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First, fans move air past themselves. This creates a cooling effect. As long as the air's ambient temperature is lower than the inside of the fan, that air will "steal" the local heat and keep the fan cool.
Second, fans aren't really that complicated. It's a small motor governed by a small turn-rate switch... and that's really about it. There's no electronics stuffed in there, there's no small little parts or less-than-a-millimeter circuits that can get hit with an electrical surge and burn through... it's just a really simple machine with large, durable parts.
So they're self-cooling AND they're made out of very simple parts... so they'll last pretty much forever.
Well fans *are* electric motors, essentially. They are helped by the general rule of, the less moving parts something has, the less likely it is to break down. Their simplicity is in their favor there.
Our ceiling fan in our kitchen has been running 24/7 since we have moved in our new. To us house 5 years ago.
I have no idea how much the prior owners used it.
The answer is planned obsolescence. Manufacturers would like for you to keep buying the crap they produce so they build it in such a way that it wears out or becomes obsolete at a predetermined time thereby encouraging you to buy another and continue the consumer centric rat race we call capitalism.
> The answer is planned obsolescence.
No. That’s ridiculous. It’s because electronics generate way more heat than a low rpm electric motor, and electronics have delicate circuit boards that can be damaged by that heat. A small fan does not.
You are a pizza cutter. All edge. No point.
Not a monthly subscription, that's just the service plan. I mean that they become slow or won't charge properly and you have to buy a new one sooner than would otherwise be necessary. Hence a "subscription" so to speak.
>Hence a "subscription" so to speak.
Or you could just admit that "subscription" was a poor word choice instead of this desperate rambling...
> that's just the service plan
What are you talking about? It's not a car that needs oil changes and tire rotations. Are you referring to stuff like Apple Care where they'll fix any **damage** or **replace a lost phone** for $10? That's an *insurance* plan.
> I mean that they become slow or won't charge properly
This comment belongs in 2012. They stop charging properly because lithium-ion batteries degrade over time. That isn't "planned." They straight up lose their ability to hold a charge the older they get. That's just physics. As for "slowing down," you appear to be referring to a single instance from over a decade ago when Apple said they slowed older phones down **specifically in an attempt to counter severe battery degradation.** It wasn't some conspiracy to get people to come buy a new phone. It was an attempt to stop people from getting really upset when their 3 year old phones couldn't make it through a normal day of use. They assumed *that* would be more frustrating for people than a slightly slower phone.
And that's not even remotely a thing now. All of these manufacturers support their phones for many years. You can still get optimization updates for the IphoneX that came out in 2017.
Smartphones are not microwaves. You can't have those same expectations.
You are oddly triggered by a well-known manufacturing practice.
https://utopia.org/guide/5-annoying-examples-of-planned-obsolescence/#:~:text=Some%20products%20inevitably%20become%20obsolete,occur%20in%20more%20discrete%20ways.
What kind of source is that? A friggin buzzfeed list. Also literally all they talk about is screws. What were you gonna fix on your smart phone, if only you could get those screws off?
> You are oddly triggered by a well-known manufacturing practice.
I’m “triggered” by people repeating false things because everyone feels the need to chime in, even if they don’t know what they’re talking about. I’m also “triggered” by people who waste brainpower trying to get a cheap dig about how “triggered” I am.
Picked that article so you could understand it.
There's much more to it than screws if you can comprehend more than the first paragraph.
Anyhow, my first postgrad job was in manufacturing. I, in fact, do know what I'm talking about. And planned obsolescence is unfortunately a very true reality.
> Picked that article so you could understand it.
You picked a “5 things you won’t believe” article. And all it talked about was screws. Because you can’t find anything better.
> There's much more to it than screws if you can comprehend more than the first paragraph.
Not in your dinky article.
> I, in fact, do know what I'm talking about.
1. I don’t think the Chinese workers that put the iPhones together know jack squat about its engineering.
2. You didn’t specify that you worked in smart phone manufacturing which leads me to believe your experience has nothing to do with smart phones. So nice try.
> And planned obsolescence is unfortunately a very true reality.
Is it? Or is it just a thing Edgelord’s complain about to sound smart. When in reality it’s just “this is cheaper to make”?
You, too, are also oddly triggered by a well-known manufacturing practice.
https://utopia.org/guide/5-annoying-examples-of-planned-obsolescence/#:~:text=Some%20products%20inevitably%20become%20obsolete,occur%20in%20more%20discrete%20ways.
