I just did a no no In a moment of lack of concentration by sticking my thumb close to the exhaust fan impeller while it was still running to clean some coffee gung and gave my thumb a massive whack in the process.
Lucky I didn’t cut my thumb but one of the impeller fins is now bent.
Not sure if I should replace the whole impeller fan or just try to straighten the bent fin and keep using it.
Any ideas?
I’d try some gentle tweaks with a pair of needle nose pliers to straighten things out.
If the fan isn’t significantly noisier at high speeds than it was before, you have succeeded.
Your main concern is keeping the impeller balanced. It would have to be grossly out of shape to have any appreciable impact on its flow characteristics.
\
-Gray
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I have a hunch there are easier ways to trim a thumb nail. Keep in mind that no one else here has ever done anything they regretted the instant they did it… and then 'fessed up to it!!
Hope your thumb is ok. You can replace an impeller but it’s not easy to find replacement parts for a thumb!
I think Gray’s rec is the way to go. Hopefully it will get you going again till you get a replacement part to keep on hand. If there’s no vibration from imbalance it may be better to not risk loosening the attachment at either end of the affected impeller blade and just use it as-is till the replacement arrives.
Bruce
Edit- couple cautionary thoughts-
- don’t try to straighten the bent blade without first removing the impeller from the motor shaft.
- don’t get too aggressive trying to straighten the affected blade. If you extend the blade too far it could scrape the surrounding metal- the clearance at the top of the shaped flu is pretty tight.
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Thank you Gray and Bab. Great suggestions and advice. Thankfully the impeller balance doesn’t seem to be too much affected because the noise it makes seems fairly normal and I don’t feel it is causing any vibration. I’ll probably leave it as is till a replacement comes.
The thumb was sore for a while but survived any serious injury thank God.
After all this drama I just hope my last roast batches taste good. 
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Hey Bab, just on the “fessing up” bit, might have something to do with my Catholic upbringing. Can’t shake it off 
Yeah, I kinda understand about that!! 
I think you would be hard pressed to do something you wished you hadn’t which hasn’t already been done by one or another of us.
Bruce
God love you Bruce, thank you for all your contributions to this forum by the way. 
So I just tried the coffee that I roasted on the day I stuck my finger in the impeller fan and it was some of the best tasting coffee I have ever roasted so far on the bullet.
Looks like I may have accidentally stumbled on the secret to getting the most from my bullet. 
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