I have an old table-fan that I bought years ago and was rated for 110V. During the checkout process, it the option of choosing 110V or 220V and I made the mistake of choosing 110V. I haven't been able to use it and it's been collecting dust and I thought I'd get it running so I opened it up.
Inside I found a the motor that was connected to a 300VAC 3uF capacitor and it was also connected to a three-speed selector which to was rated for 300V. All the wires inside the fan are also rated for 300V.
The only thing that doesn't seem to be rated for the 220V is the fuse in the plug. There's a fuse that reads, 110V 5A.
I don't know much about electronics but I've been doing research on this. What I've found is that since it has a capacitor, it isn't a three phase motor.
I'm scared of plugging this into 220V and starting a fire. Is there a way I can check (and run) this table-fan at 220V? I've also read that that motors can be rewired to be run on 220V.
I'm really wondering if they actually do use different motors for the 110V and 220V version or is the motor in both versions the same with the only difference being the fuse and the capacitor.
Best Answer
Don't do it. Plugging the fan into 220V will draw twice the current and result in 4 times the power delivered to the motor, so it will spin like crazy. There is risk of overheating, fire, fan blades dislodging and bearings overheating.
In some cases the motor can be rewired for a different voltage but it takes a fair bit of experience and knowledge to do this correctly. It's also unlikely that a simple fan motor will support this, so it's definitely not worth taking the risk.
I would recommend taking the loss and properly disposing of the fan. Properly disposing includes making sure no one else accidentally plugs it in. So please don't give it away or resell it unless you are absolutely sure that the recipient knows what he/she is doing. I know it's a bit painful, but it's the right thing to do.