Why don't our Indian Fan regulators last long enough?

teriab33 wrote:

Is this the same at your home?

no. it is not so.

initially i had extreme contempt for modular designs of switches.
older designs, with just a Philips cross or normal screwdriver
to take off or install are somehow still my first choice (if wet hands or moisture is not an issue).

even in modular designs, most good brands and their ‘running items’ have worked trouble-free for us, over the years.

in villages and at relative’s places (rural areas), where power supply is even more unstable and can see sharp spikes or consistent low/high voltages:
have even seen electrical fittings as old as 60-70 years.
all running fine.

though i would not necessarily blindly trust a product, just based on who it is marketed by.
some designs and some products are inherently good. others not so much.

Try using stepwise with 7 steps(not 4*2) and dont use volume type ones. 2 out of 8 sanchi regulators 4 steps working since 2007 rest all are changes with different brands and colors. 4 step regulator have problem that on 1 speed they run very slow on 2/3/4 runs with high rpm. So from last 2 years i am using 7 speed

Also check if your inverter is sin wave or not! Ups or simple inverters also causes this.

Most fan regulators are capacitor based. Most manufacturers use the similar or same capacitors inside. So it the capacitor supplier to blame. I don’t need to mention where those capacitors come from.

In other words, a few manufacturers may have quality check on the parts used inside, they may also price the quality ones’ differently while still catering to the low quality demand. So it all boils down to luck if it comes to most selling items.

And on the point of inverter usage, capacitors will be happy with normal or simple or non sine inverters. In case of non sine based inverters, they use quasi sine or square wave, either ways, the capacitors see less change in average voltage when compared with pure sine wave. As long as the amplitude(voltage) of the wave is regulated, which is usually taken care, inverter type need not bother the capacitors inside fan regulators.

PS: The inverter theory comes from my understanding of electronics involved, also from experience of using square wave inverter.

Any regulator has to let the current flow through the capacitors inside. So any extra current consumption for any other reason may impact life of the regulator. Few things to check if a particular located regulator is always acting up.

1. Make sure the fan is not very olden type; they consume more power, and the regulator may not be rated for that power.
2. Check the internal wiring if it needs any improvement

better disconnect regulator and buy BLDC fan (all bldc fan come with remote), power saving + no nee of regulator, using superfan hapilly for more than year.

desibuddy wrote:

better disconnect regulator and buy BLDC fan (all bldc fan come with remote), power saving + no nee of regulator, using superfan hapilly for more than year.

BLDC tech has its own application limitations.
and i think the query from what i read is a generic one, about quality, performance issues.

initial BLDC fans we had were NOT with remote and technical reasons also made them less viable in the setting.

but technology has moved on.
one year is too less a time to opine UNLESS one has lab / controlled test conditions like settings to test the rated versus actusl power consumption snd air displacement and flow.
then too, average actual performance over two to three years would yield more reliable trends.

otherwise, technology wise BLDC is fairly sustsinable but i feel it is in transitionary phase.
by 15-17 years, something different and better would be in place and as common as incandescent bulbs were in the previous century.

Try Cona™ if available in your area.
It is not a stepwise regulator.
Get it tested before buying…

Working for years!

mithhilparekh wrote:

one year is too less a time to opine UNLESS one has lab / controlled test conditions like settings to test the rated versus actusl power consumption snd air displacement and flow.
then too, average actual performance over two to three years would yield more reliable trends.

otherwise, technology wise BLDC is fairly sustsinable but i feel it is in transitionary phase.

The R&D on bldc fans is going on from quite a few years, and is still continuing. The air through or the power consumption will not get compromised over time.

In most cases, with dust accumulated the power consumption may increase by a watt or so, again this is speculation.

desibuddy wrote:

better disconnect regulator and buy BLDC fan (all bldc fan come with remote), power saving + no nee of regulator, using superfan hapilly for more than year.

what if remote goes bad… are replacement remote available

desiman wrote:

what if remote goes bad… are replacement remote available

I remember reading a few reviews/questions where it is mentioned replacements are available. Xiaomi phones with IR option can also be used to control the IR remote based fans.

Some high end models come with app control via smart phone. And another feature of some models is the mains switch can be used to control the speed. For instance, the number of times the switch is toggled, it sets the speed number.

