Regular fan servicing
May 1st 2008

How can you sharpen your competitive edge, improve health and safety standards and monitor your energy efficiency? Answer: By having your industrial fans regularly serviced and maintained.

This reduces down time and minimises lost production says Woodcock & Wilson

Industrial fans are at the heart of industries that produce large volumes of dust as a by-product.

Quarrying, woodworking and food processing companies, for example, have to ensure dust is efficiently extracted in order to comply with health and safety laws.

Badly maintained fans can vibrate causing noise, a situation that could potentially breech Noise and Vibration Legislation.

Being energy efficient and aware of the impact of your business on the environment is a responsibility companies are now taking very seriously. Today's businesses are expected to make an effort to reduce emissions, minimise energy usage, avoid accidents and consider all the environmental impacts of their work.

A regularly serviced and well maintained fan is by definition an energy efficient piece of machinery.

And even greater energy savings can be achieved by having high efficiency electric motors fitted when the regular service is carried out.

Minimising your energy usage in this way could entitle you to certain tax incentives, Enhanced Capital Allowances, designed to benefit those who are energy efficient.

However, neglecting to have fans serviced could impact on a company's ability to meet its environmental targets.

Why you should have your fans serviced Clearly, the old saying 'prevention is better than cure' has never been more true, as more and more companies sign up for full fan servicing contracts in a bid to maintain efficient production schedules and smooth operations.

After all, why would anyone neglect a piece of equipment that is critical to the efficiency of their business? Depending on its application an industrial fan can have a life span of more than forty years, during which time numerous potential problems can occur. Dirt and dust can collect on the impeller, for instance, throwing the fan out of balance, and the bearings and motor can fail.

Should a fan unexpectedly break down, as well as the danger from critical failure of rotating parts, there is also the additional cost associated with repair and lost production time.

Annual fan service and maintenance is a vital plant maintenance function. Often carried out during shut down periods, fan maintenance can be done quickly and efficiently and does not have to interfere with production output.

To stay in business and keep the fans working, regular servicing and maintenance is essential. It's surprising how quickly things can start to go wrong once you stop servicing fans and businesses can't afford to have their fans out of action for long periods.

What does a typical service involve? Regular on-site maintenance and servicing by experienced engineers can help to detect and prevent faults to all types of industrial fans, reducing the risk of breakdown, saving time and money as well as ensuring the life expectancy of the machine is maintained.

A typical service takes a full day and normally involves: inspecting the overall condition of fans inspecting fan bearings for wear and re-greasing or replacing where necessary inspecting, adjusting or replacing drive belts on belt driven fans inspecting and checking alignment of couplings on direct coupled fans and replacing couplings if necessary removing access doors and checking impeller for wear or damage test running fans and monitoring vibration levels.

Leading industrial fan manufacturer Woodcock & Wilson, based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, has seen significant growth in its fan servicing operation this year, as more and more companies realise that having their fans maintained and serviced regularly can prevent serious health and safety issues, is better for the environment and saves time and money.

This growth also reflects the fact that the engineers at Woodcock & Wilson understand the construction principles of fan manufacturing and design, allowing them to draw on their in-house expertise when inspecting fans on site, crucial when fault-finding and problem solving.

In order to maintain a competitive edge, more and more companies from a wide range of industries are realising the real and tangible benefits of having a contract maintenance and repair service for their fans, enabling them to maintain and maximise production performance levels at all times.

Setting up a repair and servicing contract gives you full security and allows your business to be more competitive.