]

I don't know how well this translates to desk fans, but with 3D printers a lot of people have had luck with vibration dampers.

[@thugwarsusa5250]

Extremely educational thank you

[@JessicaFEREM]

I bought a plastic box fan, but the person who gathered the groceries upgraded the fan I had to a fan similar to yours, I think instead of replacing that capacitors, I will just get a plug in rheostat to cut the speed. it's more expensive but at any time I can just unplug it to get the original speed back, or switch it to full speed mode it's basically the entire fan controller in a box.

[@jluke6861]

Thank you.

[@invest_9361]

Hey man love your video, I have a question though. Can you place a capacitor on a variable speed 6" motor? I have one connected to my AC to ventilate air from outside to the inside. I want to place a capacitor like you suggested to quiet down the fan. Will I be able to do this on my fan? This is the fan I have - iPower 6 Inch Inline Booster Duct Fan with Speed Controller, 275 CFM Exhaust Fan HVAC, Duct Blower for Bathroom

[@kkkkit]

I got a new one which is much louder 😢it’s not the motor though, it’s the blades. Idk if they’re crap quality or whatever but too noisy

[@bermudezeg]

I’ve been watching some of your videos. They are interesting. Just curios I have a fan tower it starts but the darn thing takes like 10 minuets for the fan to actually move. I’m thinking the magnets are dirty. Or something. You should do a video either the machine you use when checking the sound wave

[@JoesGarageProductionsLLC]

Thank you! This is a pretty common speed control technique on inexpensive AC induction fans, as it turns out. I wouldn't be surprised if your fan tower had a similar setup (assuming it has an AC induction motor) I used an android cell phone app to measure sound. I believe it is a free download.

[@dive2drive314]

I just bought a pedestal fan for $100 and the god damn thing sounds like an airplane... just the sound of the blades, not that there is something broken, but it does make me wonder if the motor is defective making it more powerful than it should be. Its unbelievably annoying and it's on the lowest setting. How do people put up with that?

[@JoesGarageProductionsLLC]

That's exactly the way this fan was. It is much quieter now after changing that capacitor and I've seen no ill effects from doing so other than slightly reduced air flow... Totally worth it!

[@dive2drive314]

@@JoesGarageProductionsLLC I think im going to give it a try, as i do not want to disassemble the fan to take it back, and it's a nice fan.. just way too powerful. I am still not sure why someone would want a bedroom fan that sounds like a wind turbine and damn near blows you over at full speed. Lol

[@dive2drive314]

@@JoesGarageProductionsLLC Just opened my fan up and it only has a 5 microfarad capacitor in it, so i went ahead and ordered a 2.4uF. That should bring the decibels down to within tolerance! Actually a very easy customization. Thanks for the video!

[@tbttr3605]

A HVAC condenser fan blade would be very quiet

[@JoesGarageProductionsLLC]

That's an interesting idea. I hadn't thought of that. I probably have a few of those laying around