161508-v2.0 wrote:

Cona™

---

Working for years!

if you do not mind sharing,
which type are those, that you have experience with?

such ‘snappy’ ones https://indiamart.com/proddetail/cona-fan-regulator-22014129773.html that jerk into place when turned? but are highly inconvenient for those with dexterity issues, motor function disabilities, arthritic hands.

or
the slightly easier rotating mechanism, which can actually even be operated by a single digit (thumb/finger), mere scraping action of the arm? (basically not necessarily requiring the 🤏🏼pinching motion).

and if the latter, are those the 4-step model or the 5-step ones?

5-step https://bulzaar.com/products/cona-status-medium-5-step-type-fan-regulator-2-modular-with-blue-led-indicator
4-step https://amazon.in/dp/B078QVY7K8
the non modular version too looks fine https://amazon.in/CONA-Medium-Speed-Regulator-White/dp/B082HY6H3H

at one site, where we had this ‘Western’ branded fittings, our acquaintance faced this nagging issue of
the 15/20Ampere (On/Off) switch having failed😔.
(the spring load mechanism below the push type buttons has gone bad)
and ultimately, trying hard to push the separate ON and OFF buttons… resulted in the whole assembly/socket simply caving in, further into the fixture😟😤)
they are neither able to find a replacement, nor another switch that would be compatible with the same plate!
but otherwise, the ‘snappy’ regulators have held up just fine for over half a decade.


of-course, Anchor (prior to the Panasonic acquisition) was my go to brand. Valuewise they used to be good👌🏽. But since Panasonic wanted to milk the cash cow, they disproportionately jacked-up prices (at-least of the high uptake products).

somehow i still feel, that in non-smart/IoT switches/panels: Anchor Roma and Venus Electrical switches‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ 👌🏽are amongst the top performing desi names with a pan-India presence.

What? We have 4 fans (ceiling) and we changed regulators on all of them (from the old 1-2-3 step style to volume knob style, modular is it called?) in the mid 90s and not a single one of them have crapped out so far! And these weren’t even from anchor or other branded companies, just local made stuffs.

You are still using regulators??

Switch to remote fans where there is no requirement of regulators. For eg. Atomberg Fan’s.

andromeda wrote:

The R&D on bldc fans is going on from quite a few years, and is still continuing. The air through or the power consumption will not get compromised over time.

In most cases, with dust accumulated the power consumption may increase by a watt or so, again this is speculation.

thanks, got more insights! will hope to remember and learn more.

desiman wrote:

what if remote goes bad… are replacement remote available

you will be having more than one fan in your home so you can use the remote of other fans. I don’t think all remotes will go bad at once.

I think Regulators = Resistance
Higher the resistance, higher the heat, so if you are using at slower speed for longer time then it will burn due to heat. Either use at max speed for no damage to regulator or keep switching off for sometime if using at lower speeds.

mithhilparekh wrote:

if you do not mind sharing,
which type are those, that you have experience with?

such ‘snappy’ ones https://indiamart.com/proddetail/cona-fan-regulator-22014129773.html that jerk into place when turned? but are highly inconvenient for those with dexterity issues, motor function disabilities, arthritic hands.

or
the slightly easier rotating mechanism, which can actually even be operated by a single digit (thumb/finger), mere scraping action of the arm? (basically not necessarily requiring the 🤏🏼pinching motion).

and if the latter, are those the 4-step model or the 5-step ones?

5-step https://bulzaar.com/products/cona-status-medium-5-step-type-fan-regulator-2-modular-with-blue-led-indicator
4-step https://amazon.in/dp/B078QVY7K8
the non modular version too looks fine https://amazon.in/CONA-Medium-Speed-Regulator-White/dp/B082HY6H3H

at one site, where we had this ‘Western’ branded fittings, our acquaintance faced this nagging issue of
the 15/20Ampere (On/Off) switch having failed😔.
(the spring load mechanism below the push type buttons has gone bad)
and ultimately, trying hard to push the separate ON and OFF buttons… resulted in the whole assembly/socket simply caving in, further into the fixture😟😤)
they are neither able to find a replacement, nor another switch that would be compatible with the same plate!
but otherwise, the ‘snappy’ regulators have held up just fine for over half a decade.


of-course, Anchor (prior to the Panasonic acquisition) was my go to brand. Valuewise they used to be good👌🏽. But since Panasonic wanted to milk the cash cow, they disproportionately jacked-up prices (at-least of the high uptake products).

somehow i still feel, that in non-smart/IoT switches/panels: Anchor Roma and Venus Electrical switches‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ 👌🏽are amongst the top performing desi names with a pan-India presence.

