Jotol Kennebec Fan Not Coming On

[dtbmcc]

Hello -

I just started using my new Kennebec insert. A major factor in the insert purchase was the fan - which is not coming on. There is no manual option, just high and low which is suppose to come on automatically. Called the dealer who said the stove must be around 500 degrees for the fan to come on. I've now built (what I think) are hot fires after a few days of breaking in, but no success. There are 4 or 5 sizeable logs burning away, the stove is sort of "ticking" to indicate the heat. I don't have a stove thermometer yet, but plan to get one although not sure where to measure the temp. To me, 500 degrees seems like an awfully hot stove just to get the fan to kick it. If this is the case, I hope it does not have to be maintained at that level for the fan to continue to operate.

Does anyone have any insight or suggestions on the fan operation for this unit? If I do get a thermometer, is there a special type for inserts?

Thanks very much,

Diane

 

[Fsappo]

I would have the dealer come out to bypass the snap disk and diagnose the issue. Thats why you buy a fine piece of equipment like that from a dealer instead of some made in china crap from some no name online store.

 

[oldspark]

500 is a pretty hot fire, my summit has to be 300 or so but that seems to very, I would put some small splits in there to get it good and hot and it shoud come on in a hurry.

 

[OhioBurner©]

It could be the Kennebec has a similar issue like the Rockland... but not having a manual fan control kinda sucks... My Rockland, as well as most others with a Rockland on here, experience a really delayed fan start. Most just use manual and forget the auto feature. The other night I started a fire and put it on auto and just let her rip to see when the fan would kick on. When it hit 660* I said screw it and turned it on manual. Once it kicks on though it seems to work, as I can switch it to auto before going to bed and it stays on (say stove back down in the 400's) and then in the morning when its ashes the fan will have automatically kicked off at some point. Dont know why they are like that... could be the position of the 'snapstat' - on the Rockland its underneath the firebox right in the front center (you can take the grill off and just follow the wires comming out of the switch to see a big round thing bolted onto the stove - thats the snapstat). Cool air rushing in probably keeps that spot cooler and longer to come up to temperture even though the stovetop might be up to full temp.

As far as a thermometer you can put it in the slot at the top the hot air blows out... in the center and tucked in just a bit. Will be hard to read, but if you rotate it so your nromal burn range is facing out you can get used to just seeing were the pointer is. Or do what I did and get an IR temp gun and just point-n-shoot.

Good luck I've heard good things about the Kennebec. Do a search here for 'Kennebec' or 'Jotul 450' and youll find some more info.

 

[dtbmcc]

Thank you everyone for all your comments and suggestions. I now know my gut feel about what should be happening is on target. I've had the front off before to see if there was a manual switch, so I'll check the snap disk and see what I can see. Tonight, I'll try blocking the air intake directly in front of it to see if it makes a difference.

Will give the dealer another call. I've heard nothing but good things about Jotol, so I'm hoping this will be a straightforward fix.

I had a freestanding stove for 20 plus years, so I'm use to stove "behaviors" but still getting use to this one.

Thanks again. I'll let you know how it goes.

Diane

 

[Jaugust124]

My Rockland seems to kick on in the 400-450 range.

 

[Rudyjr]

My C450 probably comes on at around 500 degrees, but the entire stove not just the top needs to be hot. The snapstat location is such that you need quite a bit of heat to the floor of the stove and firebrick to turn it on. The fan coming on later like this seems to help me get a good fire established before the fan starts. Once it is on it stays on until the firebox cools down pretty much all the way. I think you can also adjust the location some to expedite it coming on earlier if I remember correctly from a post way back.

 

[oconnor]

I agree with Rudy. It takes 30 mins or more at temp for the heat to make it to where the snap stat is. The stat connects to the body of the stove on the cold side of the air channel that provides air to the airwash above the doors, so it needs the stove to come to full temp before the fan will let you "steal" heat from the stove.

Make sure your snap stat is in contact with the body of the stove. If you lift off the ash lip, you will see it on the side your electrical is connected thru. Mine wasn't initially tight enough with the stove.

If you want to make sure the fan works, pull the fan assembly from the front of the stove (it is just a friction fit), and jumper across the two wires that connect to the snap stat (on mine, two white wires, one to the center of the high/low switch, the other to the plug connection). The fan should run. If not, the problem is with the fan.

 

[SKIN052]

No idea what temp it takes the summit to come on. Seems to take quite a while though, wonder if that's an adjustable option?

 

[dtbmcc]

I took a look at the wiring, and can see there are problems - though not sure how to fix it.

I noticed there was a lot of strain on the wires going to the switch, then noticed the installer had not routed the wire harness of sorts to the outside of the fan casing. Instead, it went under a sharp vertical metal piece of the fan casing that seperates the fans from the area where the wires connect to the switch and power plug. Also, noticed there was a lot of copper showing where the wires connect to the switch. I managed to get the wires out from under the metal piece, but can't quite get to the connectors to push them in further. There's a nasty piece of metal protroding horizontally above them. I tried needle nose pliers, but no luck.

Right now the wires from the fan are as follows:
- red and black connected to the fan switch
- white is not connected (seems this should go to power plug???)
- green connected to ground.

The snapstart has two white wires as follows:
- one connected to power plug
- one connected to switch

I'm also wondering if the wires in the "harness" are damaged from being stuck under the vertical metal piece. I cannot pull the casing back far enough to see, and would prefer not to cut it.

The snapstart seems to be encased in metal. The wires coming from the firebox area go into a metal box which does not touch the firebox - if this makes a difference in getting it heated.

