Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.
Trending News
Can I add a rheostat to a kitchen fan?
High volume exhaust fans are pretty noisy. Can I wire in a rheostat to slow the fan speed which would pull less cfm and in turn, reduce the noise? I don't want to fry the motor or burn the house down so, don't speculate, answer with the facts please. Thanks.
Okay guys. One yes and one no. Somebody is full of hot air!
3 Answers
- Dan BLv 710 years agoFavorite Answer
No you can't. These are inductive motors that cannot be speed controlled with a simple rheostat. The rheostat will overheat and could cause a fire. It has to do with counter-electromotive force to control the current flow through the motor windings.
You'll need a motor that is wired for multiple speeds or buy a speed controller for that type of motor. I presume your are referring to a range hood motor.
Source(s): 47 years in electronics. I've tried it with a box fan and the fan motor and rheostat got very hot! Call it one step below the smoke stage and two steps below the fire stage.
