Summers Heat 55-SHPEP Pellet stove room air blower problems

[rcain22]

I have recently bought a summers heat 55shpepl from lowe's at the end of November 2009. Three weeks into its life the room air blower started to make a noise that sounded like metal on metal contact at a very loud pitch and also began to sound like metal on metal grinding. I called tech support at englander stove works and they were great. They could hear the noise right through the phone and said that I had a bad blower and sent a new one to me. I was very pleased. I received this new blower and installed it the day after christmas. Jannuary 8th this blower began making the same noises. I called tech support back and sure enough they could hear it agian through the phone and said it was another bad blower. They sent a new one and I installed on MLK day. It is now two weeks later and the third blower is doing the same thing. I understand that pellet stove blowers are noisy because for the 2-3 weeks it works without these loud grinding noises the fan is still loud but not the same loud as it gets after the 2-3 weeks of use. My questions are:

1. Is anyone else with this stove having these same problems?

2. Does anyone know any possible solutions to fix this since I am worried that after getting a new fan every 3 weeks eventually the warranty will run out so then at $130 a crack it will cost me about 700 in new fans per winter season on top of the pellets. There goes my savings by switching to a pellet stove over propane heat.

Thanks,

Rob

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Welcome to the forum Rob,

By any chance is there a way for things to find their way into the blower?

There have been cases where bad batches of blowers have been sent to folks who put them into other devices.

 

[rcain22]

Just dust

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

When you talk to Englander make certain that you tell them this is the third one to go, and provide the time line at least that 'll give them a heads up.

I'd also change the title of this post to add 3rd one in 3 months to make grinding noises. Maybe Mike Holton who heads up Englander's technical support group and is member stoveguy2esw here on hearth.com who monitors things, helps with problems, and is a decent chap will notice and help out.

 

[Topshelf]

Just recieved my first replacement blower yesterday in the mail. Same noises, same great customer service. I'm also wondering the exact same things come next season. I like my stove but dont want it to turn into a money pit once the warranty runs out. I would love to see a post from Mike about this subject.

As a side note I sent an email to my brother who also has an Englander pellet stove yesterday. This is his second year with his and he has had Zero problems other than two auger jams. Not bad for two years of operation.

 

[mattfloyd1]

Rob I've got the same stove as you and had a blower problem back in, I believe December. When I called and ordered a new motor I ask the tech if there was anything type of lubricant I could use to quiet it down until the blower motor came in-he suggested a 3 in 1 oil. I lubed the bearings on the shaft and it's been quiet ever since.
Not sure if you've got a one of the old blower motors still kicking around but, I'd give the 3 in 1 a try.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

If the motor has oil ports you really should check what the manufacturer recommends for lubricant.

Usually for electric motors it is SAE 20 WT and if you use 3 in 1 it is the blue and white can. The normal stuff in the red and white can is normally a no no and repeated use will lead to issues.

Check the plate on the motor it is frequently listed there.

If the lubing takes care of the problem and the time is way less than the recommended lubing frequency you have another issue that will bite you eventually. The folks that made my stove discovered that the blower was too close to the fire box, causing early evaporation of lubricant. Now I have to play contortionist to maintain my convection blower.

You really need to make Englander aware of the situation.

 

[mattfloyd1]

If the motor has oil ports you really should check what the manufacturer recommends for lubricant.

Usually for electric motors it is SAE 20 WT and if you use 3 in 1 it is the blue and white can. The normal stuff in the red and white can is normally a no no and repeated use will lead to issues.

Check the plate on the motor it is frequently listed there.

If the lubing takes care of the problem and the time is way less than the recommended lubing frequency you have another issue that will bite you eventually. The folks that made my stove discovered that the blower was too close to the fire box, causing early evaporation of lubricant. Now I have to play contortionist to maintain my convection blower.

You really need to make Englander aware of the situation.

Smokey I don't disagree, Englander needs to be made aware of the poster's situation and the frequency of motor replacements. My stove build was 8/09. Unfortunately when I called to get a replacement motor, the tech from Englander said I could use 3 in 1 oil he did not specify the type or wt. Oh well, I'll ask next time. I just check the blower motor spec plate and nothing listed there as to lubrication type. It says "sealed ball brg".
Any chance you have a Fasco motor in your stove? If so, I may need to get some advice on your pellet stove contortions!

Thanks for the info on the 3 in 1

 

[imacman]

If the motor has oil ports you really should check what the manufacturer recommends for lubricant.

Usually for electric motors it is SAE 20 WT and if you use 3 in 1 it is the blue and white can. The normal stuff in the red and white can is normally a no no and repeated use will lead to issues..........

the tech from Englander said I could use 3 in 1 oil he did not specify the type or wt. Oh well, I'll ask next time...........