Can anyone comment on whether the wire connections are correct, and how I might be able to push in the connectors? I don't have the strength you guys do. I tried to pull out the fan casing, but it's not moving.

Thanks again,

Diane

 

[oldspark]

The wiring does not sound right but having trouble pictureing it in my head, sounds like the neutral is not hooked up.

 

[Rudyjr]

Diane, I think you should probably let your dealer have a look at it to make sure everything is o.k. just to be safe.

 

[begreen]

Agreed. There is no excuse for this. They sent a boy to do a man's job. It sounds like the neutral is not connected. If so, there is no way the fan is going to come on. Call them and tell them what you have found. They should be at your doorstep groveling in apology.

 

[dtbmcc]

You guys are great! I agree with getting the dealer in. I try to fix what I can (always learn something), but I absolutely want it to be safe.

BeGreen, thank you for the wiring diagram - my wiring clearly has differences.

I'll send a follow-up after the service call.

I really appreciate everyone getting back to me so promptly.

Diane

 

[oconnor]

Diane

The fan casing should come off without a hassle. When your dealer comes by, have him demonstrate how it is done. You will need to do it a couple times a year just to vacuum the fans.

Good luck!

 

[Rudyjr]

Diane

The fan casing should come off without a hassle. When your dealer comes by, have him demonstrate how it is done. You will need to do it a couple times a year just to vacuum the fans.

Good luck!

+1 I totally agree with Brent on this. It is very important to be able to do this yourself to prolong the life of the fan.

 

[dtbmcc]

Thanks very much for letting me know about the fan maintenance. I called the dealer, now waiting for a call from the installer service guy. I would have felt better if I got a call today. They called very quickly to get the install scheduled! I'll be sure to have them show me how to pull out the fans.

Diane

 

[blowell]

Let us know what happens. I just installed the same stove about two weeks ago. I'd be willing to bet the wiring is simply crossed, but I would certainly make the dealer right the problem. The stinky thing about the stove's fan is that you can't test it, because it won't run without the heat. But you really shouldn't have to I guess, because the Jotul directions are pretty straight forward - even I was able to do it.

Good luck. Once the fan does get working, you're really gonna love your stove.

 

[dtbmcc]

Hello Again!

Finally, the service guy came and now the fans are working! I had to wait over a week under protest, as the installers are busy with new installations this time of year. I would have expected them to give some priority to situations where they messed up. Oh, well. One wire just wasn't connected, and one was connected to the wrong place. Now, all is good. I love the stove with fans operating - it's so much better! I had the guy show me how to pull out the fans for cleaning which does require some brute strength, so hopefully I'll be able to do it. Can someone advise how often they should be cleaned? I know it depends on usage, just looking for a ballpark.

BTW - the service guy tests the fans by heating the snap start with a lighter. Don't know if has downsides, but that was his method.

Thanks again to everyone who helped me with this situation. MUCH appreciated!

Diane

 

[Jaugust124]

dtbmcc,
Glad things are working out for you. Funny, I find myself with a fan problem as well. My fans were turning on when the temp. got to about 450 degrees. Tonight, the temp. went up to around 600 and no fan. Don't know what that's all about. I'm planning to have a few more fires and see what happens before I make the call to get service. I can always flip them on manually, but I want a system to work the way it was intended. Go figure.

 

[dtbmcc]

I'm sorry to hear your fans are not working correctly. Let us know what you find out. I'm wondering about the life expectany of the fans, and the snapstart. They're so integral to getting heat out of the stove (mine has no manual setting), I hope they last a while.

How often do you run your fans? I want to have them running as much as possible - is this a good idea?

Good luck to you,

Diane

 

[gpcollen1]

dtbmcc,
Glad things are working out for you. Funny, I find myself with a fan problem as well. My fans were turning on when the temp. got to about 450 degrees. Tonight, the temp. went up to around 600 and no fan. Don't know what that's all about. I'm planning to have a few more fires and see what happens before I make the call to get service. I can always flip them on manually, but I want a system to work the way it was intended. Go figure.

Sometimes it depends when you start with a cold stove. My stove takes a long time to get the fan on from a cold start. Once on though, the fan never really goes off, even when stove top temps drop over night. It is all about what it takes to heat the part of the stove that the snap disc is touching - not what the stove top temps are.

 

[begreen]

Take a look and make sure the wiring is in place and no spade lug connector has pulled off due to an imperfect install or inadvertently being pulled while cleaning down there. If all looks proper (like in the wiring diagram shown above) follow the wiring to the snap switch to be sure it is in contact with the stove. If all looks ok, it probably means the snap switch has failed.

 

[yanksforever]

Whatever side the switch is on...build the fire closer to the front of the stove on that side...it will come on quicker. That is where the sensor is.

 

[OhioBurner©]

On the 550 the snapstat is in the center. Also, it appears to be on a piece of sheetmetal and not directly in contact with the firebox... I only looked at it once I'll have to take a closer look. Is the 450 like this as well? But that could explain why it takes forever in a day for the fan to kick on in auto... infact I have never yet been patient enough to wait for it... I've waited through almost the complete burn cycle of the first 2-3 splits and still no fan... 600+ degrees stovetop. I'll just switch it to auto later on when I'm heading to bed so that it will turn back off in the morn instead of force cooling the stove after it goes out. Way I figure it might help keep the stove warmer and perhaps startup again a bit easier/quicker. But for every other time I just leave it on manual set about 75%-100% depending on if we are in the room watching tv or something (its a bit loud at 100%).