The computer fan serves the purpose of keeping the motherboard and the other components inside your computer from overheating. You may be more used to hearing your computer fan go off when your computer use is prolonged or the computer is engaged in an extensive operation requiring significant power, such as running an anti-virus scan. Here is some useful information on why your computer fan turns on and off, and what you can do about it.
The Problems, The Solutions, and The Possible Misdiagnose
You may notice that your computer fan is making abnormal noises while it is in operation. This is mainly because of the “Worn out” components of the fan. The following are the two components that get easily worn out.
1. The Fan Blades
Dust builds up inside the computer through time – although the computer fan tries to prevent this natural consequence, not all of the dust is expelled from your system. Some of the dust sticks to the blades itself, creating an imbalance between the blades. Unbalanced blades contribute to uneven rotation of the blades, creating the unsightly noise that you may find disturbing.
To counteract this problem try to use Q-tips to wipe off some of the dust buildup on your fan. Do not bang your computer in order to shake the dust out, as it may dislodge some crucial hardware inside your computer and cause permanent problems.
2. The Bearings
The bearings eventually wear out due to the friction in the rotation of the blades. However this “wearing out” process can be accelerated by various environmental factors influencing your computer.
Operating a computer in a dusty area, hot area, areas exposed to the sun directly, or a smoking area attracts dust to stick to your fan blades. Imbalance in your fan blades caused by the dust buildup exacerbates the rotation and increases the friction experienced by the bearings. Avoid these environments to preserve your bearing for a longer time.
Possible misdiagnoses may occur from a noisy hard drive instead of the fan. In order to check if this is the problem, unplug the cables from the hard drive and power up the computer, and check if the unsightly sound still exists.
Additional Help
If the above recommendations do not resolve the issue, it is possible that there may be further complications in your computer system. At this point it is recommended that you call for help from the local experts. TalkLocal can help with finding the correct local expert to fix your computer quickly, which can save you time and energy in a stressful situation.