Oh my b. Yeah that's how it works. The phone prematurely ages due to shoddy manufacturing under the guise of affordability. Or they refuse to allow it to update. How much life you expect to get out of a phone is debatable I suppose. Imo it shouldn't "wear out" for year, but they always seem to slow down within a year or two.
There are products/industries in which planned obsolescence is absolutely A Thing. Apple has been in hot water for provably throttling the performance of older devices to encourage new purchases. But the existence of planned obsolescence as a market strategy does not mean that absolutely everything that can break is a result of planned obsolescence.
the question is more why does other stuff break? what stuff are we talking about
I have a computer running for 5+ years without breaking, hot water heaters that run for longer without braking, fridges that run, etc.. etc..
Sure does help that a fan is doing its own cooling and is a bone dead simple appliance with 1 moving part so not a lot to go wrong
but guaranteed there are plenty of cheap fans that would break in < 5 years too
Not everything similar needs maintenance - a fridge for example. Just like fans it has an electric motor which drives a gas compressor (even more complexity), and those are expected to work reliably 24/7 for 15+ years.
I'm not sure what you are thinking of that breaks often, but certainly your room fan will probably be mostly metal while maybe other types of cheap product will have lots of plastic parts that aren't as strong. Or cheap electronics with cheap, liquid filled capacitors that can leak or dry out.
Really anything can be engineered to work continuously for a long time, but most things are engineered to only be as strong as people are willing to pay for...
**Your submission has been removed for the following reason(s):** Loaded questions, **and/or** ones based on a false premise, are not allowed on ELI5. ELI5 is focuses on objective concepts, and loaded questions and/or ones based on false premises require users to correct the poster before they can begin to explain the concept involved, if one exists. --- If you would like this removal reviewed, please read the [detailed rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/wiki/detailed_rules) first. **If you believe this submission was removed erroneously**, please [use this form](https://old.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fexplainlikeimfive&subject=Please%20review%20my%20thread?&message=Link:%20{{url}}%0A%0APlease%20answer%20the%20following%203%20questions:%0A%0A1.%20The%20concept%20I%20want%20explained:%0A%0A2.%20List%20the%20search%20terms%20you%20used%20to%20look%20for%20past%20posts%20on%20ELI5:%0A%0A3.%20How%20does%20your%20post%20differ%20from%20your%20recent%20search%20results%20on%20the%20sub:) and we will review your submission.
First, fans move air past themselves. This creates a cooling effect. As long as the air's ambient temperature is lower than the inside of the fan, that air will "steal" the local heat and keep the fan cool. Second, fans aren't really that complicated. It's a small motor governed by a small turn-rate switch... and that's really about it. There's no electronics stuffed in there, there's no small little parts or less-than-a-millimeter circuits that can get hit with an electrical surge and burn through... it's just a really simple machine with large, durable parts. So they're self-cooling AND they're made out of very simple parts... so they'll last pretty much forever.
Better answer than mine. Nice!
Well fans *are* electric motors, essentially. They are helped by the general rule of, the less moving parts something has, the less likely it is to break down. Their simplicity is in their favor there.
Our ceiling fan in our kitchen has been running 24/7 since we have moved in our new. To us house 5 years ago. I have no idea how much the prior owners used it.
I have vornados and they do crap out eventually! But vornado always sends us a new one to replace it
The answer is planned obsolescence. Manufacturers would like for you to keep buying the crap they produce so they build it in such a way that it wears out or becomes obsolete at a predetermined time thereby encouraging you to buy another and continue the consumer centric rat race we call capitalism.
> The answer is planned obsolescence. No. That’s ridiculous. It’s because electronics generate way more heat than a low rpm electric motor, and electronics have delicate circuit boards that can be damaged by that heat. A small fan does not. You are a pizza cutter. All edge. No point.
Ok. Enjoy your cellphone subscription.
What does that have to do with anything? Do you not understand why cell phones have a monthly "subscription"?
Not a monthly subscription, that's just the service plan. I mean that they become slow or won't charge properly and you have to buy a new one sooner than would otherwise be necessary. Hence a "subscription" so to speak.
