Fixing a Loose Fan Blade in my new Air Purifier
Is your fan blade on your new or used air purifier loose and not securely attached? This may cause damage to your unit and your unit may malfunction, so it’s important you deal with this issue as soon as you can. You must tighten the loose blade immediately to your unit, before you begin to use it. Here are specific instructions for tightening the fan blade on the following Alpine air purifiers: LA-2000 to Classic LA-3500 – model #’s: E300/RH02; 300/RH02; 300/H02; 300/UH02; HL2PRO; ZL3500/UV.
Tightening the fan blade requires disassembling your air purifier. It’ll be a smooth process if you follow these instructions, and it shouldn’t take longer than 15 minutes to complete. First, you will have to unscrew the two knobs in the front of your air purifier. These are the left knob, which is the 03/sanitizer, and the right knob, which is the fan/UV. Note that each of the knobs are attached to the air purifier with a tiny screw. Find the little round opening within each of the knobs to access the screws and undo them.
Second, once the knobs have been safely removed, you need to carefully flip the unit upside down. Make sure you are placing it on a solid, hard surface to ensure stability to the ground (tables, countertops, wooden floors, etc). Then unscrew the two bottom bolts, and flip it back to an upright position. Now, you should be able to remove the chassis from the cabinet and safely place it on a hard surface.
Third, you will locate the metal protection bar. It should be directly in front of the fan blade. Carefully unscrew it, giving you easy access then to the fan blade which should be sitting in the center of the motor shaft. The blade should not be too close to the front of the motor shaft nor too close to the fan motor body, as this would allow for contact to be made to the two metal prongs of the negative ionizer. Realistically, it should be placed in the middle of the shaft, about one inch away from each end of the fan motor. With access to the fan blade, carefully fasten the metal clamp of the fan blade with pliers. The metal clamp should be right in the middle of the fan blade over the opening through which the fan motor shaft is placed in. If you don’t have pliers, you can easily obtained some at any local supplies store such and Home Depot or Lowes.
Lastly, it’s time to put everything back together. You will reattach the metal bar in front of the fan blade and screw in the green ground wire which is connected to the metal bar (not all models will have the green ground wire however). Then place the chassis back into the cabinet fully and reassemble the unit’s screws and bolts by following the above instructions in the opposite order. You will want to keep an eye out for the fan blade movement for the next few times you use the unit to ensure you have solved the issue.
Should I Oil my Air Purifier’s Fan Motor?
Are you wondering about ways to improve the efficiency of your air purifier? Are you considering oiling your unit’s fan motor to help the noise problem that you’ve been hearing from your unit? Well, you’ve reached the right place if you’re in need of expert advice! Oiling the fan motor is a big NO, simply stated. Oiling the fan motor does not help the noise issue. The noise actually comes from within the fan motor itself – most of the time due to worn out bearings which already have oil on them (so adding more oil will not help and in some cases may make your issue worse). The only solution to this problem (as we have seen many of these cases in the past from previous customer inquiries) is to replace the fan motor itself. Replacing the fan motor will eliminate the noise you’ve been hearing from your unit once and for all. (Alpine Air Technologies offers a 3 year parts and labor warranty, so if you’ve purchased an Alpine Air Technologies unit which is less than three years old, we will replace it for free!)
Please note that when the fan blade makes noise (not the fan motor – it’s important to distinguish this), oiling the fan motor shaft only (on which the fan blade is sitting on) will maybe help the noise issue, but it’s not guaranteed. This is only if the noise is from the fan motor, which is extremely rare. If you wish to clean the fan blade itself, the best way to do this is to either use a can of compressed air (from any local supply store) to spray off the dust, or wipe it with a damp cloth. The fan motor itself can also be cleaned with a can of compressed air, or wiped off with a dry cloth. If you need additional help for cleaning your unit, please refer to your unit’s specific maintenance instructions.
The Best Way you can Clean your Air Purifier
Having an air purifier is a necessity these days as the air inside our homes and offices are constantly contaminated with bacteria, allergens, pollution, and dust particles. Breathing clean and clear air is important for our short and long term health, absent of these contaminants. If you already have an air purifier, you’re a step ahead already! Although having an air purifier is a necessity, you must treat it as a luxury because you must properly maintain and clean your unit periodically. Doing so will ensure you that your air purifier will last a long time while being fully effective.
Cleaning your unit is strongly recommended as contaminants usually pile up inside the unit after some time of being used (the time varies depending on how often you use your unit). We recommend performing simple maintenance every month on your air purifier. Every time you clean your unit, you should have a checklist of cleaning these parts: ceramic ozone plates, back carbon filter (if your unit has one), interior of the unit, fan motor, and fan blade.
- Ceramic Ozone Plates: Once every 30 days you should be washing the ozone plates. We recommend placing the plates in a bucket of warm water. It would be even more beneficial if you add clear/lemon ammonia added (add one teaspoon to one cup of water and mix, then add to bucket). Let the plates sit in the bucket for water (with or without clear/lemon ammonia) for a couple of minutes. Then rinse them off well ensuring you’ve washed both sides. After, use a soft toothbrush to softly scrub the metal screen on each side of the ozone plates to remove residue. Finally, allow for the plates to completely dry off before placing them back inside your unit. To ensure a long-lasting life for your air purifier, you should replace the ozone plates every three years, or whenever you notice the ozone plates are starting to get worn out.
- Back Carbon Filter: It’s recommended to also clean the back carbon filter of your air purifier every time you clean the ceramic ozone plates (however, not all units will have a back carbon filter – if this is the case, you can skip this step). Use a can of compressed air to spray off the dust on the filter. If you don’t have a spray can, you can easily find one at an office supply store (like Home Depot). It’s also recommended to wash the filter every three months and to replace it every year. You can replace the back carbon filter or ceramic ozone plates here.
- Interior of Unit: Additionally, you can used the can of compressed air to efficiently eliminate any particles/contaminants once every month (or whenever as needed). Once the back carbon filter is removed, it’s easy to access the interior of the unit.
- Fan Motor and Fan Blade: As the back carbon filter was removed, you should also remove the front grill of your unit to gain access to the fan motor and fan blade. Again, using the can of compressed air to spray away any contaminants is highly recommended as the best method to clean these components.
Performing these basic tasks periodically will ensure a longer-lasting lifetime and effectiveness of removing air contaminants from your air purifier. For additional specific maintenance instructions, refer to your model’s user guide.