Parts & Accessories > Air Hockey Blowers
Air Hockey Blower Motors
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Blowers are the most important parts of an air hockey table and can also be the most expensive components. It is the heart and soul of the air hockey table that produces the movement on the surface by creating an air flow through the small holes in the top. The air that comes through the small holes in the surface allows the puck to easily float across the surface and allows the game to move at a quick pace. If you have ever tried to play the game with the blower off you will notice how sluggish the game would be with just a standard table. Most use a fan style called a centrifugal design that is made up of internal angled blades that spin to pull in air and force it out in a specific direction.
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Differences in Air Blowers
Generally speaking, the larger and better the table you have the more higher powered your blower will be because it will need to move more air in order to achieve fast play. Good models run all the way up to $400 just for this single part to replace on tournament grade models. The first way manufacturers cut down on the costs of air hockey tables is to equip it with a lower voltage motor that doesn't have large blades and thus moves less air. This lower air flow is then combined with a shorter table length and smaller vs. larger pucks to even the game out at this smaller scale. Anything under a standard tournament quality 8 feet in length table is made to reduce some of these costs for consumers. We realize that not everyone wants to place an 8 foot model in their home and most people aren't set out to become professional players, so this information is intended to make you knowledgeable about the differences in blower pressure but you ultimately need to decide what you are looking for. If you are looking for a table for your children, a more compact model might be the right fit for you. When you need to replace a blower, you will just need to make sure you find a comparable size motor as the original so it produces an equal amount of pressure under your puck. |
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Clean Your Air Blower and Filter Annually
As part of the regular maintenance once a year you should check your blower to see if there is dirt and debris building up around your motor. This should be done especially when you notice lower flow and slower movement on the surface. Since it is meant to move air into the unit and up through the holes in the tabletop, it often accumulates dirt as it passes through. Some of the nicer models even have air filters that are intended to trap this dirt and you can remove it to easily improve the flow of air. We recommend using an air compressor or can of compressed air to flush the dirt out of the motor and filter. You can also use a microfiber cleaning cloth to wipe the dirt off the motor. If your filter is grey even after you clean it, you can take it to a local hardware store and find a replacement filter that matches the same dimensions. |
