Fans
Buy and sell fans in Panama.
Under the zinc roof of a farm shed in Chepo or a mechanic’s workshop in Juan Díaz, a split is no use: there are no walls to hold the cold in, and what makes the afternoon bearable is a 30-inch industrial fan bolted to a post. Those belong here next to the fans people keep at home, the 16-inch pedestal by the bed, the tower fan in a narrow apartment and the ceiling fan over the dining table, new and pre-owned. Buying one second-hand comes down to the motor, and testing it takes a minute before you agree a price.
Industrial wall and pedestal fans for warehouses and workshops:
these are the 24- to 30-inch machines with metal blades and a steel cage, built to run all day in a workshop, a warehouse or an open shelter. The wall version bolts to a post or beam and tilts down over the work area; the pedestal version stands on a heavy base and goes where it is needed. Most still have a plain AC motor with three speeds. DC models run quieter on low and draw less power, but they depend on a control board, and when it fails the fan stops until you find the part. The third option is the industrial ceiling fan, a 56-inch unit with aluminium blades for classrooms and open-sided sheds where nothing can stand on the floor. Once a space has walls, a door and someone willing to keep it shut, air conditioning units become the better buy.
Pedestal, tower and ceiling fans for the house:
the 16-inch pedestal or wall fan is the household standard. A tower fan takes less floor in a narrow bedroom and is quieter, but it pushes gentler air, and its blower wheel cannot be wiped clean like an open blade. An ionizer button on a tower does not make it a filter; for dust or cigarette smoke, look at air purifiers. Ceiling fans run from flush-mounted huggers for low apartment ceilings to decorative models with a light kit from brands such as Hunter, KDK or Honeywell. Small rechargeable fans with a solar panel suit a thatched shelter that has no wiring at all.
A 30-inch industrial fan, new or from a workshop that closed:
an AC wall fan of that size costs around $110 to $150 new, and the DC versions sit closer to $180. A working used AC one is worth about $50 to $80. The cage and blades rarely fail, so the discount pays for bearings that may have done ten-hour days in sawdust or grinding dust, and for a bracket that may have rusted onto its post.
Spinning the blades of a used fan by hand:
do it with the plug out, and it tells you most of what you need. A healthy motor lets the blades coast for several turns after a flick. If they stop almost at once or feel gritty, the bearings or their old grease have gone, and the fan will run slow and hot. Then plug it in. A fan that hums without starting while the blades still turn freely usually needs a new capacitor, a cheap part; one that makes no sound at all points to the switch, the cord or the thermal fuse in the motor. Let it oscillate through a full sweep: a click or a jerk at one end means a stripped plastic gear in the head. On a tower fan, shine a phone light through the grille: grey felt on the blower wheel explains weak air with no noise, and it is hard to reach. On an industrial fan, look for bent blade tips, which shake the whole cage at top speed, missing guard clips and a tilt knob that no longer holds the head where you set it.
Taking an industrial fan off its post to sell:
give the type, the blade size in inches, AC or DC, and the wattage from the label. Then be straight about where it worked: a carpentry or metal shop means dust in the motor, and buyers know to ask. Say whether the bracket, bolts and remote go with it, and post a short video at top speed, which answers the noise question better than words. Fans like these come up when a workshop moves or a business puts in splits. Most buyers of a 30-inch fan arrive in a pickup, so unbolt it from the post before they come but leave the bracket on the head; they will want to see the tilt hold before they load it.