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A local zoo called, they have their main surgery room fan that is down, and they have surgeries to do. On the fan the bearing base was thin sheet metal, it was all busted up and the bearing was hanging almost upside down on the shaft, it was just a total mess!
I convinced Frankie, one of our newer Field Service Technicians to ride along. He was excited and ready to see what surprises we would find. I was able to call the customer and get all the measurements I asked for.
This all seemed to be going too easy and I wondered what was about to smack me in the face. Frankie and I drove to the Horner Fan and Fab shop to make some plates so they could go under the bearing to basically make a new base. Getting a few plates made by pressing the old sheet metal between these new plates creating a sturdy base under the bearing. My luck was going strong! Brad Snodgrass was still at the shop and was able to show Frankie and I how to make the new plates with the awesome equipment they have to offer! Finally, we were on our way to the jobsite with everything we needed. When we got there, boots hit the ground and we started on the exciting journey of getting this fan back up and going. The fan wheel, shaft, and other components were still in good shape. The metal plates that Brad helped us make were absolutely perfect! My luck was still going strong! We got the new bearing on the shaft and were surprised that the journal was still in spec! We trimmed some metal from the eye of the fan so it wouldn’t get caught on something and cause other issues. We cleaned off the grease and made the fan look a little more presentable. We performed a belted laser alignment and were ready to go for a test run! Started the fan, and it was smooth as silk, I couldn’t believe how smooth it was after the failure it had. Frankie learned a lot that late evening and got the opportunity to learn how to adapt and overcome. My favorite Mike Rowe theory really came out that evening, “work smart and hard”.