Replacing broken exhaust fan

Lasers
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Hi all,

I just received my OMTech 50W “K40” and the exhaust fan that comes with it is has a case/blades broken in three pieces. I’m talking with customer support to get a replacement, but this will probably take a while.

Actually, I think this is a bit of a blessing, because I hear that the fans with these things are usually not powerful enough and my exhaust train is quite long. I went ahead and purchased a six inch variable speed inline fan and hope this will be a sufficient upgrade.

My actual question is what do to with the broken fan. Obviously it needs to be removed from the air path. Is it okay to just cut the two wires, remove the fan and tape the two wires to something out of the way? Just want to make sure I do this part safely, I appreciate any recommendations! (They run through wire guards back to the main boards, and finding where they are screwed onto the main boards without a schematic or such will be very tedious.)

Thanks for your time!

…snowcat…

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Is it really hard to trace the wires? Usually pulling gently at both ends can make it clear which wire in a loose bundle is which.

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As Michael indicated, Ideally you would really want to disconnect the wiring all together.

If you do cut the wires you need to be sure to seal off the end of each wire separately to avoid them shorting out.

1 Like
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Thanks so much for the reply guys! The wires go all the way around the machine through three different conduits, but I will take the time to track them down.

…snowcat…

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I would disconnect both ends but leave it in the harness. Never know when you might want to add something…

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I recently set up a new K40 and before firing it up removed the fan and replaced it with an inline 4" 195CFM fan from my buddy Jeff B. Also replaced the flimsy ducting with some sturdier stuff also from Jeff. Runs to a metal laundry vent in the wall.

I clipped the wires to the fan inside the electronics side of the enclosure and capped them with wire nuts.

I didn’t go for a variable fan, opted for one that was single speed but quiet.