Lane Shirey Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 (edited) Recently I acquired one of the copper-tubed bank vault fans with the little polar cub motor in it. Sadly mine had the tube trimmed, but someday I’ll find a complete one. I think we’ve all seen them, if only in the for sale ads. I always assumed that they were mounted in the vault to keep the air moving in an otherwise stuffy room. Apparently this was not the case…read on. Yesterday my wife and I went to a nearby ice cream shop that occupies an old bank. If you’re local, it’s the Village Creamery in Shrewsbury, PA. They’ve modified the old vault to become a cool seating area, almost looking like a speakeasy. I’ve always admired the copper oxide vault door and locking system made in York. I said to my wife “I’m gonna see if by dumb luck there’s an old fan in there” . Well, I didn’t find a fan, but I found something better. I discovered exactly how the fans were used. I noticed a rather sturdy device used to seal off an opening. I also noticed the McCliintock name and some information cast into the cap. Apparently the fan would be stored somewhere inside the vault, NOT installed into the wall. If someone got locked in the vault by accident, the secure tube cap was removed and the fan inserted into the tube. This explains the tensioning springs on the copper tube of the fan, and decorative gold silk power cord on them rather than hard wiring. Then I started thinking about this system. Why the heavy duty, locking cap on the tube only removable from the inside? My guess was that they thought the tube could allow a burglar to poke sticks of dynamite through the tube from the outside of the vault to blow it up. I’ve never seen this posted so I thought I’d share this part of history. Glad they left it intact rather than removing the tube. Edited April 9, 2023 by Lane Shirey 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Kovar Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Kovar Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 Just the right size?... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Kovar Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 4 hours ago, Lane Shirey said: Why the heavy duty, locking cap on the tube only removable from the inside? My guess was that they thought the tube could allow a burglar to poke sticks of dynamite through the tube from the outside of the vault to blow it up. That makes sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ Huber Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 (edited) Nice catch, Lane. 1498407338874083076-01549240 (storage.googleapis.com) 1498415685235092465-01590007 (storage.googleapis.com) 1498692170232265884-01666519 (storage.googleapis.com) Edited April 9, 2023 by Russ Huber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lane Shirey Posted April 9, 2023 Author Share Posted April 9, 2023 Nick Denney posted a cool document on FB that stated that the fan did not fit tightly in the tube to allow return air to pass along the outside of the brass tube and out of the vault. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Roadt Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 I'll trade you one of those McClintock doors for a fully functional vault fan😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ Huber Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 17 minutes ago, Lane Shirey said: Nick Denney posted a cool document on FB that stated that the fan did not fit tightly in the tube to allow return air to pass along the outside of the brass tube and out of the vault. That's a no brainer, otherwise your ears would pop based on the CFM generated from a 6" Polar Cub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ Huber Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 2 minutes ago, Jim Roadt said: I'll trade you one of those McClintock doors for a fully functional vault fan😁 I sold those 2 vault fans to Roadt for $10.00 a piece. I know that is a little high, but I paid to have the dents popped out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Roadt Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 2 minutes ago, Russ Huber said: I sold those 2 vault fans to Roadt for $10.00 a piece. I know that is a little high, but I paid to have the dents popped out. That is why I am willing to trade for the McClintock vault door...selfless giver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ Huber Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 Roadt is the pinnacle of human kindness, angel without wings. If you want a vault door, I know where one is/was for sale. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ Huber Posted April 10, 2023 Share Posted April 10, 2023 Another web option that I am sure would thin the wallet. Antique Vault Doors for Sale - Exclusively from Brown Safe Mfg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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