US Stove 5660 room blower fan a tad noisey on low heat setting when 1st fired up for a while?

[Don2222]

Hello

Well, I just did a quick pick up of another stove. A US Stove 5660 MFD 06-20-2011 but owner purchased in 2012 and used the stove only 2 months.

Now the only complaint I have heard about these stoves is the blowers are noisey on some stoves. Both blowers are made by Fasco, so they are good motors. I cleaned up the stove tonight and fired it up. The exhaust blower was fine no excessive noise at all. Then after the stove heated up the room blower came on and sure enough it is noisey! So I checked it at different heat levels in manual mode and the higher heat levels were less noisey. Then after running the stove for a while it seamed to calm down and not be noisey at all! So I shut it down and took a pic. It is a Fasco blower mounted face down into the plenum which looked like it was almost laying on it's side at the bottom of the stove! This is certainly a different setup for a room blower! See pic below. I will remove it tomorrow and check it out.

Has anyone experience noise like this and seen a room blower like this? Any suggestions on the noise?

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Does that blower have oil ports? Just curious because of the mounting.

Perhaps something is a bit sloppy and until the blower heats up it has too much play. Check for lose crimps and mount nuts.

 

[Defiant]

Ear plugs should come with those stoves, some of their cheaper models are pretty tinny and noisy. Smokey gave you good advice.

 

[smwilliamson]

If that stove does not have bearings on the shaft, the motor is mounted incorrectly

 

[Don2222]

Hello

Well, I am going to yank it out today and we will see!

So far the only video I found on it, is how to change the room blower! What a surprise! MountainView Hearth products only has one item for US Stoves! Yes, it is the Room Blower!

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Blowers with the intake too close to a firebox have been known to have intake air flow temperatures too high leading to early motor lubrication loss and/or the motor stalling because of thermal protection.

Also if the output of the blower is in any way compromised (too strong a blower or plugged heat exchanger tubes etc..) it can lead to problems as well.

 

[Don2222]

Hello

Well, I got the Convection Blower out and just like in the video that last far bolt on the bottom was the harder to get at!

Anyway, here are the specs
22-11A
Fasco 119480-00
F33HA10069
120 VAC 60Hz 1.9amps
T,P,L,B
Thermally Protected
12B Max AMB 40Deg C

Home depot stove's specs for this stove show 120 CFM convection blower
See > http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...gId=-1&keyword=bay+front+heater&storeId=10051

It has a Lytherm gasket so I may get one re-use out of it!
It is a little different for a squirrel cage convetion blower.
The motor housing has 2 sets of fan blades on the shaft, one set forward and one set aft!

I cleaned the dust out of the squirrel cage and gave it some spray graphite to prevent accumulation in the future.
There are no oil holes but I gave it some 3-1 oil on the shafts and ran it on the bench.

It seems to be balanced for vertical operation because when I rotated the entire assembly it got more noisey!

So I just got it back in and we will see what happens when I fire it up tonight!

 

[DexterDay]

Instead of the Lytherm gasket...I would put a flat/tape gasket on the cage housing. Like most other units have. A 1/2" or 5/8" flat gasket would work just the same and also would allow to be used over and over and over.

 

[Don2222]

Instead of the Lytherm gasket...I would put a flat/tape gasket on the cage housing. Like most other units have. A 1/2" or 5/8" flat gasket would work just the same and also would allow to be used over and over and over.

Yes, it does not have to be Lytherm here. Where can I get the flat gasket? What does it look like?

 

[DexterDay]

Any local Hearth Shop or even most HD's or Lowes carry it. I buy Meeco's 5/8" flat gasket

 

[Don2222]

Ok, like the ash pan or hopper gasket?

Do you RTV it to the stove?

 

[DexterDay]

Ok, like the ash pan or hopper gasket?

Do you RTV it to the stove?

Yep.... Just like the hopper gasket. I would RTV it to the blower housing. That way your not working in the body of the stove, trying to apply gasket material, at an arms length.

