Direct Drive Fans for kitchen exhaust. With the proliferation of direct drive fans replacing belted fans, choosing the correct setup for the motors and drives becomes critical to the long term success of your exhaust fans. The motor shaft is not directly connected to the fan wheel with nothing to stop back flowed water and effluent form entering the motor whole the fan is shut down or during a normal cleaning process. Make sure you fans all have enclosed motors installed to correct this critical issue. Also, this same open area where the shaft runs through the motor housing base also allows water and effluent to contaminate the VFD drive units. Make sure they are not mounted inside the fan housing and are mounted In a safer place, normally somewhere inside the actual restaurant space. Please see attached pictures for examples of the good and bad of direct drive fans and proper setups.
