BLDC fans are one of the electronic items that are gaining good momentum these days. They are a bit more pricey than the normal fan still they are becoming very popular these days. What is making them very popular? Is BLDC fan worth buying? I am going to answer these questions today.
What is a BLDC fan?
BLDC stands for Brushless Direct Current Fan. The motor of the fan has no brushes. It is a DC or Direct Current fan. It converts the AC to DC for efficiency. It has an SMPS inside the fan which does the job very well. This is one of the differences between the BLDC and Normal fan.
In both fans, there is a stator and rotor.
Image courtesy: https://www.renesas.com/us/en/support/engineer-school/brushless-dc-motor-01-overview
In normal fans, the stator is a coil of wires which creates magnetic flux when electricity is passed onto it. When the electricity goes through the rotor, the rotor rotates due to a change in magnetic flux. This rotational motion is used to blow air.
In the case of BLDC fans, there is a stator coil. There is a rotor with permanent magnets and not electromagnets. This is one of the reasons why the BLDC fan is very efficient. The electromagnet in a normal induction fan consumes a large amount of power.
In a normal fan, there is a brush touching the rotor which conducts the electricity to the rotor. This is a mechanical contact and it wears normally with usage and finally, it breaks. In BLDC motors electronics are used in this commutation process and the electronics are used to change the polarity for the continuous running of the fan. Since the rotor is a permanent magnet it doesn’t need current to act as an electromagnet. Hence the need for brushes is eliminated. Electronics are the bldc fan problems but they can be replaced easily.
Difference between BLDC fan and normal fan
| Normal fan | BLDC fams |
| Induction motor | BLDC motor |
| Has brushes | No brushes |
| No electronics | Has electronics |
| Needs current to form magnets | It has permanent magnets |
| Can make noise | Mostly Noiseless |
| Less efficient | High efficiency. |
These are the things that make BLDC fans different from Normal fans.
The lifespan of the BLDC ceiling fan is very good. As said above, no brush is touching the stator, there is no friction between the brush and the rotor. This avoids damage to the rotor. Hence the lifespan of the BLDC ceiling fan is higher mechanically. If good electronics are used in BLDC fans, it can surpass the life of normal fans. Electronics is the only weak spot of BLDC fans.
So, is a BLDC fan worth buying?
It is worth buying a BLDC fan, in my opinion. There are three areas where the BLDC fans win hands down compared to normal induction fans. Those three areas are below.
- Energy efficiency
- Remote control
- Less noise
- Home automation
Energy Efficiency.
As said above the BLDC fans are energy efficient. Normal fans use electromagnets to energize their magnetic power. The BLDC fans don’t need an electromagnet. Hence, the need for a large amount of current to make an electromagnet is eliminated. This marks a huge thing in efficiency. Besides, there is no need for a regulator which pushes the efficiency even higher. Hence, efficiency is one of the reasons why a BLDC fan is worth buying.
A BLDC fan can save up to Rs 1000-1500 a year calculated by Atomberg. Within a few years it pays for itself and again its only profit.
Remote control
The fan uses a remote control to operate and not a wired regulator. Since the electronics are inside the fan, it is impossible to have a regulator outside the fan. Hence, the regulator is built-in and a remote is given to control the fan. The remote has an added advantage of not only having speed controls but also features like timers, auto-off system, modes like breeze mode, strong mode, etc. Hence, the regulator for BLDC fans is not required. These make a BLDC fan worth buying.
Less noise
Since there are no brushes to touch the rotor, the total working is wireless. This makes less noise. An induction motor is known to make noise especially at high speed and if the inverter is used. This is not an issue with the BLDC fans. They seldom make noise. Be it in inverters or in regular use, the noise is less than that of normal fans. This is another reason why BLDC fans are worth buying.
Home automation
Since the electronics are inside the fan, it paves a way for implementing smart home measures inside the fan. Hence Alexa endpoint can be built-in. A fan can be made compatible with google home. Hence you get to choose a fan that works with Alexa or google home. This is another advantage and something that makes the BLDC fan worth buying.
Conclusion
BLDC fan is very efficient and makes less noise. I have a home theatre and looking for a silent fan to accompany with. BLDC is the way to go. The added advantage is I don’t need to get up to change the fan speed. Now fans come with light and turning on the light is just a button press away. By every means, buying a BLDC fan is a great idea and a BLDC fan is worth buying. Thanks for reading.
Aju Vignesh Sathiaraj Padma is a mechanical and audio engineer. He is a person who loves technology and things. He is also an audiophile and loves to listen to music on quality audio gear. He is an avid writer and loves to blog.
He is the founder and author of www.digitfield.com, and he is an expert in copywriting. You can find him either lurking in various forums or listening to classical music.
