<VV> Re: Electric Fans . . . again

[Mike Stillwell]

--- tkalp at cox.net wrote:
> Mike,
> Instead of comparing the fan to a heater fan,
> compare it to the cooling fan on your water pumper, 
> how many of those have you replaced? 

 Good point - but a water pumper will get flow through
the radiator at speed. The Corvair engine flow how
much through it at speed? I wouldn't think not much
(if any) - so the fan would stay on much longer than
in a water pumper where it act as more of a cooling
assistant than the primary cooling agent. (BTW - 1 on
a Saturn with 90K that sat in traffic alot.)

 One could even
> argue that the life of a heater fan is shortened
> because it sits idle for months at a time.

 I can see this - corrosion of the armature, that
grinds a little life off the brushes when it is
started.

> 
> This also brings up additional questions about the
> efficency of the stock fan.  Let's see, 20 amps at
> 12 volts is 240 watts or about 1/3 of a horsepower .
> . . far less than the stock fan pulls.

 Very true, but how many CFMs will that fan move with
1/3 of a hp?

  If you are
> worried about the life of the electric motor, figure
> out a way to drive the new fan with a belt.
> Upgrading the alternator is an excellent point. 
> With a constant 20 amp draw a stock 37 amp alt.
> would turn into a 17 amp unit.  
> Terry Kalp

 To counter my own points, the fan looks like it would
cool itself, so not be subject to the normal Corvair
engine heat exposures that the coil, alternator, etc
normally are.

 Thanks for your insights, Terry,

 Mike

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