Quick and Easy Computer Maintenance Tips - An Additional Tip
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Here's one of the tips that I always share with my friends: "lubricate your fans!" Now this might sound a bit pathetic because you expected something more serious. Believe me, this is serious, too. Contrary to popular belief; fans can die. They can stop working.
Their so-called "death" is caused by the bearings wearing out. There are multiple types of bearing assemblies- ball bearing, sleeve bearing, fluid dynamic bearing, enlobal bearing (magnetic-barometric), et cetera. The enlobal type of bearing does not need oiling at all. It works via a new innovative assembly method.
Legacy ball bearings are always more noisy due to the vibrations and their lifespan is also significantly lower compared to the rest. Fluid dynamic bearings have very low friction; due to this they are very quiet and have extended lifespan.
Now let's talk about the most common bearing type that is used for computer fans- sleeve bearing. I won't get into the details to explain how this kind of fan works. All that interests us is that in a perfect sleeve assembly there should be enough oil to lubricate the mechanical parts of the fan for a lifetime. However, very rarely can you get a perfect sleeve assembly and, thus, oil can and will dry out over time. This will drastically reduce the lubrication and, thus, result in high friction.
You can save very old fans that are spinning sluggishly, quiet extremely noisy fans, extend their lifespan and improve cooling performance. It's very useful to spend a few minutes oiling fans yourself. It's easy. I will show you how. This technique works for ball and sleeve bearing types of fans. The rest do not require your lubricating maintenance.
First I'd advice disassembling and taking out the fan before working on it. Then you can continue this procedure with peeling off the sticker. You will notice this sticker quite easily; it's in the center of the fan. Once the sticker is taken off, you will notice a rubber or plastic cap at the center. You need to remove that but be sure not to lose it. If there are any other additional metal parts (like items that look sort of like grommets, for example) then take them out too.
After that, you have access to the heart of the bearing mechanism. Finally you can put (or spray) only one single oil drop into the cavity of the bearing. Do not use more than that. It is a waste; it will leak out anyway and will probably cause issues later on. It is absolutely a no-no to use excess oil in this case. More is not always better...
You may ask... "What sort of oil?" Any sort of mechanical oil that offers long lasting lubrication. Check out FIN Super and FIN Lube TF. These products are made by Interflon. These are just recommendations. You can use any other oil too, such as oils for sewing machines, bicycles, door locks, and so forth. All of these are well suited for our needs.
Be aware that the previously mentioned lubricants are non-detergent-based oils. There are some oils that include detergent additives. Avoid them by all means! Graphite-based lubricants are also sub-optimal. The best lube would be viscous oil (or viscous gels). Thin oil isn't the best either. If you use thin oil you might need frequent annual re-lubrication maintenance. If you choose the ideal lubricant, it might last longer (two years instead of one).
Then you need to reverse the process to assembly the fan again: put back those possible metal parts (if there were any), fit the rubber or plastic cap back to its very own place and finish it by replacing the sticker. If the label isn't sticky at all anymore then you will need to use any sort of glue. The label is not just for aesthetics. Do not neglect it. Place everything back the way it was and then you're done!
The following picture illustrates the side of a fan where the sticker is located. In a nutshell, let's repeat: peel off the sticker, you will see the rubber cap, take it out, and then the cavity is revealed. It is in the center of your fan. Oil it. Put everything back in.
As a last note of warning: Typical PC-axial type sleeve bearing fans should only be used in a vertical orientation. In a horizontal or any sort of non-vertical alignment (oblique, etc.) the bearing cavity will dramatically need more lubricant. Expect performance degradation and such. Or do the oil maintenance every 3-6 months.
Conclusions
We've come to the end of this article. I have shown you multiple ways to take care of your computer. My last piece of advice is: please, do not procrastinate or forget your maintenance routines and schedule. Do them frequently, and in the long run you will be glad that you did. Trust me.
Reading this article should have given you enough knowledge to perform hardware and software computer maintenance. I am confident that doing the discussed tips will help you extend the lifespan of your system(s) dramatically.
If you experience serious hardware or any sort of computer-related issues do not hesitate to challenge our "DevHardware Forums" community. We have a large base of experienced and knowledgeable users who are willing to give out top-notch advice and technical consulting. We are there to help you. Ask, and it is given.
| DISCLAIMER: The content provided in this article is not warranted or guaranteed by Developer Shed, Inc. The content provided is intended for entertainment and/or educational purposes in order to introduce to the reader key ideas, concepts, and/or product reviews. As such it is incumbent upon the reader to employ real-world tactics for security and implementation of best practices. We are not liable for any negative consequences that may result from implementing any information covered in our articles or tutorials. If this is a hardware review, it is not recommended to open and/or modify your hardware. |
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