New user - Lokking for Avalon Blower

[bob95065]

I am new to the forum and look forward to contributing. My wife and I just bought a new home and lok forward to installing our new to us wood stove.

I bought a used Avalon Rainier wood stove that I would like to install in my house. The stove didn’t come with a blower. It has an option for a front or rear blower when you use it as a free-standing wood stove which I will do. I had a Rainier in my last house that was an insert with the front blower. They used spring clips to attach the blower to the stove and it rattled like crazy. It nearly drove us nuts. I want to go with the rear blower this time.

I checked around online and see that the part # for the blower is 99000138 and the price is $300. OUCH! Has anyone else used a rear blower? Any feedback on it? Also does anyone else know where I can find one used or new at a better price?

Thanks,

Bob Elliott

 

[philaphire]

I too have a Rainer - great stove. A couple years ago I had some sparks get sucked into the blower melting a couple fan blades. According to stove shop there's no way to get replacement parts and Internet research only yields the blower from Avalon and yes, $300. If you find something better - let me know

 

[baldhead]

I have the rainier insert with front blower. I bought 2 ecofans and they make no noise. If you run the front blower on low with the 2 ecofans it puts out a little more heat than the front blower on high and no noise or rattling. I agree the front blower is too noisy and rattles around on high but on low it is quiet and I like the way I can move the ecofans to blow towards me depending on where I'm sitting.

 

[bob95065]

I now live in Felton, CA and work in Sunnyvale which is 40 miles north of home. I called around Santa Cruz and found the blowers were $300. I found a place near work that is a distributor for Northern California that will sell the same blower for $250 to me because I have a CA contractor's license. It's still a lot more than I wanted to spend but at least I would save $50 if I went that route.

I am leaning toward a rear blower this time. I am using the Rainier as a free-standing stove so I have a choice. The rear blower has a solid mechainical connection (bolts) as opposed to the front blower which uses spring clips. The spring clips allowed the blower assembly to move with respect to the stove which was the source of the annoying rattling. I think the rear blower won't rattle as much.

I was looking at the stove and wonder if I could make my own fan for less. Anyone ever try?