waterboysh
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2021
Posts: 369
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Post by waterboysh on Feb 14, 2022 10:59:14 GMT -5
This post will be video heavy, I apologize. But they were all recorded at about the same distance away from the Lot-o using the same phone, so as long as you keep your volume at the same level you should be able to tell the difference in the sound. Unfortunately, I don't have a video of the Lot-o when I first got it with the lid on, but here is what it sounded like with the lid off. The sound is mostly a constant hum. Saturday morning, I started a batch of rocks in 120/220. Everything seemed to be running fine. But by noon on Sunday, I started noticing the noise. It's maybe not quite as apparent in the video as I thought it would be, but it's especially audible near the end. It was a sound that kinda came and went and sounded very buzzy, as opposed to the normal constant humming. Here is the vibe, again at noon, using the slow-mo 120fps option on my phone. It's pretty cool being able to see the vibrations a bit better. This is also when I started noticing the right fan is very wobbly. The sound is also distorted, but if you go to about the 1:05 mark, you can actually still hear the sound it's making. Fast forward just a few hours to 3pm on Sunday afternoon, and the buzzsaw sound is basically just constant. I decided to go ahead and dump and rinse the rocks and start the 500 stage. So I did that and checked back again around 10:30pm and it was even louder still. I feel like I can't be in my garage now without hearing protection. It's very loud. Also, you can't really tell in this video, but I swapped the sides the fans are on to know if it's the fan or the axle that is wobbly. So now the wobbly fan is on the left instead of the right. The fan was wobbly since I got it. Here is a short video take during my first time using it after it had been running for about 32 hours. You can see the right fan wobbling left and right a lot.
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jimmie
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2021
Posts: 233
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Post by jimmie on Feb 14, 2022 11:10:41 GMT -5
Can’t hear the videos, all my tumblers and vibs are too loud. Just kidding. My lot-o makes all kinds of different sounds. Only thing that ever broke were the mounting springs, it definitely gave off a different sound. Keep monitoring it, as long as it’s running, you should be good.
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waterboysh
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2021
Posts: 369
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Post by waterboysh on Feb 15, 2022 16:56:14 GMT -5
Well, the issue is not really that it's loud (though it is very very loud now). The issue is that I've only had it for about a month, used it just a few times, and now all of a sudden it's really loud when it wasn't before. I don't deal with motors all that often, but I work in IT and deal with electronics a lot. Most stuff if it's going to fail, does so fairly quickly. Usually if a piece of equipment makes it 6 months, it'll make it 6 year (or more) easily. I suspect there may be something wrong with the motor. It sounds like a saw constantly cutting wood.
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Brian
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2020
Posts: 1,506
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Post by Brian on Feb 15, 2022 17:08:36 GMT -5
Have you rechecked the position of your fans?
When I got mine, it was very quiet. Shortly after, I bumped one of the fans out of position and it was much louder. Even after that playing around with it for quite some time, I was never able to get it as quiet as the first time I ran it. I marked my fans so I can quickly check their position. Even though they never seem to move, I still notice a lot of noise coming from them at times.
As far as the buzz saw sound, I got a noise I would classify as such on another occasion when I bumped the fans. I knocked it inward that time and it was just enough to hit something else.
Obviously I have issues with knocking into my fans, but I do think that part of the design leaves room for improvement.
Hopefully it is not a motor issue on a new device but there have been several reports of such failures on RTH recently.
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brybry
Cave Dweller
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Member since October 2021
Posts: 1,199
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Post by brybry on Feb 15, 2022 17:36:00 GMT -5
My $.02 for what it's worth. If it was wobbly to begin with, it won't get better, just worse most likely. Contact the company and see what they recommend. A brand new motor/fan should be pretty tight. Wobbling sounds like either beer 30 Friday on the build or quality control missed something on the motor and/or fan.
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waterboysh
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2021
Posts: 369
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Post by waterboysh on May 28, 2022 22:16:36 GMT -5
Here's an update. My Lot-o is so freaking loud. I honestly don't think it's safe to use it without ear protection anymore, and definitely not safe for my 2 and 5 year old to be near it helping me. Look at the videos I posted in the OP; even the ones where I said it was loud are nowhere near as loud as it is now. Here's what it sounds like now I downloaded an app on my phone to see what the actual sound level is in dB, and exactly 2 feet above the Lot-o it registered 88 dB. Later in the day, I was mowing my lawn and thought it'd be a good idea to see how loud the mower is as a comparison. Funnily enough, exactly 88 dB. So when I bend my head down to check on the rocks, it's the equivalent of sticking my head right next to a running lawnmower engine.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2022 22:33:05 GMT -5
Have you checked the placement of the magnets in the fans to make sure they are in the same position on both sides? Also I would try blowing out the motor and fans with an air compressor or that computer duster in a can stuff. Also check to make sure the fans are not hitting the bolts on the unit when they turn. Just some ideas, hope they help.