While I agree with Smokey about the 3 in 1 oil Blue can being the one to use ideally, (it's made specifically for electric motors), I have to admit to using the "regular" red can 3 in 1 oil on my previous Astoria stove's convection blower in the oil ports. Put 3 1/2 tons through it last winter, and it ran smooth and problem free the whole time.

It's good to have in a pinch, but continuous use probably should be the Blue can.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

If the motor has oil ports you really should check what the manufacturer recommends for lubricant.

Usually for electric motors it is SAE 20 WT and if you use 3 in 1 it is the blue and white can. The normal stuff in the red and white can is normally a no no and repeated use will lead to issues.

Check the plate on the motor it is frequently listed there.

If the lubing takes care of the problem and the time is way less than the recommended lubing frequency you have another issue that will bite you eventually. The folks that made my stove discovered that the blower was too close to the fire box, causing early evaporation of lubricant. Now I have to play contortionist to maintain my convection blower.

You really need to make Englander aware of the situation.

Smokey I don't disagree, Englander needs to be made aware of the poster's situation and the frequency of motor replacements. My stove build was 8/09. Unfortunately when I called to get a replacement motor, the tech from Englander said I could use 3 in 1 oil he did not specify the type or wt. Oh well, I'll ask next time. I just check the blower motor spec plate and nothing listed there as to lubrication type. It says "sealed ball brg".
Any chance you have a Fasco motor in your stove? If so, I may need to get some advice on your pellet stove contortions!

Thanks for the info on the 3 in 1

Yes the motor on my blower is a Fasco. Drop me a PM with any questions. I don't really want to go off topic that much in this thread.

Matt F, sealed bearing motors don't normally have oil ports let alone a recommended oil to use, also any oil added won't normally last long it doesn't always even make it into the bearing.

 

[rcain22]

Hey thanks for the replies, I to was told I could oil the motor to try and quiet it down but since the motor was a sealed bearing I felt that that realy wasn't a long term solution just something to ease the noise while waiting on a new fan. I spoke with englander yesterday, again their service department was great, and they will be sending fan #4 but this time they want the fan back so they can try to see what is going on. It is just getting frustrating now, Their is only two things that I see that could be it. 1 The fan gets dusty and the blades have some dust build up on them but if you use a paint brush on the fan it comes right off and the noise certainly doesn't go away. Plus the exhaust blower has the same exact motor and bearing set-up so why isn't that one doing the same thing. My second thought is that the Room blowers is to close to the firewall. It is only about 2 inches away where the exhaust blower is about six. Maybe the closeness is causing an early breakdown of the bearing oils. I donn't though. Hopefully once I get the old fans back to englander they can figure it out quickly to get this issue resolved. I really like the look and heat output of the stove.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Rob22,

Good to hear that, they need to look at things back at Englander.

Bad batches of motors have been known to happen and as for it perhaps being to close to heat that also has been known to happen.

Hope things work out for you, keep us posted.

 

[imacman]

......The fan gets dusty and the blades have some dust build up on them but if you use a paint brush on the fan it comes right off and the noise certainly doesn't go away......

Rob, when you remove the "old" blower from the stove, have you tried hooking it direct to 120v ac with a "test cord" (old lamp cord with bare ends) to see if it makes noise when it's OUT of the stove too?

 

[rcain22]

macman, i have not tried that, you can hear even as you spin them manually.

 

[imacman]

macman, i have not tried that, you can hear even as you spin them manually.

If it were me, I'd try what I mentioned above just to be 100% sure it's the motor itself, before sending it back to Englander.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

macman, i have not tried that, you can hear even as you spin them manually.

If it were me, I'd try what I mentioned above just to be 100% sure it's the motor itself, before sending it back to Englander.

What's with this certainty crap macman, you are beginning to sound like an old fart. I thought you declined the invitation to join that fine club and that we were operating on the 80/20 rule, 80% dirty stove syndrome, 20 % other.

 

[imacman]

macman, i have not tried that, you can hear even as you spin them manually.

If it were me, I'd try what I mentioned above just to be 100% sure it's the motor itself, before sending it back to Englander.

What's with this certainty crap macman, you are beginning to sound like an old fart. I thought you declined the invitation to join that fine club and that we were operating on the 80/20 rule, 80% dirty stove syndrome, 20 % other.

Just think that if it were me, I'd be pretty embarrassed if I sent back a blower motor (3rd one) that was the "problem", only to find out it was something else.

I'm just having a hard time believing that all these motors are going bad that fast. It's possible, I guess.

And yes, I am in the Krooser camp on the 80/20. The 20% includes the "just to be sure" stuff. :lol:

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

macman, i have not tried that, you can hear even as you spin them manually.

