Mounting sleeve bearing fans horizontally? In Win Polaris

[Mr McC]

Hi folks,
for an upcoming build (not mine), I am forced to add some rgb fans. I was looking at the In Win Polaris twin pack for mounting on the back and top of the case as exhausts, but I noticed that they are sleeve bearing models. How severe is the degradation when mounting a sleeve bearing fan horizontally on the top of the case? Is it something I should be concerned about or do you feel that it is a "rule" that can be broken?
Cheers

 

[sam_86314]

I wasn't aware that this could be an issue.

Lots of power supplies have sleeve-bearing fans, and nine times out of ten, they are mounted horizontally.

I'm sure it won't affect how quickly the bearing fails.

 

[Mr McC]

Thanks for replying, your lack of awareness may suggest a non-issue, but it is widely accepted that the longevity of a sleeve bearing fan will be adversely affected when horizontally mounted:

Sleeve fans will 'live' significantly longer when mounted vertically due to their internal lubrication system. Ball bearings and fluid dynamic fans are generally axis-neutral.

Source: https://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/779-computer-case-fan-bearing-differences

Perhaps such power supplies have additional lubrication, I think a hydraulic bearing is basically an upgraded sleeve bearing.

A lot of people report a clicking sound when sleeve bearing fans are mounted horizontally, but I want to hear feedback from the community, it is quite possible that the degradation will occur at a slow enough pace to present little cause for concern.

 

[Mr McC]

Replying to myself, I found these for the 12v motherboard RGB header, allowing me to choose the fan and bearing type without renouncing lighting:

EZDIY-FAB 12V RGB LED Fan Frame for 120 mm Case Fan mounting (Compatible with ASUS Aura Sync, and MSI Mystic Light Sync)-3 pack : Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

Buy

www.amazon.co.uk