Topic: 5 and 1 failures

[pig cooker]

I am on my third 5 and 1. The first on failed in one day it stopped running, the aspirating fan was noisy right out of the box it sounded like the fan blade was hitting something ie like cards in a bicycle spokes .Customer service sent me a new one right away.

The second one the humidity sensor problems, first it stuck in -10 below at 99 % , I calibrated it. it worked for a couple of weeks and then failed stuck at 96%. The fan in that unit was also noisey in cold temps and was quiet in warm temps. Customer service sent another right out

Today the third 5 and 1 fan was not running until temp reached 39 degrees (this was after several days of freezing temps and 10 in of snow), then it was noisey. It did quiet down later in the day when the temp was in the mid 40's .

My concern is this aspirating fan in failure mode. Has anyone noticed excessive noise from the fans in cold weather? Mine is audiable from over 14' away when its in noisey mode .

[ctccbc]

My 5-in-1 works much better since I purchased the new solar panel add on. I had several aspirating fans just quit, but I took them apart and noticed that spider webs were causing the problem. Now I routinely clean the aspirating fan monthly.

[nincehelser]

I've never noticed an issue like that.  It seems strange that 3 in a row would get noisy.

Is there any chance the units are sucking up bits of debris or dust?  Like being mounted near a dirt or rock road where dust flies up when cars go by?

[MikeSatter]

I switched solar panels in my 5-in-1 and have had no problems either way.

[pig cooker]

The first aspirator failed it was noisey right out of the box( I took the first one off and it would run quietly for a few minutes and stop, second was noisey but did not fail(humidity sensor failed)
 and the third was noisey and did not start until the temp warmed up yesterday. So its only one failure of the aspirator fan so far. The third one not running until the temp warmed up makes me think it will burn out shortly (this one has been up a couple of weeks). I spoke to customer service yesterday and and I am waiting for a reply from a supervisor.They have been great to work with but I am tired of the problems. All of this has happened since first of December.

The location doesn't play a part in this case , I don't think insects would be a problem here this time of year but I will check. Another thing is sometimes the second and third one ran so quietly you hat to put your ear to them to hear them run. 1 to 6 in of snow forecasted here to day.

I live at 3700 ft and wonder if perhaps temp, elevation and condensation are playing a part in this. Every time I replace one it has been cold.

I own two complete systems but have only installed one.

I asked about the new design and would consider purchasing one but I was told the motor was the same spec with an additional panel.

[vreihen]

FWIW, the fan in my unit has been noisy since day one.  It still works after 2+ years.....

[MikeSatter]

I live in South Carolina at 902ft above sea level with no problems; makes me think it might be your elevation, temperatures, and humidity, like you said.

[jonkjon]

You guys are making me nervous.....I purchased my 01035 on the 12th and i'm already concerned about failures! lol (I did buy the upgraded solar panels though) I guess it's just paranoia setting in waiting for it to arrive. Looks likes it's gonna take 9 days to ship to VA.....yikes!

[MikeSatter]

I don't think you have anything to worry about with failure, I am very happy with my unit. My only thing is I believe replacement solar panel should be standard on all units.

[jonkjon]

I don't think you have anything to worry about with failure, I am very happy with my unit. My only thing is I believe replacement solar panel should be standard on all units.

+1

[dschmidt_2000]

I don't think you have anything to worry about with failure, I am very happy with my unit. My only thing is I believe replacement solar panel should be standard on all units.

+2

Here's today's temp graph, clear sunny morning.  Will be looking at outdoor solar path lights to find one to rob the panel out of.

[Beaudog]

Mine has been up since last October and never missed a send to WU.

[pig cooker]

Partly sunny here today 41 degrees . Fan is less noisey. Has anyone determined the cause of the motor failure? Her is a pict of my location.

[Beaudog]

Did you ever consider opening up and putting a little oil on it.

[pig cooker]

Did you ever consider opening up and putting a little oil on it.

Beau
 
I don't think its a lubrication problem. These motors should not sound like they do when they are new and I bet it would void the warranty.  Another way to describe the rotaional noise I hear is if you were to take a broom straw and stick it lightly into a conventional fan blade you will hear a ticking sound. Some of the sound is amplified a little because its in a hollow cavity.

I have read a lot of the threads on the accurite site here and on accurite's site and the aspirator problems have been well documented as well as the bearings in anemometer which are sealed bearings. I understand reading that the  new double panel units have a hole drilled to  allow lubrication of (anemometer ) a sealed catridge bearing if its similar to the single panel units. This type of bearing doesn't lend itself to lubrication. If you do try to lubricate the anemometer shaft you  need to apply a drop on the shaft then turn it 180 and apply another drop. The type of lubricant to use depends on the bearing. If the bearing is a sealed bearing it really doesn't lend itself to lubrication. Also the hole thats drilled should be covered so that moisture doesn't enter. I have not seen the new unit, some here have and maybe they could speak to this point. CS told me the motor was the same as in the single panel.

At this point I think I will wait aand see what happens, someone mentioned their fan was noisey fron the start and it lasted for a couple of years .