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waterboysh
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2021
Posts: 369
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Post by waterboysh on May 28, 2022 22:57:02 GMT -5
Have you checked the placement of the magnets in the fans to make sure they are in the same position on both sides? Also I would try blowing out the motor and fans with an air compressor or that computer duster in a can stuff. Also check to make sure the fans are not hitting the bolts on the unit when they turn. Just some ideas, hope they help. Yes, the weights on both fans are aligned. I haven't tried blowing out the motor, but I suppose it can't hurt anything. The fans aren't hitting the bolt either.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2022 23:06:28 GMT -5
Sorry that didn’t help. You could probably call the Rock Shed or Kingsley North for some trouble shooting help.
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waterboysh
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2021
Posts: 369
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Post by waterboysh on May 29, 2022 10:35:44 GMT -5
Well... turns out my Lot-O was on it's last leg. I had a feeling something was very wrong. Here's what happens now when I plug it in.
I'm sorta mad at myself. I should have realized there was something very wrong when it first started making the weird noise and then getting so loud after only 1 month. It wasn't even constant use that month either as I was still transitioning from running stages 2 - 4 in my 3lb rotary barrels. So I had only run like 2 batches of rocks through when it started.
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waterboysh
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2021
Posts: 369
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Post by waterboysh on May 31, 2022 22:18:50 GMT -5
I posted about this on Reddit too and found another user that also ordered from The Rock Shed about the same time as me. Turns out his has always sounded like mine does and his serial number and mine are only apart by 5. Both made (assembled maybe?) in December 2021. The serial number is etched into the frame, so I'm assuming it's assembled. He detailed the exact same things I'm seeing, including a buildup of black dust on the fans. I went out and pushed and pulled on the axle and here's the sounds it makes.
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phixer
having dreams about rocks
Member since January 2022
Posts: 69
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Post by phixer on Jun 1, 2022 18:13:58 GMT -5
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Post by Rockoonz on Jun 2, 2022 8:50:39 GMT -5
My first guess is the bearings were going out and they have now worn enough to put the shaft far enough off center to cause things to touch internally that shouldn't. I would ask for a replacement for sure.
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waterboysh
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2021
Posts: 369
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Post by waterboysh on Jun 7, 2022 15:14:37 GMT -5
Well I emailed both the Rock Shed and Lot-o and didn't hear back from either. So I called the number listed for the Lot-o manufacturer on rocktumbling.com and spoke to a man named Tom that told me I was out of luck because it was past the 90 day warranty and that it doesn't matter what video proof I have that the failure started just 1 month after purchase.
Personally... as much I liked the results the Lot-o gave me, I don't know if I can stomach paying almost $200 to replace the motor in a machine that is less than 6 months old. What if the new motor fails after 4 month? Then I'm just screwed again. After this experience, I don't know if I can recommend the Lot-o to anyone in good faith.
Not sure what I'm going to do at this point.
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Post by Son Of Beach on Jun 7, 2022 15:38:17 GMT -5
waterboysh I'm super late to the party...sorry. This week I thought I toasted my Lot-O as well. It was making an awful noise similar to yours. I ended up sliding the fans off and plugged it back in to hear if it was just the motor or something else. Didn't make a sound without the fans, what the hell? Slid the fans back on, loud noise again. Clearly something with the fans was wrong. I re- positioned them closer to the end of the shaft and I that's when I noticed they were rubbing against he nut that is just above it. Problem solved. I wonder if yours was just catching hard on that.
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waterboysh
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2021
Posts: 369
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Post by waterboysh on Jun 7, 2022 15:48:03 GMT -5
I wonder if yours was just catching hard on that.
Definitely not.
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Post by aDave on Jun 7, 2022 16:15:29 GMT -5
waterboysh Did you ever speak to Shawn at the Rock Shed? If not, I'd give him a call to see if there is anything he can do to help you out. I know the manufacturer told you that you are out of luck, but I'd look to see what Shawn can do. Remind him you bought it from him. Tell him you started posting on the Forum (name it for him, as he knows who we are) back when it started, and no one had any solid info for you. Then, it failed after warranty. Maybe you'll luck out, as Shawn is a pretty attentive guy. Then again, his hands might be tied, as the manufacturer will no longer cover it. Good luck.
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