HI300 regency insert rattle noise issue

[Chris Roy]

Having vibration and rattle noise issues with my hi300, loud enough that warrants not using anymore. never had issue with unit throwing heat, an it doesn't matter if it's on auto or Manuel select for blower. had installed by dean stove and spa back in 07. Anyone else have this issue??

 

[velvetfoot]

Not me. Did you ever clean out the fans over the years? Maybe it sucked in something.

 

[Chris Roy]

just pulled out the blower assembly and tightened all nuts bolts I found, cleaned out the air intake and fans. also put a half a cap full of synthetic oil into each shaft of blower fans .. Noise is gone for now. I hope to god it doesn't come back cause this insert cut my oil bill to almost nothing..

Not me. Did you ever clean out the fans over the years? Maybe it sucked in something.[/qu

 

[stejus]

rattle issue with mine is the draft rod. Every once an a while it will vibrate. All I have to do is touch it and it goes away. Not sure if this is what is happening to yours, but keep that in mind if it happens again.

 

[Chris Roy]

had the draft rod issue before- the noise was way worse!! I mean rattle your teeth loose loud!! so far so good- I'll update in the am- right now insert is at 450 degrees and fan is on low . with almost no noise

rattle issue with mine is the draft rod. Every once an a while it will vibrate. All I have to do is touch it and it goes away. Not sure if this is what is happening to yours, but keep that in mind if it happens again.

 

[chazcarr]

I had that problem with my stove (which is basically yours) and found that the clip that holds the fan in front actually has two stop points. So it wasn't pushed all the way in. It took some force but now the fan is really locked on and makes no noise at either speed.

Until I found that out, I placed a silicone rubber ball under the front edge and it absorbed and stopped the vibration.

 

[Free BTUs]

I have the same problem with my I2400 insert. With the fan on high speed, it will start to vibrate and make a loud rattleing sound. My friend that has the I3100 has the same problem. Both of us put a wedge under the fan assembly to stop the noise. The problem is that it will shake itself loose after about 4 hours and the noise comes back. I'd love to find a permanent fix for it.

chazzcar - is the clip you are talking baout on the fan itself inside the bottom shelf assembly or are you talking about pushing in on the entire bottom shelf assebly to engage a clip? Did you have to pull out the entire bottom assembly from the insert to get to the clip?

 

[USMC80]

haven't had a issue besides being so quiet that i have to make sure it is running (on low that is)

Clean it out regularly and make sure it is seated all the way back on the clips

 

[chazcarr]

I have the same problem with my I2400 insert. With the fan on high speed, it will start to vibrate and make a loud rattleing sound. My friend that has the I3100 has the same problem. Both of us put a wedge under the fan assembly to stop the noise. The problem is that it will shake itself loose after about 4 hours and the noise comes back. I'd love to find a permanent fix for it.

chazzcar - is the clip you are talking baout on the fan itself inside the bottom shelf assembly or are you talking about pushing in on the entire bottom shelf assebly to engage a clip? Did you have to pull out the entire bottom assembly from the insert to get to the clip?

inside the bottom shelf assembly. YOu have to push it on harder than you think, and it needs to be even on both sides. Once you have that it is silent.

 

[danham]

My Regency will sometimes start rattling. It is always the "tin" surrounding the insert. It takes some juggling to get it into a position where there's enough tension on it (by pushing the insert toward the rear of the fireplace) to prevent rattling. Of course doing this while it's hot isn't going to fly, so sometimes just moving the tin a little with gloves on or putting up with the rattle are the only options. Naturally, it never does it cold [g].

-dan

 

[MetMan]

Bumping this thread. My HI300 started rattling a few years ago and has gotten progressively worse. Cleaned out and tightened everything underneath but still gets bad. This year it occurred to me that the problem started after the blower ingested burning embers and was shooting sparks out the exhaust. (Pro tip: turn the blower off when you're moving coals to the front before reloading.)

Anyway, it also occurred to me that if the plastic squirrel cage fan blades melted in spots, they might be off balance, which could cause a vibration, possibly harmonic. With this in mind I just replaced the blower fan unit in hopes it will cure my problems. I will report back with the results if we ever get any weather suitable for burning!

 

[bholler]

One thing we have found is that sometimes the clips you slide the blower into get bent a bit and if you bend them back down to tighten them up that can fix a rattling issue sometimes. But we have also replaced a few with bad bearings some under warantee some after

 

[velvetfoot]

I love the pro tip. That same thing happened to me with a former insert. Another pro tip: check the rug.

I shopped around and bought a replacement fan, "just in case". With that in mind, it'll probably never crap out, knock on wood.

 

[bens_igloo]

+1 on putting a shim under the blower assembly. Worked like a charm for me.

First time it happened only my wife was home and she thought aliens were descending down on us !

 

[bens_igloo]

Bumping this thread. My HI300 started rattling a few years ago and has gotten progressively worse. Cleaned out and tightened everything underneath but still gets bad. This year it occurred to me that the problem started after the blower ingested burning embers and was shooting sparks out the exhaust. (Pro tip: turn the blower off when you're moving coals to the front before reloading.)

Anyway, it also occurred to me that if the plastic squirrel cage fan blades melted in spots, they might be off balance, which could cause a vibration, possibly harmonic. With this in mind I just replaced the blower fan unit in hopes it will cure my problems. I will report back with the results if we ever get any weather suitable for burning!

Metman, I doubt the plastic fan assembly would melt. Even with a roaring fire, the blower doesn't get hot to the touch. If they're melted I think it would indicate some serious overfiring!

 

[bholler]

Metman, I doubt the plastic fan assembly would melt. Even with a roaring fire, the blower doesn't get hot to the touch. If they're melted I think it would indicate some serious overfiring!

He said it pulled a hot coal into the fan so that could melt it..

+1 on putting a shim under the blower assembly. Worked like a charm for me.

We have done that as well i forgot about that one

 

[MetMan]

Update: Replaced the blower fan (~$105 from Amazon) and the noise issue is gone. The replacement was from Rotom in Canada. A little louder than the original as best as I can recall.

In my opinion if you're shimming you're treating symptoms, not the problem which is vibration.

 

[velvetfoot]

I have a spare one Rotom on the shelf, just in case.