I have already mentioned this is not a ‘step’ one.. the knob rotation goes smooth without jerks..

saucap wrote:

I think Regulators = Resistance
Higher the resistance, higher the heat, so if you are using at slower speed for longer time then it will burn due to heat. Either use at max speed for no damage to regulator or keep switching off for sometime if using at lower speeds.

Those days are gone. The regulators in use are capacitor based

ithehappy wrote:

…(from the old 1-2-3 step style to volume knob style, modular is it called?)…

if by volume knob, you mean ‘rotating’ dial types, then it could even be a ‘dimmer’, besides of-course the actual regulators.
while ‘dimmers’ too somewhat work for ‘regulating’ the speed of a connected appliance like a fan, they are far from ideal‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ and may very well eventually degrade performance, life of the appliance or at-least a good branded fan.
(we have personally faced this, when elders would not replace the dimmer with a regulator‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ after a new fan was installed. the dimmer, which is meant to regulate brightness of the average lamps/bulbs‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎ simply degrades the functioning of the fan such, that
neither the speed ever goes to full and there is a constant buzz or whizzing that is unnatural and annoying)

Modular (with reference to such devices) mostly means, snap-on snap-off mechanism to install or remove. or in my simple understanding, ones that do not need screws for being held in place.
supposedly meant for aesthetics, convenience.
some even claim that no metal parts, exposed screws works for better safety, especially in areas with precipitation and moisture.

but i personally find such designs to mostly be a big PITA.
only someone with a knack of it can pry them open/ remove them from their plates/ fixture.
and i anyway am in the habit of covering sockets, switchboards with a plastic in baths or wash area, so exposed screw philosophy does not apply. AND i usually have such panels where all screw heads have a cover or cap to enclosed them, thus even in non-modular assemblies
it does not come in direct contact.

unless i am mistaken, the fourth link i posted here https://desidime.com/forums/dost-and-dimes/topics//why-don-t-our-indian-fan-regulators-last-long-enough#post_7578905 (ASIN: B082HY6H3H) is surely non-modular.

161508-v2.0 wrote:

…I have already mentioned this is not a ‘step’ one.. the knob rotation goes smooth without jerks..…

i had responded/ asked after seeing your this https://desidime.com/forums/dost-and-dimes/topics/why-don-t-our-indian-fan-regulators-last-long-enough#post_7578271 only.
my bad if i missed it, but from the image shared by you it is clear that it is a ‘dimmer’ and NOT A REGULATOR meant for appliances like a fan.

already highlighted the risks, downsides of using them instead of regulators, in my preceding post here https://desidime.com/forums/dost-and-dimes/topics/why-don-t-our-indian-fan-regulators-last-long-enough#post_7578989.

mithhilparekh wrote:

i had responded/ asked after seeing your this https://desidime.com/forums/dost-and-dimes/topics/why-don-t-our-indian-fan-regulators-last-long-enough#post_7578271 only.
my bad if i missed it, but from the image shared by you it is clear that it is a ‘dimmer’ and NOT A REGULATOR meant for appliances like a fan.

already highlighted the risks, downsides of using them instead of regulators, in my preceding post here https://desidime.com/forums/dost-and-dimes/topics/why-don-t-our-indian-fan-regulators-last-long-enough#post_7578989.

I don’t know technical names… I went to electric shop and asked for a fan-regulator and the person there handed that; I asked for a test he connected a table-fan and shown it working.

Came home and connected… it has been 3-4 years and working (both fan and regulator★) as they did when new.

Don’t edit my comment when you quote.!

mithhilparekh wrote:

if by volume knob, you mean ‘rotating’ dial types, then it could even be a ‘dimmer’, besides of-course the actual regulators.

I am not aware of the technical terminologies but here’s a photo of the ones we have. All these are 25 years or so old. (Don’t mind the dirty unit, I have no time to clean it)

https://ibb.co/R...88

What are these called? Modular? Granular?

Who hijacked @Budhe-baba topic?

