Cooling an engine has its challenges. Let’s face it, inside an eight-cylinder engine, there are a multitude of controlled explosions creating enough heat to melt metal parts. That’s why a proper cooling system is needed. Many times, the way an engine is cooled is not given much thought, and the results are less than stellar. Many times, a poor choice in a radiator’s design (flow, capacity, materials used in construction) is a leading factor. But air movement through the radiator can be just as large an issue and should be a huge consideration when designing a cooling system. The folks at SPAL completely agree.

To get the point across about selecting a good cooling fan and to give you some insight into SPAL products, we decided to reach out and get some information that can help you choose the right fan for your application.

Fast Fact One: SPAL brushed axial electric fans can provide a lifetime of between 5,000 hours up to 10,000 hours

That is 298.33 to 416.66 continuous days without stopping. Looking at it more realistically, if you run your engine and fan one hour every workday – which totals 5 hours a week – this gives you about 260 hours a year. It would take you over 19 years to get to 5,000 hours of run time. Over 38 years, that puts you on the high side of 10,000 hours. Odds are that your engine will quit long before your SPAL electric fan does. That sounds like a pretty long life to us.

Fast Fact Two: SPAL does not sell replacement parts for fans

Every fan that SPAL manufacturers are individually balanced three times during the production process. Once a component (blade, shroud, or motor) is damaged, it cannot simply be replaced and still maintain the high level of performance and efficiency expected of SPAL products.

Fast Fact Three: SPAL electric fans can be mounted to run horizontally

In applications where the electric fan is installed in a horizontal position — that is with the motor cover facing up or down — the use of a fan with drainage holes in the hub is recommended.

Fast Fact Four: SPAL makes waterproof cooling fan motors

All IP68-certified SPAL motors are WP (Water Proof). This means they are completely sealed and therefore protected against the ingress of solid and liquid agents.

Fast Fact Five: You can tell if a SPAL electric fan is a “Pusher” or “Puller” by the fan’s VA number

If it bears the letter “A” it is a puller. If it bears the letter “S” it is a pusher. For instance, the 16-inch (PN: 30100357) fan VA number is “VA18-BP10/C-41S” indicating it is a “pusher” fan model. Just for reference, the letter “A” comes from the Italian word aspirante, which means aspirating or suction. The letter “S” comes from the Italian word Soffiante which means blowing.

The next time you’re shopping for a cooling fan for any application, we suggest you take a look at SPAL and talk to the professionals who can help you get exactly what you need for your particular application. For more information on SPAL automotive cooling fans, visit them online at www.spalusa.com.