Spraying pellet stove motors with Electronic cleaner?

[Val]

When ever you take the back panel off of a stove to vacuum the dust out...maybe mid season or at the end of season, and you vacuum out the motor areas, is it a good idea to spray electronic motor cleaner at the wires and fan fins to get rid of all the dust/ash/ dirt? I mean QRC cleaners are electric motor safe. They wont melt plastics. They dry immediately. I think some are non-combustable. (I think).

 

[Don2222]

Hi Val

I find just spraying is not good enough. If you also use a bottle brush or an old tooth brush to brush the blades along with the cleaner then I can get them really clean. Then if you have oil holes (Usually on the room blower or older non sealed exhaust blowers) a couple drops of 3 in 1 oil are needed.

I also use a putty knife to scrape behind the blades of the exhaust blower, and then when they are all clean, I use Spray Graphite from the auto parts store to give them a nice coating. In my experience this spray graphite really helps keep the build up way down so you can go longer between cleanings!

See my pics here. (Note: These pics are for Mature experienced Stove users and may be explicit and not very interesting to non users!) LOL, LOL

Wood Pellet Stove Yearly Cleaning - Convection Blower
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/60351/

Wood Pellet Stove Yearly Cleaning - Exhaust Blower
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/60251/

 

[Val]

Hi Val

I find just spraying is not good enough. If you also use a bottle brush or an old tooth brush to brush the blades along with the cleaner then I can get them really clean. Then if you have oil holes (Usually on the room blower or older non sealed exhaust blowers) a couple drops of 3 in 1 oil are needed.

I also use a putty knife to scrape behind the blades of the exhaust blower, and then when they are all clean, I use Spray Graphite from the auto parts store to give them a nice coating. In my experience this spray graphite really helps keep the build up way down so you can go longer between cleanings!

See my pics here. (Note: These pics are for Mature experienced Stove users and may be explicit and not very interesting to non users!) LOL, LOL

Wood Pellet Stove Yearly Cleaning - Convection Blower
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/60351/

Wood Pellet Stove Yearly Cleaning - Exhaust Blower
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/60251/

Thank you for the advice. I bet I would probably try to use a soft brush- maybe a smaller paintbrush, bottle-style brush, vacuum and then do electronic spray. I am hesitant of scraping with a putty scraper as I wonder if I could end up bending the fan blades a real tiny little bit...then I would end up hearing hear a "tick, tick" or other weird sound. I would need to find the right scraper, I guess. I also dont want to use graphite spray ( I think it is the black graphite, not a clear version, right?) as my experience with graphite spray is that it sprays all over. when you hit the can nozzle it just blasts and I figure I would end up covering up the colored wires by the motors, too and turning them black. As for 3-in -1 , dont some forums warn against using this for motor bearings? Should you buy a special pellet stove motor oil, like I see for Whitfield pellet stove motors? Are pellet stove motor bushings an oil-less bronze (oil impregnated bushing), needle, or sealed ball?

 

[smwilliamson]

I have a 22 gal air tank and compressor in my service van with 125' of hose, I use that with my vacuum

 

[steam man]

I do have to periodically repair large motors and clean their windings. I have done it a number of ways. Generally a mild soap and water can be used and then dry the windings out until the windings with a heat lamp and then Meg test to at least 1 Megohm. Cleaners tend to be a little rough on the insulation and repeated use will break it down. Compressed air is also recognized as a no-no as it drives the dirt in deeper. An indirect air blast should be OK just not directly at the windings. Generally a soft brush with a vacuum should suffice. I don't think I would recommend any invasive cleaning unless it was really needed.

As far as oil it is best to use what is recommended for your motor. I have a power vent on my oil boiler and used 3-1 or regular type oil for the bearings. They were always failing until I found out the manufacturer recommended a special synthetic base oil and specifically said not to use conventional oil. They said it would shorten the bearing life and it did.

 

[raybonz]

A soft brush and low pressure compressed air along with a vacuum will be just fine. I do not advise washing the windings however some 10W oil on the bearings will be good but only a couple drops..

Ray

 

[Don2222]

Thank you for the advice. I bet I would probably try to use a soft brush- maybe a smaller paintbrush, bottle-style brush, vacuum and then do electronic spray. I am hesitant of scraping with a putty scraper as I wonder if I could end up bending the fan blades a real tiny little bit...then I would end up hearing hear a "tick, tick" or other weird sound. I would need to find the right scraper, I guess. I also dont want to use graphite spray ( I think it is the black graphite, not a clear version, right?) as my experience with graphite spray is that it sprays all over. when you hit the can nozzle it just blasts and I figure I would end up covering up the colored wires by the motors, too and turning them black. As for 3-in -1 , dont some forums warn against using this for motor bearings? Should you buy a special pellet stove motor oil, like I see for Whitfield pellet stove motors? Are pellet stove motor bushings an oil-less bronze (oil impregnated bushing), needle, or sealed ball?

Hi Val

Did you see my pics in the links?

A soft brush may not get all areas clean where the ash or dust is really stuck, those blades are usually metal so you do not have worry about breaking them. I have cleaned many stoves and a stiffer bristle is preferred.

You do have to be careful scraping the ash and carbon off the exhaust motor under the fan blades, but that is why I suggested a putty knife that is slim and gets in there easily without hitting the blades. I do it all the time. The graphite spray has a red straw so you can aim it just where you want and not get it on the wires. The color is gray but can also be wiped off any over spray areas. Many of us on the forum use 3 in 1 oil on the room blowers, all you need is a couple drops in each of the 2 small oil holes that is all.

As far as the bushing goes, you may be confusing the SAE 841 Oil Impregnated bronze or brass bushing around the auger that holds the auger in the hopper. Not all stoves use that type, some use a Nylon bushing that never needs lubrication but can melt easily in a hopper fire.

 

[Val]

Hi Val

Did you see my pics in the links?

A soft brush may not get all areas clean where the ash or dust is really stuck, those blades are usually metal so you do not have worry about breaking them. I have cleaned many stoves and a stiffer bristle is preferred.

You do have to be careful scraping the ash and carbon off the exhaust motor under the fan blades, but that is why I suggested a putty knife that is slim and gets in there easily without hitting the blades. I do it all the time. The graphite spray has a red straw so you can aim it just where you want and not get it on the wires. The color is gray but can also be wiped off any over spray areas. Many of us on the forum use 3 in 1 oil on the room blowers, all you need is a couple drops in each of the 2 small oil holes that is all.

As far as the bushing goes, you may be confusing the SAE 841 Oil Impregnated bronze or brass bushing around the auger that holds the auger in the hopper. Not all stoves use that type, some use a Nylon bushing that never needs lubrication but can melt easily in a hopper fire.

Thank you. I did see the pictures, but I think my idea was cleaning the fins without dissassemby of the blower. Also, I guess I am thinking about squirrel cage type fans, too, Not just flat fan blade styles.

 

[Lousyweather]

When ever you take the back panel off of a stove to vacuum the dust out...maybe mid season or at the end of season, and you vacuum out the motor areas, is it a good idea to spray electronic motor cleaner at the wires and fan fins to get rid of all the dust/ash/ dirt? I mean QRC cleaners are electric motor safe. They wont melt plastics. They dry immediately. I think some are non-combustable. (I think).

heck, Im just glad to see some folks actually do this! Some of the motors we see are horrendous!