If it were me, I'd try what I mentioned above just to be 100% sure it's the motor itself, before sending it back to Englander.

What's with this certainty crap macman, you are beginning to sound like an old fart. I thought you declined the invitation to join that fine club and that we were operating on the 80/20 rule, 80% dirty stove syndrome, 20 % other.

Just think that if it were me, I'd be pretty embarrassed if I sent back a blower motor (3rd one) that was the "problem", only to find out it was something else.

I'm just having a hard time believing that all these motors are going bad that fast. It's possible, I guess.

And yes, I am in the Krooser camp on the 80/20. The 20% includes the "just to be sure" stuff. :lol:

Rob said that the motor still made the noise when spun by hand, that sure sounds like something ain't right with the beast to me.

Oh that doesn't say anything about the real cause of the problem just that someone needs to look at it and that someone ain't the customer.

 

[rcain22]

At this point I would be willing to try anything. I'll try it tomorrow but I believe it is still going to make the noise

 

[stoveguy2esw]

hi gang , sory to be late replying to this one but im actually on vacation in myrtle beach (my mid season sanity break) so i havent been monitoring the forum as clsely as i usually do.

as for the blower situation , if its functional , use it in the short term til i get back to the office monday , send me a PM in the mean time with daytime phone number so i can get in contact with you to discuss this. i'll phone you when i get back in the office. if you do not have a functional blower on hand and need heat now get back in touch with my service department and get a new one started to you , please mention this thread and my intention to do a return label for the bad blower so we can test it out to fiind the issue. hopefully the one you have on hand will be functional to you in the short term until i can get back to work next week and get it dealt with.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for dropping in.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for dropping in.

thanks for the heads up

 

[rcain22]

Alright, I hooked the blowers up last night when I got home. And for a minute I thought macman was going to be right and the noise was only going to be loud when it was in the stove. Because when I spin them by hand you hear the noise but it is not that loud the sound of the air pushing through the stove would drown that out. But, and here is the part that assures me that I am somewhat right. The longer I let the fan run out of the stove so the motor, shaft, whatever part heated up from use, the louder the grinding got. Therefore I believe as you compound that with the added temperatures of being actually in the stove is why that noise these fans are all making after a couple of weeks in the stove is so unbearably frustrating.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Rob,

The top person in the support group at Englander is now aware of the issue that the folks in this thread are having.

Please provide him with a contact phone number and let him do his thing.

 

[hnkstang50]

just came across this thread doing a search to see if anyone is having the same stove problems as i am

rob, my situation is almost identical to yours... i got my stove mid october its a 55-shpepl manufacture date 08/09. stove worked great for first few weeks. about 3-4 weeks teh room air blower woke me out of my sleep with a very loud high pitch metal grinding noise. kinda sounds like crickes. teh noise would come and go but mostly was there. also seems to have to do with how long the stove has been on. called englander tech support next day and they sent out a new motor. tech support is top notch and a pleasure to deal with. while i waided for the new blower i tried lubbing the sealed ball bearings with little luck. noise may have gotten better but still there. once i got the new motor and removed the old one i found even spinnin it by hand i could hear the noise from the rear bearing. replaced motor and noise is gone.

2 weeks later same noise is back (more intermittin maby only makes noise 20-40 percent of the time). now it was real cold out and i had been running the stove on high blower speed non stop execpt to clean it. i told englander about how i run the stove and they said that is not a problem. they wanted me to shut down the stove to run tests even tho i told them it only happened when the stove was running a while. it did not make the noise when they ran there test but i explained how when it makes the noise i can unplugg the room air blower from the mother board and the noise stops with the stove still running. the sent me another new blower.when i removed the old one same thing. could hear the rear bearing when spinning by hand. installed new blower motor. installed it with 2 layers of that insulatin stuff to try and get it away from the heat. noise gone. i did find that the blower motor gets very hot all by its self when its running. tech support told me they do and that is normal.

about 3 weeks ago this third blower started making a high pitch squeal noise. and then last week the loud chirping grinding started again. its very frustration to hear it again but i was kinda expecting it. called tech support but when on the phone with them the noise had stopped :/ they sent me a new motor and it came in the mail yesterday. goint to put it in today. currently the stove is on with no noise from the blower. but trust me its loud when it decides to do it.

i am in the same boat as you thinking i dont want this stove its its goin to go through 4 blowers a year. i got this stove to save money on oil costs and its going to cost me money. also warrenty is over in october and the weather is already getting warmer. tech support keeps telling me they dont have a problem with these blowers and say it must be a fluke. tech support is great and they want my old blower back to inspect. i just hope they find out why its going bad. they did forget to send the return label so i need to call them monday.

pretty much seems like the rear bearing is the problem. seems like its a heat thing since its needs to be running a while to make the noise.