My imac fan is making a purring sound

My imac is making a loud "purring" sound but it is inconsistent. Is there a way to reset the fans ?

If it is real quiet and I put an ear close to my (get this) Early 2006 Intel iMac I can hear the CPU fan purring at the default speed just like you describe. Adding that it has done this for (lets see) 6 years and 10 months and has never gotten any worse. The bottom grill work and HD intake behind the stand get cleaned every few months and it has been opened several times over the years for a thorough cleaning. I have used SMCFanControl on it almost from the time it was new and can barely hear the CPU fan if I kick it up from the default speed of 1100 RPM to somewhere between 1250 and 1300 RPM. Additionally I feel that over the years, periodic cleaning and running both the CPU and HD fans up a few hundred RPM, has made her last longer and I'm certain that the grandkids will get a few more good years out of the old girl.

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