Help! Range hood vent fan cleaning

[N_Jay]

I am cleaning a 50+ (guessing) vent hood fan.
The blower wheels are about 50% blocked with what looks like burnt on oil.
It is an old Nutone and parts are not available.

Anyone have any suggestions before I break out the power washer.

Looking for the best solvent (i think we are past basic grease removers.)

 

[gba2331]

I’ve had great luck with ammonia but that may not be enough here

 

[N_Jay]

Going to try carb cleaner and brake cleaner and see what I get to.
Maybe run them in tbe dishwasher with a double dose of detergent.

 

[BillK]

Going to try carb cleaner and brake cleaner and see what I get to.
Maybe run them in tbe dishwasher with a double dose of detergent.

Believe it or not carb cleaner and brake clean dont work that great on animal fat type grease. The dishwasher might do the trick. Are the wheels aluminum or steel ? If they are steel I wonder if the oven rack cleaners they sell would do the trick ? These things are amazing on oven racks but I dont think they can be used on aluminum.

https://carbona.com/products/household-cleaners/oven-rack-grill-cleaner/ Dishwasher might do the trick.

 

[N_Jay]

Here are a few pics

 

[gleman]

I use Dawn Powerwash on the grills and they look worse than that. You might have to heat up the parts first.

 

[N_Jay]

I don't think they are aluminum, as a screw driver doesn't easily scratch them, but doubt they are steel, as they have some thickness, like castings.

Guessing they are some kind of pot metal.

Where the grease is thinest, i can scrape it away, and the last layer is whitesh and comes off as a dust.

Either it "was" paint, or a light corrosion from steam before the oil "seasoned" it.

 

[N_Jay]

I use Dawn Powerwash on the grills and they look worse than that. You might have to heat up the parts first.

That was one i was also going to try.
I have a low pressure washer (320 psi) that should be safe to rinse with.

 

[gleman]

That was one i was also going to try.
I have a low pressure washer (320 psi) that should be safe to rinse with.

You might have to hit it a few times but it looks do-able.

I keep old toothbrushes and the HF dental picks to get in the corners.

Good luck!

 

[strength_and_power]

Dawn power wash is like the paint stripper of the food world. Soak it. Let it sit. Repeat twice. Then spray with the powerwasher. Post up the after pics

 

[BillK]

I don't think they are aluminum, as a screw driver doesn't easily scratch them, but doubt they are steel, as they have some thickness, like castings.

Put a magnet on it and see if it sticks. They sort of look like steel but its hard to say with the dirt on them. Strong chemicals will affect pot metal as well as aluminum. If there is white corrosion it is likely aluminum or some type of zinc pot metal.

 

[N_Jay]

I'm going with zink pot metal.
It is a 1958 house, and probably the original vent hood.
Motor beari is feel good, and smooth after adding a few drops of 3in1 oil.
It even has bearing oil tubes built into the housing. (Love old, properly designed equipment)

I am not going for perfect, just clean, so going to start with a light scraping, followed by Powerwash and sit a few hours.
Pressure wash rinse and into dishwasher.

 

[Hank11]

Oil Eater. Auto parts stores have it. Mix up a strong solution in a gallon bucket and soak the fans all day or over night.

 

[nicholsmf]

Honestly, I would just buy a new range hood before I tried to clean that.

 

[pima67]

While not the blower, I have found that gasoline cuts the grease off the glass and related parts on our pull out hood. Glass is too big to put in the dishwasher and I tried dawn and other kitchen cleaners, but they didn't do quite as well or fast as gas. I'd put the blower cage in a bucket of gas for while (outside of course)

 

[N_Jay]

I little physical work, escaping and such got it ok. I decided to try and grill cleaning foam spray. (Probably should have stayed with Dawn Powerwash.
Got them clean enough that my wife let me put them in the dishwasher.

Well, just got them out, and the dishwasher didn't help as much as I hoped, but they are good enough to use.
‐----------------
Well, we like the hood, and ones as well made are ridiculous.

As for the gasoline, that is definitely what my grandfather would have used. (While smoking a cigarette)

 

[paulsomlo]

Isopropyl Alcohol?

 

[tclark]

Ultrasonic might work if you have one big enough

 

[Mike65]

What about the spray on oven cleaner?

 

[Youngandfree]

Potassium hydroxide breaks down animal fats/proteins

 

[PCustoms]

Potassium hydroxide breaks down animal fats/proteins

So does lye, but I'm pretty sure that will corrode most metals...

 

[N_Jay]

I looked at oven cleaner, but decided on grill cleaner.
Not sure if it worked better or worse.
Did 2 packets in tbe dishwasher afterwards, and it helped a little.
Mostly removed the remaining oily sheen.

 

[4x4Pete]

If you have a gas bbq, place it in there and give it a burn off. 30 min at 400 might bake it all off.

 

[N_Jay]

Was worried about deformation of the unspecified pot metal.

 

[4x4Pete]

How about boiling in a pot of water? Looking at the pictures it looks like aluminum or galvanized with a metal hub that is stamped in, which is typical. Another option is to go to an HVAC supplier and see if they can match it up with an aftermarket wheel.

 

[Hank11]

Oil Eater. Auto parts stores have it. Mix up a strong solution in a gallon bucket and soak the fans all day or over night.

Did you try this?
You may be surprised.

 

[N_Jay]

All good suggestions for the next time I clean it.

For now it is going back together.

 

[LopezBart]

Did you try this?
You may be surprised.

This worked very well on our old Airstream, which had been used as a poker den w/ cigar smoke and bacon grease before we got it. Do wear good gloves; it will happily dissolve your skin too like any strong base.