On the Death of A Fan

A jarring note had crept into the usual soothing monotone of the fan. This is usually the first sign in the decline and death of the fan. I knew where this was headed. After the noise comes hesitancy to start. At this stage, you can coax it into action by giving the blades a push in the right direction. Soon, though, the fan is ready to give up the ghost and eventually stops working. 

My experience with table fans and pedestal fans over the years has been disappointing. They just don't build them like they used to before. This is true of appliances in general in my experience. They are increasingly more complicated with all kinds of intelligence built into them but in terms of ruggedness they have regressed. Or maybe because of their sophistication they have become more delicate. Just like us human beings, I think.

We may have once upon a time roamed the open forests and lived in caves in the company of all of God's creatures but I cannot imagine that any more. The shelter of the house is very reassuring to us. Many many years ago, I did go camping a few times but now creature comforts have taken over and my body rebels at the very thought. I love the protection I get from the elements and the critters. Nature is beautiful no doubt but we human beings somehow consider ourselves separate.

At the same time, we still need the light, the air and all that nature gives us freely except now we have to make special provisions to keep us ventilated and lit inside the shelter. We open the windows and let the air in but keep those screens in place so that the bugs stay out. We go into full fight or flight (more fight) mode when we spot an unwelcome insect inside the house. We let light flood through the windows but are ready to close the blinds lest it gets too hot. Then we need to turn on the air-conditioner to cool the house. When we walk outside we have to cover our head and eyes with a hat, wear shoes and sun glasses. We may need to apply sunscreen to protect our skin. We feel fragile and fear the elements. But I digress.

To return to the fan, I grew up with ceiling fans which ruled and still rules the homes in India. They were powerful and created a mini hurricane. This was essential to keep the mosquitoes at bay but the noise also helped to lull us to sleep. They were extremely reliable and seemed to last forever. Funnily enough, I remember that the fans over time developed noise individual patterns all their own, a sort of fingerprint. I distinctly remember the very comforting tone of one such fan from my grandfather's house. Combined with a blue night light, it transformed the room into a sanctuary. 

In older houses, especially in rural areas, the ceilings were really low precluding the use of ceiling fans. I remember one vintage table fan from my visits to the village. The construction was all metal and quite solid but over time the fan had developed a rattle and produced as much noise as a plane's engine. Appropriately, it had also acquired a tendency to fly off the table and hence had to be tied down with a jute string or you would find yourself in the embrace of the fan in the night. It needed to be cranked manually to get it started but once the blades got going, they did continue to turn and move the air. 

In the US, ceiling fans are mostly ornamental although they are increasingly becoming more functional. They are usually combined with a chandelier or some decorative lighting and have two chains hanging to control them. You pull the chain and the fan starts. You pull again to change the speed but just a little. It never seems to get up to a point where there is significant movement of air. Since the chain can only be pulled in one direction, it is annoying how many times you have to keep pulling it to stop the fan. And you have to wait till it actually stops to be sure that you have turned it off. The chains are somewhat flimsy and it is not uncommon for them to break. But they come with remote controls now which help as long as you keep them powered with batteries. Remote controls also have the habit of getting lost between cushions on the sofa and other nooks. So they now come with a holder that can be fixed to the wall. That sort of defeats the whole idea of remote control though.

My house is not wired for ceiling fans and so we had to settle for the pedestal fan. We have seen the fans being built more and more with plastic parts and the latest ones seem to have only plastic except for the motor. This makes the pedestal fan top heavy. As you move the fan around after sometime you notice that the top part slowly slides down over time. The plastic threads holding it in position decide to relax a little every chance they get. Some have an on/off switch but most just have a knob that you turn in one direction to turn on, control the speed and to turn off. No doubt the use of plastics keeps the cost low but we pay for the cheap quality by having to replace the fan frequently. 

The old pedestal fan has evolved over time. There is the tower fan which has a small foot print but often also blows the air in a narrow line of sight. If you are not sitting almost straight across from it you will feel no breeze. Generally, the function of fans seems to be to create some movement when you are already cooling the room with air-conditioning. They are promoted as being whisper quiet, having a small footprint, etc. But I think a fan should first and foremost be able to move the air and in a vigorous manner. The rest are just desirable features.

Even as I was working on this blog, my fan situation had escalated. In addition to the extra discordant note, now the remote seemed to be acting up. This would not be a serious issue if the physical switch on the fan worked. Alas, that got jammed a while back. So I tried changing the batteries. But the fan retaliated by entirely stopping. The light on the panel lit up and a faint hum was heard. Nothing else. No movement at all. Now it is fit only for the dumpster. These fans are not designed with the possibility of being repaired. Just removing the plastic grill to clean and reattach it tells you that the plastic fasteners are not meant to last long. Maybe I should consider getting one of the new generation of fans which have no blades and no grill. They are quite pricey though.

I disconnected the fan that stood mockingly motionless and put it in the garage which was fast becoming a fan cemetery. There were three other dead fans there already not to mention diverse other defunct appliances. I must take them to the recycling center soon or I may have to park the car outside. Imagine that - park the car outside so that I can literally store junk inside. 

I closed the garage door with a sigh longing for the good old days when no fan was ever thrown out even if it started to fly.