Hello. Please help me fix the noisy blower.

[Milan]

Hello everyone. I live in an area where wood is not difficult to come by and decided to use this renewable resource to heat my home and to reduce my energy bills. Cutting and splitting wood by hand is also a bonus, since they provide good exercise and stress relief.
My home has a Country Flame wood burning insert. The insert has a blower fan. The blower, which i suspect is an aftermarket replacement, has two working positions: slow and fast. While slow, the fan is quiet but the stove does not provide much heat. When fast, the stove heats, but the blower makes enough fan noise to drive me out of the room or i have to double the volume on TV to hear the news....I don't have the CF model number with me here, but this stove insert has the fan on the left, the controls on the right, and it blows hot air from the top of the box. There are some screws for opening the left and right sides for replacing the blower and the controls.
Is there a blower out there that has variable speed control, is reasonably reliable and efficient, and most of all QUIET? Perhaps a good and quiet universal type? Thank you.
Milan

 

[jtp10181]

You could take the blower out and take it to an HVAC supply place and try to match it up with a new one. Then for the speed control there are various types of in-line rheostats that would work.

Other option is to get the model number and find a dealer. Order an OEM replacement fan.

 

[begreen]

I have a couple thoughts that might work. If the fan has a shaded pole motor then a variable speed control should work. To use it, you will need to be sure that the current fan control is set to high.
http://www.northlineexpress.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=5SA-4008&eq;=

Or you could get a complete assembly, but will have to decide if you can make it fit:
http://www.acehardwaresuperstore.com/stove-builders-wood-stove-blower-p-32412.html?ref=42

And here is a good resource for stove blowers in general:
http://www.electricmotorwarehouse.com/fireplace/fireplace_overview.htm

 

[DiscoInferno]

None of the blowers I've seen can be called quiet, but some are better than others. Smaller blowers that use higher RPMs to get more air out are the worst; expect a 2800+ RPM shaded-pole blower to be loud. Make sure nothing blocks input or output, as that increases the noise level.

 

[eernest4]

You could try to fix it before replacing it.
1. UNPLUG IT & take it off the stove.
2. remove the housing ,sheet meatl, screen ,whatever.
3. plug it in while on the bench. Make sure the fan rotor can't hit anything. Clamp it in a vise if you have to. Or have a helper hold it but caution him to keep his hands clear of spinning parts.
4. Run it on low & then run it on high and watch the fan or squerril cage rotor for run out.

run out can be up & down or side to side, probably side to side.

side to side run out could be worn bearing in the motor or just a worn out thrust washer.

The whole repair could be as simple as placing the proper thickness washer on the motor
shaft to prevent the run out or it could be a matter of just finding where the rotor is hitting some sheet metal when it is running & bending the sheet metal just enough so that the rotor cant scrape it.

Look inside the blower fan housing to see if something foriegn,that don't belong in there,could be hitting the fan rotor & making noise. If its dirty in there ,clean it out.


Try oiling the bearings with sae 30 engine oil to see if that quiets them/.

inspect the bearings for wear & if worn replace the motor.

You can replace just the motor,you know, you dont need to replace the whole blower.

www.grainger.com

sells both replacement motors only & whole blower assemblies.

The motor will have make,model #, volts ,amps,current draw, rotation direction,shaft size,
length & diameter, watts & rpm's on a lable or stamped into the motor case.

Look with a good light,magnifing & reading glasses & copy info onto a sheet of paper.

Worst case is to ship old motor to grainger with order for a match up for new motor.

 

[drizler]

Not a real solution for you but an idea where to look. Go find the local mom and pop electric motor repair. There are more of em around than you imagine just look in the yellow pages. Take the serial and model number and probably a couple pics or better yet the unit to them. State your case and see what they can do for you. These places don't usually repair the small stuff anyways but they have and can get anything and in the process set you up with something very close or ideal to your needs. At the very least they will be the very best source of knowledge for you and can give you advice if nothing else.
I had to replace the blower on my Miller gun oil furnace a few years back and the trialer places wanted around 300 for a blower motor and a week wait. The electric supply was around 250. I went to this repair place and they sent me out the door with a new Dayton for 125 which amazed me. Nice folks and I got the impression they could either rig or knew what to order for about any purpose. Same goes for alternators and starters. I used to buy em rebuilt and for the last 20 or so years have been getting mine rebuilt. 50 bucks for what amounts to a new starter or alternator with no nearly worn out bearings like the big rebuilders often leave in. Thats when I found out where all the local car dealers took their electric motors. Sometimes its amazing the wealth of local talent right under your nose which you don't even know is there. Like anything else today look for the outfit that works out of the shop behind his house rather than on the strip or mall, thats where you find the deals and the old timers............................