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  • BM23 Evaporator Fan

    Hi,

    I just purchased a new Beverage Air BM23 for my rec room, but when I plugged it in I found that the constantly running evaporator fan makes a bit too much noise for the room. Is there a modification I can make to the fan to lower the speed a bit? I was thinking I would just solder a resistor in series but thought I should post the question on this forum first.

  • #2
    No. Any modification you would make would reduce the efficiency of the unit & potentially damage the system as a whole.

    Are you sure it is the evaporator fan you are hearing? The evaporator is inside & the condenser is outside by the compressor. What type of noise are you hearing? Does it sound like it is hitting something/vibrating or simply loud fan noise?

    Keep in mind you purchased a commercial grade unit.

    My conversion ===------->> KILLER KEGERATOR
    "Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza."
    -Dave Barry-
    "We old folks have to find our cushions and pillows in our tankards.
    Strong beer is the milk of the old."
    -Martin Luther-

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    • #3
      Yes it's definitely the evaporator fan. I unhooked it and the unit was completely silent. I'm sure it's just the usual fan noise that would come from this unit. I started a remodel about a year ago and bought the appliances for the rec room some time back so I can't return it. I probably should not have gotten a commercial grade unit. I don't really care if the unit gets damaged by any modifications I make. If the unit fails I'll replace it with one that I check the noise level on before I buy it. I think if I can reduce the fan speed just a bit it would help a lot. The evaporator fan uses an A/C motor that is tied directly to the A/C plug so whenever the unit is plugged in the fan is on. I was thinking of adding a series resistor to the fan but I'm not sure if that will work with an A/C motor. I know that the motor in most ceiling fans are phase locked to the A/C waveform so adding series resistors to them usually won't reduce the speed but instead just reduce the torque. I'm not sure if that's the same case with all A/C motors. Do you have any ideas on how I can slow this fan down a bit?

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      • #4
        If you feel absolutely compelled to slow down the fan I would think about using a rheostat like those used on dimmer switches. I still don't recommend it. You run the risk of the evaporator freezing up & your cooling to the cabinet would be diminished.
        My conversion ===------->> KILLER KEGERATOR
        "Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza."
        -Dave Barry-
        "We old folks have to find our cushions and pillows in our tankards.
        Strong beer is the milk of the old."
        -Martin Luther-

        Comment


        • #5
          Okay I researched A/C motors and I found out that the one used in the BM23 is a shaded pole squirrel cage induction motor. These are very inexpensive, very reliable, brushless motors. They are basically a transformer where the secondary winding sit around a magnetic rotor. It turns out you can't slow them down by lowering the voltage with a variable resistor or any type of resistive circuit. Fortunately there are a few manufactures that make A/C fan speed control devices. These are triac based devices that are solid state A/C switches that rapidly turn on and off the voltage to the fan at varying rates to control the motor speed very efficiently. The one I'm going to try is from KB Electronics(KBWC-15) and I was able to find one for $8. I'm going to mount the speed controller on the back of the BM23 and turn the thermostat and the fans speed down when I'm not using the keg. I'll let you know how it turns out.

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          • #6
            Trade you my Danby for it if your near SE Mich? It's very quiet

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            • #7
              Sorry, I live in Southern California.

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              • #8
                I also have the BM23 and find it to be a little loud for the location. I was wondering how your idea worked. I was considering putting a smaller fan in the evap compartment myself.

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