110-Volt Fans for Use in Kilns

Advice on finding fans that will perform in a drying kiln. July 3, 2008

Question
I'm looking for recommendations on small fans that will work inside a kiln environment (~140F). Hardware store fans burn out pretty quickly. The kiln suppliers seem to specialize in 220v. Any good 110v fans out there? I make numerous temporary kiln structures for odd shaped projects, and need to be able to keep the air moving reliably.

Forum Responses
(Sawing and Drying Forum)
From contributor D:
The fans Nyle sells for L200's can be connected for either 110v or 220v. If you use 110V you need to use a different calibrated overload switch.



From contributor B:
I use Dayton fans from Grainger. 10" round. 665cfm 110 volt, and they are ok temp wise. 4wt44 might be the model #, if not it’s close. They have two fans that will work that are this size, the difference being one has the cord and one doesn’t.


From contributor D:
We use similar fans in other products that we make. Not kilns. The rating shown is based on free air and no resistance. In real life in a machine or kiln, you have to de-rate the performance about 50% or more when blowing through a stack of lumber or coils. The cost per CFM air moved is relatively high but the fan is quiet, if that is a concern.