>  Does anybody have any good ideas on how to make a vent fan sound
>  softer?  Anybody know of any vent fans that sound soft to begin
>  with?

One of the major reasons for fan noise is dirt, pure and simple. Other reasons can be; bent shaft, out of balance, bent blades (axial), bad bearings/bushings, lack of lubrication, just to name a few that I can think of right now.

If your fan's dirty; clean it. Don't immerse the motor in water! Blades are easy, mist lightly with 409 and wipe off. Blowers are a little tougher, use the same method and spend more time wiping.

If the shaft's bent; get a new fan

If the fan is out of balance; balance it. Again axial fans are easy, mark one of the blades with magic marker, with the shaft horizontal, lightly spin the blades several times and note where the marked blade stops each time. Example: spin 1, marked blade stopped at about 4 o'clock, spin 2, 3 o'clock, spin 3 5 o'clock. That would mean the blade at the bottom is heavier to some degree than the others. You can experiment with duct tape to equal the weights of the blades. This can take a while. Use small peices of tape, and you may end up with tape on all but one of your blades.

The process with a blower is basically the same but, you need to apply the tape as near the shaft support as possible to reduce stress on the shaft. Ideally, this means applying the tape to the closed end of the blower.

If the blades are bent, and they're metal; straighten them. I don't mean to twist them and remove the pitch needed to push air. The blades should be in an even plane if viewed from the side.

If the're bent and they are plastic; get a new fan.

You probably can't do anything about bearings/bushings because in most fans, they are permanent.

After you clean your fan, a very light oiling will help improve performance. DO NOT USE WD 40!!! This a solvent based lubricant that will remove any lubrication what-so-ever. Sewing machine oil is very good, gun oil is also a very good choice. A single drop applied where the shaft is supported is all it takes, unless your fan has a resorvoir with a plug (usually only on bigger blowers). Give the blades/blower a few spins and wipe off the excess oil.

Generally speaking, squirrel cage blowers are much more efficient air movers than axial fans. They also make more noise. Try to size your blower properly, a small high quality unit will be quieter than a cheap unit. The larger you get, the noise level will rise.

If you do have a squirrel cage blower, it could be a loose mount, or the housing could be rattling; tighten all screws, silicone caulk any sheet metal joints that rattle.

OK, now you know more about fan/blower maintenance than you ever wanted. ;-}

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