Allen Moore Posted August 23, 2022 Share Posted August 23, 2022 Hello all! I have recently renewed my membership after letting it expire for years. I’m glad to be back. My latest fan is this 24” General Electric Vortalex circulator. It has been a dream of mine to have one of these, they are extremely hard to find in my area. Some of you may recognize this fan from eBay. Something told me to search eBay for one and there it was, in my State! (Opposite end though) I live in eastern NC and it was around a 6 hour drive to get this fan after being the one and only bidder to my surprise. I left at 2am in the morning, and arrived to the location deep in the NC mountains at 8am. I was told this fan came out of the Harley Davidson factory in Ohio. I was told that factory was established in the 1940s and I believe this fan is 1946-1948. I’m certain the fan was never cleaned, I couldn’t tell the original color of it all, I truly believed it to be all black. After bringing it home I had to install a new power cord and then tested it out. Worked!!! Although it did have a lot of bearing noise. So then began the cleaning and servicing process. Disassembled everything and soaked in a cleaner, then polished what I could. Most of the paint is good on the motor and blade, not so much on the cage. It is missing the original clips for the front half of the cage to attach, I’m using small zip ties currently. It is also missing the metal cover on the base. I hope to find those parts one day. I took the motor to a place to have the bearings and capacitor checked, all was good! They cleaned the windings, polished the rotor, etc. The bearing noise I originally heard was just lack of oil, the oil tubes were clogged. It runs amazing now and I still cannot believe I finally have one. I’ve let it run for days now and the motor is cool to the touch I could not be happier. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Henderson Posted August 23, 2022 Share Posted August 23, 2022 Wow! What a beast. That cleaned up very nicely. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Wendel Posted August 23, 2022 Share Posted August 23, 2022 Wow. THat's bad ass. Our city library used to have one of those in grey/blue I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Ray Posted August 24, 2022 Share Posted August 24, 2022 Large and in charge! You've got a beauty there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stan Adams Posted August 24, 2022 Share Posted August 24, 2022 That base flange is probably unobtainium, mine is gone too. That fan was made through the 40s, then went to the blue models with three speeds & a choke. It uses series/parallel for the speeds & most of the motors are marked 110/220 volt. The 220 hook up is low. Freshndaire cage clips will work which are easier to find. Those are great fans! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ Huber Posted August 24, 2022 Share Posted August 24, 2022 Dual voltage motor 110/230 VAC. Second lower speed is gained by running 120 VAC through the 220 windings. They have a sweet drone on low speed. Great for taking a nap. The deficit..........The base is heavy cast iron.......the fan weighs in between 90 to 100 lbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Minor Posted August 24, 2022 Share Posted August 24, 2022 Allen that is a great fan you’ve got there. I hope to get my hands on one exactly like it someday as well. I’m glad the blades are still in that good of shape despite the grime. Glad you were able to get it serviced and turn it into a good runner. Congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Carmody Posted August 24, 2022 Share Posted August 24, 2022 Looks good!That dust and grime must haves preserved the finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chew Posted August 24, 2022 Share Posted August 24, 2022 Congratulations Allen!! It cleaned up great. It is so satisfying to finally get your dream fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ Huber Posted August 24, 2022 Share Posted August 24, 2022 The dual voltage motor exclusive to the late 40s models. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Campbell Posted August 28, 2022 Share Posted August 28, 2022 Glad you were able to snag it! Getting your dream fan is super satisfying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven P Dempsey Posted August 28, 2022 Share Posted August 28, 2022 I saw that fan listed in a FB ad -near Asheville? also had an Eskimo Ped, I got this one back in 2016 - Automotive Finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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