I would just like to have a year without a problem , it doesn't bother me to spend 40- 100 on a year on a hobby .
Having one unitl go down the first day and troubles with humidity sensor for about six weeks doesn't say alot about quality control

[dschmidt_2000]

Another way to describe the rotaional noise I hear is if you were to take a broom straw and stick it lightly into a conventional fan blade you will hear a ticking sound. Some of the sound is amplified a little because its in a hollow cavity.

I'm guessing this noise could come from the new brushes on a new commutator.  Until they wear in, you'll hear the noise. I don't think they would use a ball bearing on the motor but instead oilite bushings.

[pig cooker]

Well I disassembled one of the  defective 5&1's this morning. I examined the  aspirating fan ,wind assembly and  observered excessive end play in motor shaft and fan was not running true (square to the motor shaft). There also appeared to be some posts between the base of the fan and the motor. I did not disassemble it further  because this one (part of of my 5&1 that the humidty sensor died on)   sounds better than the fan on my 5&1 thats operational. I do have another one that the aspirator motor or the solar panel died on that I will disassemble  in the next day or so.

I do think that the end play in the motor shaft, the fan blade not runnning true and  not balanced is a large part of the problem. These two things will cause premature wear on the bearings, if any moisture condenses and freezes on this it will accentuate the problem The fan is pressed on so any attempt to square it up would destroy the fan and motor. 

[pig cooker]

5&1 solar cell
 2.315 dcv will direct sun will vary if shaded

[dschmidt_2000]

5&1 solar cell
 2.315 dcv will direct sun will vary if shaded

What is the short circuit current?  It's ~ 0.5 to 0.6V per cell and I see 4 cells on their panel so your open circuit voltage is expected.

[nincehelser]

The motor is rated at 1.5V and less than 20 mA (no load).

Running the motor at 3V probably isn't a problem.

[pig cooker]

Here is the rest of the tear down. Previous post note the speed of the fan will also vary with intensity of sun light.

2002 view of motor with solar cell removed.

2004 motor with fan blade on and wind cup bearing ( bearings would be very hard to remove without destroying the housing or the bearing depending on what part you would like to save. To remove and install bearings you need to press on the inner and out race at the same time

2005 bottom flange of the fan blade ID 1.100
plastic motor housing  OD 1.083
That leaves a clearance of .0085 if everything is perfectly round and centered and the blade is seated squarely on the shaft. The fan blade does not appear to go over the motor housing but depending on how it is seated it is real close. I.m sorry I don't have the inclination to measure the run out .If moisture were to condense on this area it could cause the motor freeze and fail. In addition the motor shaft has excessive end play which could cause premature bearing failure and vibration

Draw you own conclusions perhaps it will last a year or two. I don't have a clue how long these 5&1's last, my luck has not been very good.

[pig cooker]

The motor is rated at 1.5V and less than 20 mA (no load).

Running the motor at 3V probably isn't a problem.

5&1 solar cell
 2.315 dcv will direct sun will vary if shaded

I just posted the observation electronics is not really my forte.There is also a little circuit board. I don't know what caused the failure of this motor it actually runs for a a minute or two before it stops

What is the short circuit current?  It's ~ 0.5 to 0.6V per cell and I see 4 cells on their panel so your open circuit voltage is expected.

I just posted the observation electronics is not really my forte.There is also a little circuit board. I don't know what caused the failure of this motor it actually runs for a a minute or two before it stops

[dschmidt_2000]

Is there anything else on that PCB the the fan is plugged into other than those two electrolytic caps?
Does the panel go right to that board also?

[pig cooker]

Is there anything else on that PCB the the fan is plugged into other than those two electrolytic caps?
Does the panel go right to that board also?

Panel wires are soldered to the pcb. It was just easier for me to remove them to check the solar cell. I don't know if the fan bade had an interference and was causing an excessive load on the motor and cause it to fail or just a poor quality motor. The whole thing looks poorly done but what should you expect for 90 bucks. I was just hoping for a year or two. Maybe we should do a pole and see what kind of life span these 5&1's have

[dschmidt_2000]

I wouldn't put too much into determining the quality of the motor from the shaft sloppiness.  You cannot determine the quality of the motor from the outside.  Given the low power consumption and the need to have very low startup torque, the motor needs to have looser clearances.  bushings are lower maintenance and can last longer in these enviroments too.

I do wonder about that PCB though.  Wonder if there is a charge circuit on there that stores up solar power then dumps it to the motor to 'kick' it to get over any cogging the armature has with the magnets (unless this is a coreless motor).

I continue to have temp rise from the sun on clear days.  I think cloudy days its not problem due to enough scatter illuminating the panel.  Having it only face south wasn't such a great idea.

In regards to the fan speeding up and down with illumination level, some solar panel education for you.  Solar cells are really current sources.  They output a fixed voltage but their ability to drive current depends on the amount of light hitting them.  When the fan speeds up or down it's due to them not being able to supply enough current to the motor, so the voltage falls.  Higher current panels, the solar cells are larger in area.  Higher voltage, more cells in series.

Same thing with your multimeter on the panel.  The 10 meg load is too much for the panel with little light hitting it so the voltage varies.