Fan Hinge

dodsonish

dodsonish

Grease Police President
What would be the best way to hinge a flimsey based monster fan that sits on a 2 ft duct with an extension that raises about 1 ft and expands to fit about a 30 inch fan base? :confused:

I hope this is easy to understand.:D
 
We may need a picture for this one, If I understand what you have it won't be easy, it doesn’t sound like the base will support a hinge.
Give me a day or two and I will get you picture of how I dealt with this situation.
 
Thanks, I'll try to get back by to get a picture of the fan. You have the right concern with the base. It seem s too flimsey to support the weight.
 
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Will that hinge work with a weak fan base, that may be a problem here. Do you sell them?
 
They are manufactured by A-1 Air Vent out of San Diego.

Without a picture of what Josh is describing, it is hard to visualize.

These particular hinges work in a variety of situations.

Hope that this helps.

Rusty
 
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Ok Josh here are the promised pic's.

This is two galvanized frames custom made, and hinged together. I took precise measurements of the fan base and the duct that it has to sit on, and a picture to help explain the situation,went to a local sheet metal shop. They made up the hinges, and I installed them. Keep in mind that this installation required an electrician because the wire came through the duct and had to be disconnected from the fan before the hinges could be installed.
A weak fan base was not the problem here, but this type of system would work for you because it will supprt the fan base.

The hinge kits cost me about $240 and I needed three, add in the electrician and this got pretty expensive.
If the wiring is on the outside of the fan and not through the duct this can be done with out an electrician. I suppose that the hinge could be made with one corner not welded so you could open it to get the wire through and then screw it closed also. Things you will have to explore with the sheet metal guy
 

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this is the frame itself
 

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Why did they run the wiring inside of the ductwork?

Isn't it supposed to be on the outside? In case of a fire the wires would melt and short out and the fan would stop.

Just curious.

Great pictures. Phil could probably use these at one of his NFPA meetings.

Rusty
 
I don't know why the wires are in the duct, it was probably the easiest way. Happens all the time.
 
My concern is not the wire in the duct (a bad idea) but the wire is not protected where it contacts the sheet metal. Even though the wire appears to be in a flexible conduit, it should be protected.

In case of fire, the fire system is listed to operate if the fan is or is not in operation. I would be more concerned with the shorted wiring causing sparks or enough heat to start a fire. A fire above the detectors will not activate the fire system.

Douglas Hicks
General Fire Equipment Co of Eastern Oregon, Inc
 
We cleaned an exhaust system the other day (O by the way I went through our training course and now clean hoods) and when we touched the fan housing we got quite a shock.

The metal had rubbed through the insulation and had a dead short (now we knew why the fan wasn't working).

Lucklily the power was on for just a short second before the breaker blew, but it was enough to make you think twice about touching the fan.

I agree with Douglas about the fan and the importance of having those wires on the outside clearly visible.

Rusty
 
I agree, the wire should not be in the duct, that being the case, it is still protected more in the flex conduit than simply running armored cable (I think that is the name of it) up to the fan, something I see almost daily. It is under most older Mcdonalds fans, That is just not made to be moved like is required to take the fan on and off, and inevitably the armor starts to split open.
I did see armored cable running down the duct into the hood through the plenum and out through a hole in the hood where it was simply plugged into an outlet, they just unplugged it at night to turn the fan off. I was there to bid the job and tried to get a picture but the guy didn’t like me carrying a camera around his kitchen, after a quick survey I told him I couldn’t help him and left.
 
That kind of shock, on a wet roof, can knock you on your derriere and leave you immobile - just one more reason why most jobs should never be attemped with one person. Inside wired fans are pretty common. I learned the hard way never to tip an inside wired fan unless I first obtain written permission from the owner releasing me from any liability. One needs to first cut power at the breaker box - it is easy to pull loose the wiring if you do tip the fan.

Bryan, that is a nice job. Do inspectors in your area require hinged upblast fans per NFPA Standards? In our area not 1 in 100 u/b fans have either hinges or restraints. The inspectors seemingly don't care - even an after-event fire inspection!
Richard
 
No the hinges are not required, or atleast no one cares, beside me.
We had to put these on because the fans were so heavy when they are placed on the roof the housing would collapse. The other cleaning company dealt with this by not removing the fans ever.
 
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