Question What could randomly cause a fan to become unbalanced?

[Voidseeker_1]

https://streamable.com/zyh6v7
I went to go turn on my PC the other day (I power it off every night) and it made a really bad sound and I figured out that my exhaust fan is off balance. I have an NZXT H510 and I've had it for 3yrs and I haven't replaced the fans and I'm looking to get some new fans soon but it's weird that my exhaust fan is randomly unbalanced.

 

[Lutfij]

Moved thread from Components section to Cooling section

The bearings in it might've given out over use across those 3 years. Dirt/dust build up and ofc you might find strands of hair impeding the fans rotation. NZXT and Corsair had fans that would start to fail as soon as you heard the rattle.

View: https://youtu.be/BsT3JCXKiQA?t=829

 

[Voidseeker_1]

Moved thread from Components section to Cooling section

The bearings in it might've given out over use across those 3 years. Dirt/dust build up and ofc you might find strands of hair impeding the fans rotation. NZXT and Corsair had fans that would start to fail as soon as you heard the rattle.

View: https://youtu.be/BsT3JCXKiQA?t=829

My fans are a little dusty but it's just a little light dust and the bearings giving out would make sense and so I'll soon probably order 2 new ones because it's annoying to basically smack my case to get the fan back into the right position so its not rubbing and thanks for the video!

 

[Voidseeker_1]

I'm currently looking at these https://www.amazon.com/MSI-F120-ARG...3&psc=1&mcid=a84fd5a1c383393a938e34b5ca648127 which have hydraulic bearings

 

[sajjadali1122]

A fan can become unbalanced due to dust buildup on the blades, physical damage (like a bent blade), or worn-out bearings. Another possibility is a loose mounting, which can shift over time. Regular cleaning and maintenance can help prevent these issues.

 

[Voidseeker_1]

A fan can become unbalanced due to dust buildup on the blades, physical damage (like a bent blade), or worn-out bearings. Another possibility is a loose mounting, which can shift over time. Regular cleaning and maintenance can help prevent these issues.

I checked and it's tight and I'm assuming it has to do with bearings and I doubt it was caused by dust but I also could be wrong. I try to at least every once in a while clean my dust filters like for my PSU and cooler but never really clean my fans because the dust never looks all that bad

 

[AntonyLovric]

Clean the fan (blades) for dust, look for wires that might be hitting the blades from the drive power, etc.,

If you're comfortable, oil the fan with a light oil:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mREwpbhV32Y


I've saved a couple fans this way, good as new and will last a while. (Also allows you to wait for a deal on Cyber Monday)

 

[Voidseeker_1]

Clean the fan (blades) for dust, look for wires that might be hitting the blades from the drive power, etc.,

If you're comfortable, oil the fan with a light oil:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mREwpbhV32Y


I've saved a couple fans this way, good as new and will last a while. (Also allows you to wait for a deal on Cyber Monday)

You're right. I would just need oil

 

[Paperdoc]

My vote is NO OIL!

A couple decades ago you could disassemble a fan to oil ONLY the bearings lightly and then re-assemble cleanly for a year or more of extra lifetime. Today there is no way to open it up without breaking it, and then no way to re-assemble properly. If you just a little oil on the outside it is NOT going to reach the bearings. If you put on a whole lot to be sure, the oil gets everywhere inside the fan and causes other problems.

OP, you diagnosed unbalanced fan, and others have suggested wearing bearings - a different cause. To help diagnose, here is the typical sequence of bearing wear on fans 3 to 6 years old. The basic mechanism is that the outer sleeve wears away to a slightly too-large hole, allowing the shaft to "rattle" in the loose fit.
1. As the system heats up in normal use, the shaft expands its diameter just a little more than the sleeve expands its hole. So on a COLD start-up after several hours off, the fan makes this noise for 15 sec to a minute, then the noise stops. If you reboot the noise stays away. If you shut down long enough to cool the fan off, the noise comes back on re-start for a short time.
2. Over the space of a few months the period of start-up noise gets longer.
3. Eventually the noise never stops. This is the last stage of life for this fan and it probably is running too slow to do its full job. It must be replaced.
4. If not replaced, ultimately the fan bearings seize up and it will NOT run at all, so you get no cooling from it.

 

[Voidseeker_1]

My vote is NO OIL!

A couple decades ago you could disassemble a fan to oil ONLY the bearings lightly and then re-assemble cleanly for a year or more of extra lifetime. Today there is no way to open it up without breaking it, and then no way to re-assemble properly. If you just a little oil on the outside it is NOT going to reach the bearings. If you put on a whole lot to be sure, the oil gets everywhere inside the fan and causes other problems.

OP, you diagnosed unbalanced fan, and others have suggested wearing bearings - a different cause. To help diagnose, here is the typical sequence of bearing wear on fans 3 to 6 years old. The basic mechanism is that the outer sleeve wears away to a slightly too-large hole, allowing the shaft to "rattle" in the loose fit.
1. As the system heats up in normal use, the shaft expands its diameter just a little more than the sleeve expands its hole. So on a COLD start-up after several hours off, the fan makes this noise for 15 sec to a minute, then the noise stops. If you reboot the noise stays away. If you shut down long enough to cool the fan off, the noise comes back on re-start for a short time.
2. Over the space of a few months the period of start-up noise gets longer.
3. Eventually the noise never stops. This is the last stage of life for this fan and it probably is running too slow to do its full job. It must be replaced.
4. If not replaced, ultimately the fan bearings seize up and it will NOT run at all, so you get no cooling from it.

Good to know about oiling it. So I probably won't do that and just hope and if not then order new fans which aren't that expensive.
It's only my exhaust fan so if it does die before I order 2 new ones then I'll just move what I presume to be my intake since I don't feel as much air as my exhaust and after politely smacking the back of my case it got back into position and after sitting for like 16hrs it didn't make the noise but I guess we'll see today.

 

[Paperdoc]

Good plan. IF this is a wearing bearing issue at the very beginning of the sequence. you have lots of time to figure out the detail before it it required.

 

[Voidseeker_1]

Good plan. IF this is a wearing bearing issue at the very beginning of the sequence. you have lots of time to figure out the detail before it it required.

Right.

 

[Voidseeker_1]

Good plan. IF this is a wearing bearing issue at the very beginning of the sequence. you have lots of time to figure out the detail before it it required.

Someone I know happen to have an old XSPC water cooled CPU and so I was able to take a fan from the radiator and my PC is a little bit louder now but the fan works. It was also in use for about 8yrs and wasn't really ever cleaned (before I installed it I made sure that it was cleaned). So I have no idea how long it'll last but it's a good temporary solution for now (I eventually wanna get some nice RGB fans)