[xchcui]

Hi.

I bought new 5 wings pedestal fan.
It is considered as quality fan.It works manually and with remote control,it has 4 speed and two kind off wind behavior,it has timer and digital screen.
The problem is that the base of the fan has very very strong bad smell like a very stinky shoes.
The base of the fan is wide and round and made of two parts:the heavy part and the decorative part which cover the heavy part.
The bad smell came from the heavy part.its color is somewhat grey with alot of,kind of colored fibers.It looks like a mixture of recycling plastic.
The code 7(others)is writing on it.
I try to wash it with water and soap and put it under the sun but it still smell bad.(the material absorb heat from the sun very fast like a steel).
My concern is about breathing this smell.this fan is in my bed room and i worry that this smell has bad effect on health(toxic fume).
should i be worry?

Thanks in advance.

[Borek]

No way to say with that amount of information.

I would consider asking for replacement - if it stinks, it has nothing to do with quality.

[xchcui]

Hi Borek.

What information can i add?i mentioned what i could see.
I checked the other fans in the store(the same model)and all the bases has the same smell.
The smell come from the material that the factory uses to make the base. It doesn't come from dirty or something like that.

[Hunter2]

I would buy another brand.

[xchcui]

I attached a photo of the fan.the brand is Gree fd-4001b.I also attached photos of the base(the color is black not grey as i said before)it is 3 kg. weight and when i touch the base,my hand become black(like wheel tyres) even after i washed it with soap(when i tried to get rid from the smell).
Is that information help to know if this smell is safe?

[Borek]

Sorry, there is nothing you can do this way - identifying the smell requires a chemical analysis which you won't do at home, pictures and manufacturer symbols are useless.

What you are doing now is like asking "my car is blue, does it run on diesel, or petrol?".

[xchcui]

Yes,i know that by pictures it is a problem to give an answer.but i assumed that maybe you familiar with the material that usually used for fan base,since you are chemists experts.
I gave the name of the brand,the plastic code,the weight and closeup,the kind off smell(combination of stinking shoes and wheel tyre)and the black color that it left behind on your hand if you touch it.
So,i was hoping that from your experience you could give me an answer.
From my experience bad smell always idicate bad material/recycle material/toxic material.
The fan seems to be good quality but this smell ruins everything.

[discodermolide]

Smell does not necessarily mean toxic or re-cycled material. The smell you describe sounds to me like thiophenol, this may be due to the composition of the material. Perhaps it has some natural rubber in there which certainly contains aromatic sulphur compounds and is not happy in the presence of light!

[xchcui]

Is it possible to stop completely that emitting smell?
Like, by cover it with aluminium foil,paint it and etc.?
 

[discodermolide]

No, if it's the smelly compounds I think then they are volatile and you can smell them even in very low concentrations. Foil will work for touching it.
Just buy a new one!

[xchcui]

In other situation i was,definitely,returned the fan,whether the smell was toxic or not.
But this one is the optimal pedestal fan that i could find and i try my best to solve the smell problem before i decide to return it.

No, if it's the smelly compounds I think then they are volatile and you can smell them even in very low concentrations.

Maybe the "No..." in your answer was refer to my following question but i would like to ask it only to be sure.
If i will paint the part with water based enamel,can this paint block the smelly volatile compound?

[discodermolide]

No, I doubt painting it will help. Try it and see what happens.

[xchcui]

I could try to paint it and see what will happen,but if it will not work and i will need to return the fan,i will have to charge the seller for my work+materials+taxes 
Now,seriously,i can't try it without be sure that it will block the smell.The seller will not take it back.
Aren't enamel paints making sealed layer on the painted object or the molecules of the volatile compound can penetrate through it?

If it can't be done,i will need,unfortunately,to return it to the seller.there is no way to sleep with that smell,even if it was good for breathing.

[discodermolide]

Just return it to the supplier.

[xchcui]

OK.thanks for your help.
Meantime(before i return it),i hope that someone will know if enamel paint can block the smell.
If not,at least i try