New Jotul 450 -- Blower vibration and rattling noise

[westward]

Hi all. Can't find much information on how much vibration noise is "normal" from my newly installed Jotul 450 wood burning insert. First time I fired it up the fan was unbearably loud with the majority of the noise coming from metal on metal rattling. If I push on the blower unit it'll go away for a second, then come back with a vengeance. My guess is the there's some runout on the shaft of the fan itself.

Problem is, I've had service out twice now and they still don't think the blower fan needs to be replaced. First time they put a few shims here and there and told me it would be replaced if I called for service again. They they came back today and put fiberglass tape-gasket around the unit and some shims and it's better but if I touch it the noise comes back. To make things worse the service guy got pissed when I suggested the problem wasn't solved. I already have another call in for a replacement and the guy just left. I'm not interested in a band-aid solution for a near $4K product.

My question is, what's normal in terms of vibration? Anyone else experiencing noise problems on their Jotul insert or have experience with someone who has? Does it sound like I'm not getting the kind of service I should?

Thanks in advance!

 

[ControlFreak]

You shouldn't have rattling noises coming from your blower. Sometimes a little bit of vibration in the fan assy can cause other parts to rattle a little so shifting things around a bit can make it go away, sometimes putting a little insulation in there can help, like they already did. But you're the customer and the dealer should support you if you bought from them. A service tech that gets angry with the customer? I'd give the dealer a call and let the owner know about this. Not acceptable

 

[oconnor]

When I had mine installed it rattled, but I found the 3 clips that hold the blower hadn't engaged right. They are supposed to sit on top of the plate, and mine were slid underneath. I just pulled the blower cage off and reseated it, and no more rattle. Reseating the blower is a frequent event here, as my shephard and border collie shed so much it fouls the fans.

 

[bren582]

When I installed my insert and fired it up there was some rattle and noise beyond the normal/expected motor hum and wind noise like a fan makes.. I took the blower off, snugged up all the mounting screws I could see and that solved the problem. I also had to make sure the wires leading from the fan assembly to the temperature sensor were out of the way of the fans or any moving parts.. A pissed off tech is absolutely unacceptable and I would have told him so very politely and called the dealer straight away to complain about it.. When you plunk down 4000 clams you have a right to some professional service.. Don't keep silent... Don't let them get away with that kind of crap..

 

[christie]

The fan is too darn loud. I've had the fireplace for three years now, and it projects good heat, but I've seen other fireplaces that are LOTS quieter and the fan on this one is really distracting. My local dealer doesn't care, so I'm going to try to get a friend to change it.
Too bad, because Jotul is such a good name. I would have thought they would have figured this out.

 

[christie]

Did you ever get the blower to be quieter. Mine, too, is unbearably loud. And I think I bought it around when you did. It's been driving me crazy for three seasons!

 

[Rudyjr]

Did you ever get the blower to be quieter. Mine, too, is unbearably loud. And I think I bought it around when you did. It's been driving me crazy for three seasons!

As Brent mentioned make sure that the housing clips (3) are on top of the sheet metal. Also on mine the housing for the snap stat was not making firm contact with the bottom of the firebox. It was very easy to bend the housing up slightly to put some pressure on the two parts, no more rattleing on high. Also clean the blower wheels and lubricate the two oiling ports on the ends of the motor while you are in there and check all fasteners for tightness. It only takes a few minutes to do all of these steps since the ashlip and motor housing just lift off, great design in my opinion.

 

[Davey C]

Hello, I have had the same problems with the noise from the blower fan, was minor at first. Had service guy come out. Who happened to be the same guy who installed the stove, said it was from the brick on the hearth put some gasket in a few spots and then left some extra and went on his way, then a year later it was unbearable, not bad on low. So I did some tinkering on my own opened the fan to clean and lube as stated in a few post's, But I found the fan was broken between a couple of the plastic spokes. The blower wheel a double inlet made by Thogren is plastic on a $4G stove. Going to try and replace and will keep you posted, other than that We love the stove.

 

[hillbilly deluxe]

I have recently moved into a home with a wood burning fireplace insert. When I run the fan it rattles like crazy. I have found that the inner walls of the fireplace, looks like brick but don't know what it's made of, is not held tight to the metal sides of the insert. You could try turning on the fan and using the poker to push against those panels on the inside of the fireplace to see if it changes the sound of the rattling or it may stop it all together. Hopefully this helps someone out, I know that rattling drives me nuts.

 

[bill2003]

We've had a Kennebec for several years now and love the insert. However - that stupid fan is enough to drive you to distraction. Occasionally on high setting, we get a terrible rattle. But more annoying is the whistle on the low setting. It's just this sort of high pitched 'thing' in the background that I haven't been able to fix. As far as the rattle is concerned, we've used felt, fiber glass insulation, to no avail. I started looking for a replacement and haven't found anything yet. If anyone has a viable alternative, please post it! When the whistle gets to be too much, we have to turn off the blower and we run a little table top fan to push the air which barely works.

 

[oconnor]

The whistle on mine decreased after I oiled the bushings. Mine didn't seem to have the oil ports, so I held it sideways and let the oil run down the shaft towards the bushings. Made a difference.

Also noticed that mine is different from others pics. I only have two pieces of tin over the fan, one on the side where the wiring attaches, and the large cover. So, the opposite side will vibrate. I wedged a steel bracket in there to hold it still, that made a big difference.