I have a shop fan on my porch that I leave on 24/7 when it’s humid out. It has three speeds. The lowest speed is rather noisy.
If I don’t run it, humidity condenses on the front door. Then mosquitoes are attracted to the moist door. And this leads to them sometimes entering the house.
I bought this ($19), so I can dial the lowest speed even lower to the exact point the noise is low enough but the wind is fast enough.
It was just a thought that occurred to me since it’s electric, could it not be run at a different speed if the input electricity was changed?
Yes, it can. Works beautifully.
Most likely it will just shorten the lifespan of your motor. It’ll last 6 years instead of 9. Not that big a deal. When it goes, it’ll be time for you to get a silent one.
These things are usually made with a fair amount of safety margin. It’s not like you’re operating under harsh conditions. The only thing is the 24/7 operation. But if it didn’t get too hot around (long hours above 110 F), it shouldn’t be too bad.
Very rarely above 100°F here. But almost always high humidity. I’ve run it around the clock for six months of the year for a decade. If it dies from this, I’ll be a bit bummed but I’ve definitely got my money’s worth.
As someone who also runs a fan 24/7 during certain times of year: You might want to open it up and check the wiring.
One model I had once started overheating from gunk in the almost open wheelbearing. The power cable was routed on top of, and pressed against the metal motor casing and it started melting.