What’s the best way to clean the cooling tray fan? I’ve put over 2000 lbs through this machine and noticed the cooling fan making some rubbing noises. I’d like to take the fan apart and properly clean it but don’t seem to see any set screws for removing the fan? Has anyone else tackled taking about the cooling tray fan?
Thanks!
Yikes!! That’s a LOT of coffee! Something of a testimonial for the components selected by Aillio.
If you’re hearing noises, you may be approaching end-of-life for that little fan. Noises are often attributed to bearing wear. I’ve not encountered a muffin fan that was repairable, but… ?? Cleaning it for me has been a few passes with a tooth brush then a vacuum with the rotor locked so it won’t spin. But it’s early days for me.
Bruce
Yeah, I have been doing my best to keep it clean with a vacuum and brush on the fan. However, there is quite a bit of oil build-up on the fan that I would like to tackle but it’s difficult without being able to disassemble everything.
Hi, Sweet Maria’s has a great video about taking the impeller fan out and how to clean it. Soaking it a few minutes on warm water with a little of espresso cleaner works great.
Hi, Sweet Maria’s has a great video about taking the impeller fan out and how to clean it. Soaking it a few minutes on warm water with a little of espresso cleaner works great.
Hi Julio… glad to see you checking in here!
We were talking about the cooling tray fan (not the exhaust impeller). Have you ever tried disassembling one of them?
Bruce
Hi, I’m sorry I was confusing it with the impeller fan.
Is the fan getting oily even with the white filter? Maybe you just need to replace your filter. About the noise, what have I have noticed is that when the filter is to close to the fan it rubs and makes that noise.
It is putty easy to remove the fan. I will post some pics to guide you guys.
Yes, with over 2000 lbs going through the roaster, the cooling tray fan is building up with oil. I replace the cooling tray filter every few months or so. It’s not the sound of the filter hitting the fan…there is oil buildup on the fan blades and fan surround. Would be nice to be able to disassemble to properly clean.
@BlackStripeCoffee - Some fan designs do allow removal of the Fan blades for cleaning, but not typically for this kind of fan. From my experience (building PCs for many years) I’ve found that replacement is generally a better choice when these fans get noisy internally.
These fans, especially under a dusty-oily environment will have a life-span/duty cycle that will eventually be exceeded. It appears that this particular ADDA fan model (from the ADDA website) is not a “current model” or readily available via resellers. So, unless Aillio provides information for a replacement, eventually the users will face searching for a replacement/alternate fan. The main thing is to understand the Fan’s operational characteristics and size so that a suitable replacement can be found. Here are the specs that I gathered on the ADDA fan that Aillio is using:
ADDA Part Number: AD0824XB-F79DS
Model Number Breakdown
| AD | 08 | 24 | X | B | F | 7 | 9 | DS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series | Frame Size | Voltage | Speed | Bearing Type | Frame Thickness | Impeller Number | Function | Fan Type |
| DC Axial Fan | 80mm | 24VDC | Over Ultra High | 2 Ball | 38mm | 7 Blades | PWM Control | Dynamic and Static |
Also, the amperage of this fan is 0.65 amps. Since this particular model doesn’t show on the ADDA website, I estimated the speed of 6200 rpms via similar amperage (current) ADDA fans on their website.
So, we would be looking for several important things in the replacement:
Blade count can be variable with these fans depending upon the design and efficiency of the blade design. This fan has 7 blades, but if I found a fan that met the basic prerequisites, but was 5 blade and also provided the flow of ~6200rpm, that would be OK.
ADDA website for Fan Model numbering schemes:
ADDA Fan Model numbering schemes
Thanks for this! I’ve cleaned the fan/shroud as best as I can and the noise has dissipated. I’ll hold onto this fan as long as possible.
@BlackStripeCoffee - I forgot to mention that some fans will have a metal clip that can be removed to allow the fan blade assy to be pulled out. This fan may have that feature and you can verify it by peeling back (or removing the center portion) of the manufacturer label on the rear of the fan.
My fan also started to make noise and vibrate quite badly. I’m perhaps 1500 pounds of coffee in. Inspection of the fan blades showed a lot of oil and chaff buildup which unbalanced the unit and caused the vibration and sound. I expect at some point a replacement will be required but meantime I went in with a small brush and some Simple Green and scrubbed the blades clean. I’m off to the races again.
For what it’s worth, the same fan is often used for cooling servers and is available from many computer part suppliers. Here’s a link to one company that sells them. You can also find people selling them on eBay and elsewhere.
You can always take it out and clean it properly. There are some screws just like any other fan. I don’t know if there’s an electrics cleaning spray that is food safe, but you can always find some sort of food safe lubricant and stick it in the small opening between the discs and you’ll have practically a new fan.
I have not yet attempted to clean mine but Julio mentioned the filter rubbing against the fan. I installed two of the fan guards that used to be on computer fans. It solved the problem and protect fingers. I got mine at AllElectronics in Van Nuys California. They were cheap…$1 each in metal. Their website if you can’t find them easily is www.allelectronics.com