Direct Drive Vs Belt Drive Fan

In the former the motor connects to the fan wheel with nothing in between.

Direct drive vs belt drive fan.

It s a motor connected to your fan in one of only two ways. Direct drive or belt drive. On a direct drive fan as implied by the name the fan propeller is connected directly to the shaft of the motor. Deciding between a direct drive fan and a belt drive fan is fairly straightforward once you know all of your other variables like fan size application space fan speed needs and likely wear and tear in your application.

Unlike belt driven fans there s less energy loss because there s a reduced amount of friction as the fan operates. Where on a belt drive fan the fan motor shaft has a pulley connected by a belt to a second pulley. Because of the fewer parts involved they can often be more compact in design. Unlike the belt driven fans in case of a direct drive fan there is lesser energy loss.

This is because of the fact that the amount of friction is greatly reduced in case of this fan when the fan is operating. In the later there is a belt sometimes more than one connecting the motor to move the fan. The environmental conditions in which the fan is installed may dictate a preference toward a belt or direct drive fan. Direct drive advantages direct drive fans are typically lower maintenance since there are no bearings belts or sheaves to maintain.

There s also no belt residue and these fans cost less to maintain generally speaking because belts don t wear down and break. Direct drive fans have no power transmission loss since the propeller is directly connected to the motor shaft. On both direct drive and belt drive fans the motor has two bearings. The second pulley is connected to a shaft that drives the fan propeller.

The two bearings on direct drive fan motors which are 7 horsepower and larger are typically regreaseable. Extreme hot cold dirty or humid conditions may favor a direct drive fan as it reduces the environmental impact on the drive belts and fan bearings. Coming to the advantage of this kind of an industrial fan the biggest advantage is greater efficiency.