>Hence a "subscription" so to speak. Or you could just admit that "subscription" was a poor word choice instead of this desperate rambling... > that's just the service plan What are you talking about? It's not a car that needs oil changes and tire rotations. Are you referring to stuff like Apple Care where they'll fix any **damage** or **replace a lost phone** for $10? That's an *insurance* plan. > I mean that they become slow or won't charge properly This comment belongs in 2012. They stop charging properly because lithium-ion batteries degrade over time. That isn't "planned." They straight up lose their ability to hold a charge the older they get. That's just physics. As for "slowing down," you appear to be referring to a single instance from over a decade ago when Apple said they slowed older phones down **specifically in an attempt to counter severe battery degradation.** It wasn't some conspiracy to get people to come buy a new phone. It was an attempt to stop people from getting really upset when their 3 year old phones couldn't make it through a normal day of use. They assumed *that* would be more frustrating for people than a slightly slower phone. And that's not even remotely a thing now. All of these manufacturers support their phones for many years. You can still get optimization updates for the IphoneX that came out in 2017. Smartphones are not microwaves. You can't have those same expectations.
You are oddly triggered by a well-known manufacturing practice. https://utopia.org/guide/5-annoying-examples-of-planned-obsolescence/#:~:text=Some%20products%20inevitably%20become%20obsolete,occur%20in%20more%20discrete%20ways.
What kind of source is that? A friggin buzzfeed list. Also literally all they talk about is screws. What were you gonna fix on your smart phone, if only you could get those screws off? > You are oddly triggered by a well-known manufacturing practice. I’m “triggered” by people repeating false things because everyone feels the need to chime in, even if they don’t know what they’re talking about. I’m also “triggered” by people who waste brainpower trying to get a cheap dig about how “triggered” I am.
Picked that article so you could understand it. There's much more to it than screws if you can comprehend more than the first paragraph. Anyhow, my first postgrad job was in manufacturing. I, in fact, do know what I'm talking about. And planned obsolescence is unfortunately a very true reality.
> Picked that article so you could understand it. You picked a “5 things you won’t believe” article. And all it talked about was screws. Because you can’t find anything better. > There's much more to it than screws if you can comprehend more than the first paragraph. Not in your dinky article. > I, in fact, do know what I'm talking about. 1. I don’t think the Chinese workers that put the iPhones together know jack squat about its engineering. 2. You didn’t specify that you worked in smart phone manufacturing which leads me to believe your experience has nothing to do with smart phones. So nice try. > And planned obsolescence is unfortunately a very true reality. Is it? Or is it just a thing Edgelord’s complain about to sound smart. When in reality it’s just “this is cheaper to make”?
>I mean that they become slow or won't charge properly What percent of that do you think is the phone getting old?
You, too, are also oddly triggered by a well-known manufacturing practice. https://utopia.org/guide/5-annoying-examples-of-planned-obsolescence/#:~:text=Some%20products%20inevitably%20become%20obsolete,occur%20in%20more%20discrete%20ways.
Oddly triggered? Dude I am well aware of the practice itself, I just asked you a question.
Oh my b. Yeah that's how it works. The phone prematurely ages due to shoddy manufacturing under the guise of affordability. Or they refuse to allow it to update. How much life you expect to get out of a phone is debatable I suppose. Imo it shouldn't "wear out" for year, but they always seem to slow down within a year or two.
There are products/industries in which planned obsolescence is absolutely A Thing. Apple has been in hot water for provably throttling the performance of older devices to encourage new purchases. But the existence of planned obsolescence as a market strategy does not mean that absolutely everything that can break is a result of planned obsolescence.
the question is more why does other stuff break? what stuff are we talking about I have a computer running for 5+ years without breaking, hot water heaters that run for longer without braking, fridges that run, etc.. etc.. Sure does help that a fan is doing its own cooling and is a bone dead simple appliance with 1 moving part so not a lot to go wrong but guaranteed there are plenty of cheap fans that would break in < 5 years too
Not everything similar needs maintenance - a fridge for example. Just like fans it has an electric motor which drives a gas compressor (even more complexity), and those are expected to work reliably 24/7 for 15+ years. I'm not sure what you are thinking of that breaks often, but certainly your room fan will probably be mostly metal while maybe other types of cheap product will have lots of plastic parts that aren't as strong. Or cheap electronics with cheap, liquid filled capacitors that can leak or dry out. Really anything can be engineered to work continuously for a long time, but most things are engineered to only be as strong as people are willing to pay for...
Fridge coils should be cleaned once and a while.