Oils Well That Ends Well

My package from an E-bay purchase arrived in today’s mail. The whole episode of modern retailing from last week came back into perspective from the recesses of my mind…..

A few weeks ago my Hunter “Original” Ceiling fan stalled out. It had been running for years since the last time it stopped. This is the heavy unit with the cast iron housing which should easily last out my lifetime….All I needed to do is add some oil. These fans have a spiral groove on the shaft which constantly feeds oil to the bearings. When the oil evaporates the shaft binds up.

Hunter fan oil is not an easy thing to find anymore. The last oil I purchased a few years back was from Lowe’s. Going to the Lowe’s webpage I tried to access the stock number for the oil so I could then check if it was in stock at the nearest store. That makes it easier for the store to track down this elusive product.

I could not get any information on this oil from the Lowe’s site: just a blank screen. With the temperatures heating up I needed to get this ceiling fan back into commission again.

Taking a chance, I drove to Lowe’s last Saturday night. (7/03) The guy running the electrical department was filing in. He did not have a clue as to what I was looking for. The “regular guy” was out to lunch he told me. (It was 7:30 at night and the store closes at 9:00…..whatever)

I thought I would check with customer service. They could check on their store computer for this oil. I know, I know.. what planet am I living on? Here is what transpired between the customer service clerk, the store manager, and me.

A "Mini Drama" at customer service

Clerk: Can I help you?

Jamie: Yes, I need to get a tube of Hunter Ceiling Fan oil.

Clerk: Where that be at?

Jamie: I got it last time in the electrical department. I can’t find in any of the displays and I wanted you to check to see if you have it in stock.

Clerk: I don’t know nutting about that. Lemme git the manager

Manager: What can I help you with?

Jamie: I need to get a tube of Hunter Ceiling fan oil. I’ve gotten it here in the past. The regular in electric is at lunch, the person back there now is clueless.

Manager: Well, would you mind waiting till the regular guy comes back from lunch?

Jamie: No! (WTF? Like I’ve got nothing else better to do??!!)

I tried to check the web site to see if you have it, but just keep getting a blank screen.

Manager: Oh that happens all the time, the site is down. When you get home try the webpage again and you can order it from there and have it delivered to this store.

End of discourse

It took every ounce of energy I had to retain my composure and not explode. If this is the best Lowe’s can do for customer service, they are in a world of hurt.

I walked out of the store in a rotten frame of mind. What a waste of time, gas and energy.

Back home I stared exploring the internet for this special oil.

Homo Depot had it on a special order basis at $9.50 a tube plus postage.

A site called “Lighting Design” carried it at $4.10 a tube but only had one tube in stock.

The Hunter Fan homepage had this at $4.98 a tube. Great, I’ll just order two tubes of oil from the source.

I was in the last stages of filling out the order form when I reread the shipping charges. Postage was in the $5.00 range. That seemed fair… but then I noticed there would be ANOTHER $5.00 charge because my order was 4¢ short of $10.00.

I nearly lost it!!! Time for E-bay! Once again E-bay solved a crisis in my life. Here is quoted text from the "listing from Heaven":

Hello All. This ad is going to be a little bit unconventional, but here we go.

Hunter Oil for the Hunter Original Ceiling Fan Is Expensive.

I have an alternative for you, Zoom Spout Oiler.

Each bottle sold will come with a pipe cleaner "dipstick" for checking the oil level and the bottle marked for the proper amount per fan. Each bottle will fully fill up 4 fans from empty. Shipping is $2.25 USPS First Class. It Costs me $2.24 to ship them.

Hunter charges $7+ $5 for shipping for one 1oz bottle of Hunter Oil. (The $5 shipping charge, however, is a flat rate for as many items as you need.) Sometimes you can find a bottle on ebay for about $5+shipping, or sometimes free shipping. If you have just one fan that needs oiling, that's fine and dandy, but what if, you're like me and have 17 of the fans which need oiling every couple of years? You search for an alternative.

I did some research and discovered that Hunter oil is a Turbine oil, specifically an ISO 32 (15wt)Turbine oil. Armed with this information, I then searched for a replacement. I did not have to search far, but I discovered "Z.S.O.". ZSO, is an ISO32 Turbine oil. Both are non-detergent oils of a paraffin base, both are the same weight. Except that "ZSO" is much cheaper than Hunter Oil. Especially when you take into account that ZSO comes in a 4oz bottle, instead of a 1oz tube. The problem is, ZSO can be a little difficult to find at times.

Also, If you have owned a Hunter Original for many years (20+), it is a good idea to "change" your oil by removing the fan, and flipping the motor over quickly (the oil will drain into the "dish" in the armature) Then re-hanging the fan and replacing with fresh oil. Without any further maintenance, the lifespan of a Hunter Original is approximately 25 years, if you take care of it by keeping the oil reservoir topped off, it will run longer than you live. You will only buy one fan.

That bottle of oil was delivered today. I’m happy to report all my fans have been topped off with the oil and are now working fine.

It is always enjoyable to have a helping hand/paw when working on a project. Stumpy was a big help in fixing up my fans……