M55 Convection fan upgrade

[vinny11950]

So I had the old fan on stove. This fan is notorious for being weak and the design has it so it eventually becomes unbalanced at the motor side and starts under performing and making noise. I could tell it was going out because it would not spin as easily when I spun with my fingers, and on the lower stove settings I would hear a constant quiet rattle coming from the exchange tubes.

You can see the motor tilting and the shaft connecting to the squirrel cage at an angle.



So rather than wait for it to crap out in the middle of winter, I decide to be proactive. New fan below:



Goes in like the old one, with two bolts holding it up at each end of the stove. The tricky part is securing the capacitor to the metal bracket that holds the pressure switch. There is screw in the middle of the plate that holds the pressure switch that needs to be replaced with a longer one. This longer screw will hold the zip tie collar which will hold the capacitor.



That is pretty much it. It is a big upgrade from the old, and puts out more hot air. It is a little louder but not much. The Dell laptop makes more noise with its cooling fan.

 

[vinny11950]

Some random pics here.

Cleaning between the exchange tubes. Do this once 4 to 8 weeks. Real messy cause of all the ash falling down. I wear a mask for this.



And this is the burn pot after 2 weeks of mixed brands.



And a picture of the Christmas Fire outside in the Chimenea, just because I like fire.

 

[Threerun]

Yeah the fan really makes a difference. I had to replace mine last year (failed). It really pushes out a lot of heat. It solved my hi-temp switch issues too. No more of that since the new fan.

 

[Lake Girl]

Thanks for the photo walk-through Vinny!

 

[ohbix]

Great, and helpful pictures! My orig. fan looked exactly like yours at the motor. Replaced w/ the new fan this fall and no more high limit switch tripping.

 

[vinny11950]

It really does make a big difference. I was going to buy the fan in the early spring but waiting to Oct to purchase it. The price jumped close to $20! So I went ahead and bought an exhaust fan too, just to have as a spare part and because I assume it will cost more in the future.

Below is are picture of the new spare exhaust fan. Notice the silicone seal at the collar. My original fan that came in the stove didn't have it and let out some smoke from it. I, and other members, complained about it here on Hearth.com - it seems someone was listening.




Below is a picture of the original (later on I had to slather the silicone around it):

 

[Skier76]

Great pics!

My burn pot looks similar to yours between cleanings. Are you getting any squeaks from your agitator? I've cleaned the pot liner and the agitator...still squeaks every so often. I'm using the copper anti seize on the bearing side so I'm confident it's not that. I remove all the carbon build up I can.

 

[vinny11950]

The anti-seize on the agitator only lasts about 2 weeks, then it is back to squeaking. And sometimes the agitator rod squeaks somewhat when brushing up against the carbon buildup. This doesn't happen often but it does happen.

 

[Skier76]

I put the anti-seize on every week during my cleaning.

I'm getting the squeak every so often; figure it must be one of the agitator fingers rubbing the carbon build up.