Power Supply fan clicking

[metalfiber]

I have a Seasonic FOCUS Plus 750 watt PSU. The fan is clicking and it does't sound like bearing noise. It sounds more like a fan blade is hitting something. I'm going to try to see what it is from the outside at first. If i can't see anything, then I'll take it apart. If i still can't see anything wrong then i'll replace the fan. I need to know if the fan is a PWM fan or more like a regular case fan. Yes i know it'll void the warranty, but i don't have a backup PSU and i'm not going without a computer for 2 weeks waiting on a replacement.

Here a picture of the fan i got from jonnyGURU and the page of the break down of said PSU. http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story5&reid=524

 

[Norton]

That psu has a 10yr warranty- probably a good idea to contact Seasonic first to see if they will do an advance RMA rather than void your warranty

 

[Bill_Bright]

^^^^THIS^^^^

Don't void your warranty.

 

[metalfiber]

Taking apart the PSU, calming. Buying a new a new one a little less calming but still on the calming side. Redtape...way up there on the non-calming side.
With that being said. Is the fan a PWM or a regular fan with three pins?

 

[AsRock]

When i sent mine in they had it for a day and a new one sent out the next day. I am sure it's not always like this but dam 10 year warranty down the drain.

If it had no seals maybe just put it back together and just email them and go from there.

 

[eidairaman1]

10 year warranty, replace it.

 

[thebluebumblebee]

Seems like you're not the first that I've heard of with this problem, with these PSU's.
Although I think you should process this as a DOA (if under 30 days since purchased) or a RMA, here in the US, you will not void the warranty by removing the cover. Replacing the fan, unless it's the exact same fan, most likely will.
'Warranty Void If Removed'? As It Turns Out, Feds Say Those Warnings Are Illegal

 

[metalfiber]

Nobody will let me be a dumb arse.

Thanks for caring y'all. You know, mom got mad at me too for taking apart my toys when i was a kid some 40 odd years ago.

 

[eidairaman1]

Nobody will let me be a dumb arse.

Thanks for caring y'all. You know, mom got mad at me too for taking apart my toys when i was a kid some 40 odd years ago.

Well you ain't listening anyway, do what you want.

 

[sepheronx]

Usually the fans that are 2 pin are like regular case fans (I think PWM fans require 3 pins?). Judging by that photo, it is a 2 pin. So yeah, a cheap 120mm case fan would work as replacing.

While I agree with the others in terms of sending it in for RMA, if you are insistent on not returning it, then just swap the fan out. Just be careful. That stuff can kill you. I used to replace fans on old PSU's long ago where they were hard wired in. I used to cut the wires, strip them, then tie on new fan wires, then electrical tape. Would do wonders. But back then, no 10y warranty either so all of them were past warranty. This looks simple as in - plug and play).

 

[metalfiber]

Well you ain't listening anyway, do what you want.

Yeah I'm listening. I just hope it doesn't take forever to RMA it. I'll do it when Red Dead Redemption 2 comes out later this month.

 

[Mussels]

after having so many PSU's with clicking or rattling fans, thats why i went with a model that has a zero RPM fan mode

 

[LFaWolf]

Interesting, i have the same model and just dropped mine off today via UPS. Looks like a model wide problem. We will see how the RMA goes. Make sure you don’t send in any of the cables.

 

[metalfiber]

Interesting, i have the same model and just dropped mine off today via UPS. Looks like a model wide problem. We will see how the RMA goes. Make sure you don’t send in any of the cables.

Thanks for the tip about the cables. I still have not had time to inspect the fan yet. It really sounds more like something in the spokes of a bicycle tire than bearing noise. With whatever i find or do i'll let y'all know.

 

[LFaWolf]

I really don't think it is something that gets in the way of the fan. I pulled the PSU, spin it with a pencil and it spins freely (upside down as it does when installed), and there is no noise, the problem is when it is spinning at a higher rpm. Judging the reviews from Newegg, Seasonic probably used a batch of bad fans.

My replacement PSU has been shipped and on its way to me. Either they changed out the fan or I get a refurbished one. We will see.

 

[metalfiber]

It must be inner hub of the fan then. I can tap the back of the PSU and it'll make the sound louder or softer.

 

[Tallencor]

It must be inner hub of the fan then. I can tap the back of the PSU and it'll make the sound louder or softer.

Same thing here. Just case fan. Bought a corsair crystal 5 series and the mid fan rattled after 6 months. Delt with the rattle for 3 weeks and bought a replacement fan for 12 bucks cdn. Tapping it helped after it warmed up. Didn't want to rma the whole unit. Bought 2 actually just in case it happens again.