@SG😎দাদা we had THE SAME brand dimmer!👍🏽 and those are fairly good!
same font, same name: Rider.
yours (and it is clean enough bhai) looks like a proper regulator though.
a dimmer is on lamps (for bulbs) and is ACTUALLY like a volume knob, no steps or counts. like @Win7Ult😎 mentioned above.
.
and even i… am not a technical person.. certainly not even fractionally well-versed as @andromeda😇 here.
.
but what i can iterate, reiterate and re-reiterate to you, @161508-v2.0😎 or others… is that dimmers (no stepwise change and max setting output too is still less than actual max fan speed).. those dimmers are not good for most fans.
.
.
as for the term ‘modular".. just ignore.
I think i am complicating stuff, as i am dumb.
.
Just like olden days, hand built wood furniture or plywood was called furniture.. then all this ’jszz’ of ‘modular’ kitchen cabinets came.
.
Modular.. i think.. means assembled into a unit from modules.
.
.
similarly in switches too,
there could be those that require one to manually screw and unscrew them (say on a bakelite/ Acrylic type plate)
.
.
Versus.. the modular ones.. that simply snsp in into the groove/ cut out in the plastic/ ABS plate.. usually the branded plate/ housing of THE SAME brand

ithehappy wrote:

I am not aware of the technical terminologies but here’s a photo of the ones we have. All these are 25 years or so old. (Don’t mind the dirty unit, I have no time to clean it)

https://ibb.co/R...88

What are these called? Modular? Granular?

Do you use this for household fan control? Or any industrial use?

Asking because Solid State voltage regulators are typically suited for industrial machines where huge currents are involved.

andromeda wrote:

Do you use this for household fan control? Or any industrial use?

Asking because Solid State voltage regulators are typically suited for industrial machines where huge currents are involved.

No, only for household fans.

ithehappy wrote:

No, only for household fans.

I’m not sure if it is really a solid state controller inside or just a fancy name on the plate.

It could really be a solid state based, may be that’s the reason they are found reliable.

mithhilparekh wrote:

@SG😎দাদা we had THE SAME brand dimmer!👍🏽 and those are fairly good!
same font, same name: Rider.
yours (and it us clean enough bhai) looks like a proper regulator though.
a dimmer is on lamps (for bulbs) and is ACTUALLY like a volume knob, no steps or counts. like @Win7Ult😎 mentioned above.
.
and even i… am not a technical person.. certainly not even fractionally well-versed as @andromeda😇 here.
.
but what i can iterate, reiterate and re-reiterate to you, @161508-v2.0😎 or others… is that dimmers (no stepwise change and max setting output too is still less than actual max fan speed).. those dimmers are not good for most fans.
.
.
as for the term ‘modular".. just ignore.
I think i am complicating stuff, as i am dumb.
.
Just like olden days, hand built wood furniture or plywood was called furniture.. then all this ’jszz’ of ‘modular’ kitchen cabinets came.
.
Modular.. i think.. means assembled into a unit from modules.
.
.
similarly in switches too,
there could those that require one to manually screw and unscrew them (say on a bakelite/ Acrylic type plate)
.
.
Versus.. the modular ones.. that simply snsp in into the groove/ cut out in the plastic/ ABS plate.. usually the branded plate/ housing of THE SAME brand

This is hilarious. Are you from WB too? Because I think this Rider is a local/ region specific company which was in business in the mid 90s and then maybe went out of business. I am completely lost with the terminologies though, I mean dimmer doesn’t sound right to my ears. Sounds fine for lights, but for fan, I am unsure. I thought its only a light source you can dim, not velocity of fan, Lol. Anyway, I am dumb. So I am gonna just call these what old people did, regulators

As per the Solid State marking on them, I have no clue. But my guts say it’s just a label. The point was, to OP, these were the ones which were normally sold if one were to go to the local electric shop and ask for a fan regulator. I do not know what they sell nowadays.

Cody wrote:

You are still using regulators??

Switch to remote fans where there is no requirement of regulators. For eg. Atomberg Fan’s.

Ping me when your atomberg fan reaches its 5 year life. All the old, shitty fans from olden days just keep working year after year. The oldest fan we have is around 35-40 years old, and the newest is like 25 years old. And they were serviced maybe 3-4 times in this entire period.

In any case I am looking to replace these old fans with BLDCs, but not from Superfan or Atomberg. From a known reputed company like Crompton maybe, noticed they provide 5-year warranty too, but reviews don’t give confidence