 

[LFaWolf]

So I sent my defective PSU in on Monday (Oct 15) via UPS ground. They received it on Wednesday, tested it on Thursday, and on Friday determined it was defective and sent me a replacement. It was shipped on the following Monday and I received it on Tuesday (Oct 23). I finally had the chance to test it on this last Saturday and it ran fine. I flipped it upside down on my test bench and heard no clicking anymore. Ran it like that for almost 2 days. Would I buy it again? Maybe, as it is a case of a bad batch fans. Warranty replacement is easy enough, but it is a hassle, and cost me $12. USPS regional rate would have been $10 but I happened to go to UPS that day. The PSU cost me $60 after MIR and tax, so just shipping along is 20% of the cost. Depend on where you live, it may not be worth it, as my replacement was a refurbished unit. Although it looks new, and I think they replaced the fan (non the same unit) of another RMA unit.

Seasonic RMA now requires invoice. So there goes the used market.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Seasonic RMA now requires invoice.

That's probably because too many people abused the system. In this country (the US) the law does not require users register their products to achieve warranty service. This law was established decades ago when many companies were trying to force users to send in those little post cards with their personal information. That was deemed an invasion of privacy. But users do have to show proof of purchase - not just to establish a purchase date (thus starting the warranty clock), but also valid ownership to prevent the unscrupulous from getting refunds for products that were stolen.

I agree with you about getting stuck with return shipping costs. I think if the product is defective, companies should reimburse the users. I also don't like how some companies (WD is a good example) replace your returned product (that you bought as brand new) with "refurbished" used devices instead of another brand new unit.

To make matters worse, in some cases, you might return an item after 2 years that had a 5-year warranty (for example). And the "refurbished" replacement is only warrantied for 1 year. So you not only have the inconvenience of the failed device, you get stuck paying shipping to return it, then lose 2 years of warranty protection. I actually think that practice is illegal but not very well enforced.

 

[Sasqui]

It must be inner hub of the fan then. I can tap the back of the PSU and it'll make the sound louder or softer.

Well if the RMA process is a dead end, it's probably something as simple as a cable bumping against the fan blades, easy fix!

 

[Bill_Bright]

It must be inner hub of the fan then. I can tap the back of the PSU and it'll make the sound louder or softer.

That would be a bearing issue - either bad bearings, bad bearing channels, or simply a poor design. If poor design, it would affect all the supplies using that fan.

Since the PSU does not know if the PSU will be mounted in a case with a top mount PSU or bottom mount PSU, Or a slim case or desktop (not a tower) case where the PSU may turned 90°, there is no way the maker knows if the fan intake is oriented up, down or on the side. Therefore, the bearing design must accommodate mounting the PSU in any orientation.

 

[eidairaman1]

That would be a bearing issue - either bad bearings, bad bearing channels, or simply a poor design. If poor design, it would affect all the supplies using that fan.

Since the PSU does not know if the PSU will be mounted in a case with a top mount PSU or bottom mount PSU, Or a slim case or desktop (not a tower) case where the PSU may turned 90°, there is no way the maker knows if the fan intake is oriented up, down or on the side. Therefore, the bearing design must accommodate mounting the PSU in any orientation.

Probably a few units with bad fans, no biggie, bet they will replace the fan in the unit he just sent in.

Better than a fire hazard like many PSUs out there.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Better than a fire hazard like many PSUs out there.

Ain't that the truth!

Okay, maybe not a real fire hazard these days as most PSUs that fail catastrophically simply shut down. But as happened to a friend this last weekend, the budget PSU in his budget Dell failed and sadly, took out his motherboard and drives. As was told to me, they ended up replacing the CPU, RAM, motherboard, PSU, drives, case, and changed the front panel and its logo from Dell to HP!

 

[John Naylor]

Here's another potential cause. More noticeable when the fan is installed horizontally. Ya can try and see if you cam move the blade assembly back and forth on the shaft. If you can and the fan blades are blowing air downward ... at a certain rpm the fan provides lift like a helicopter after a certain rpm. So what can happen if the fan is moving up and down in rpm is it lifts when rpm rises and drops when rpm drops. This causes it to "bang" against the shaft stops that limit movement to a small range.

In our test rig, (up to 10 rad rans, 5 case fans) one fan was noisy and i found i could initiate it by adjusting the rpm. I called Phanteks they wrote up an RMA... 2 days later i rec'd 2 replacement fans. i called to advise of the error and they said they thru in an extra fan for my trouble... I then asked for a return label to return the noisy one and they said keep it. So now I have 6 installed vertically including the 'noisy" one that is no longer noisy and the other 10 are installed horizontally and none of those has ever made a sound.

I have installed over a 100 of these buggers, buy then by the dozen and that's the only one I ever encountered with that problem. My son has an EVGA 1000 watter and it made noise since the day it was built ... it eventually failed and the replacement is also noisy. I know others where it's quiet as a mouse.

 

[metalfiber]

Yeah, no more clicking. Ever since this new build i've had a click when i first boot up but not anymore. It had to be a fan defect to begin with.