But whichever side is fine. Because the flat gasket is thicker, it may reduce some of the vibration noise. Acting like an anti-vibe.

 

[Defiant]

As I said ear plugs

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

One fore and one aft are you talking one in the blower proper and one above the blower inside the motor shell, if this is the case the one in the motor shell is to keep the motor cool. This one can also shake, rattle, and roll if little pieces of crud like pellets get inside the motor housing.

That blower will thermal off at 104.

There is also high temperature silicone rubber sheet material you can make some gaskets out of.

 

[smwilliamson]

104 or 140? 104 seems low

 

[Don2222]

Hello

FOUND THE PROBLEM!

Ok, When I cleaned the convection blower and ran it on the bench it sounded fine! ! After putting it back in and firing the stove back up it was noisey again! So I found the motor housing sitting on top was vibrating the squirrel cage housing! When I tighened up the shock mounted screws that mount the motor to the squirrel cage, the vibration went away! ! ! See pic below!

Still it is a not a good design to have the motor on top of the squirrel cage. Just too much weight. If the blower goes bad I would replace it with a side motor if possible. Since the blower flange is very close to the inside stove floor it would have to be configured to work that way!

Oh, well it is Good-2-Go now!

 

[Don2222]

One fore and one aft are you talking one in the blower proper and one above the blower inside the motor shell, if this is the case the one in the motor shell is to keep the motor cool. This one can also shake, rattle, and roll if little pieces of crud like pellets get inside the motor housing.

That blower will thermal off at 104.

There is also high temperature silicone rubber sheet material you can make some gaskets out of.

Yes, 2 props inside the motor housing. I can see one to cool the motor but why 2?

 

[Don2222]

One fore and one aft are you talking one in the blower proper and one above the blower inside the motor shell, if this is the case the one in the motor shell is to keep the motor cool. This one can also shake, rattle, and roll if little pieces of crud like pellets get inside the motor housing.

That blower will thermal off at 104.

There is also high temperature silicone rubber sheet material you can make some gaskets out of.

That is silicon rubber is what I had in mind. The Magnum room blowers come with it glued on! Works nice.

Where can I buy that material to make gaskets from?

 

[Don2222]

Hello

This issue is not over yet! I fired the stove up last night again to check the blower noise and vibration. During startup, when the stove was warmed up enough for the convection blower to come on it was noisy and vibrating again. I actually held the motor housing and squirrel cage housing and could feel the vibration. Holding these components did quiet the blower noise down some. So after startup when the stove got warm and toasty the sheet metal blower and motor housing expanded from the heat and the noise went away! ! !

So this means 2 issues here.
1. The weight with the motor being on top is exerting more pressure and vibration on the squirrel cage and motor case. Most of the noise is being generated from these two cases vibrating.
2. Either the 2 cases should be a heavier gauge sheet metal or more securely fastened or the motor should be on the side and not the top.

Since it is a new stove, I called Erica at USSC. She asked if the stove was less than 2 weeks old and if so the noise would quiet down. This stove is approx 2 months old and the noise is still happening even though I did tighten the squirrel cage bolts down that the motor is fastened with.

So she took the serial # of the stove and said they would send a new convection blower out in 3 - 5 days.

I also asked if the new blower was improved and she said she did not think so. Not a good sign. The real fix maybe to get a side mount motor from CSH Incorporated and turn it upside down. The flange hase the standard 3.5" on center 4 bolt mounting studs so another type of Fasco Motor may fit and work much better!

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

You can find the high temperature sheet silicon material on Amazon. You can also use flat window gasket and even rope gasket.

Sounds like things are a bit tight or a bit sloppy in the blower. You can also use another blower as long as you match the cfms, the outlet size of the current blower, and no more than the current electrical load placed upon the controller.

I up-sized my blower CFMs while matching the outlet size (but not the hole spacing on the blower flange, that required two new hole), reducing the electrical load on the controller and lowering the blower rpm. Much quieter and better on the electricity consumption.

I don't know why FASCO used two cooling fans but they must have had a reason.

While you are reading my dribble make certain you pay attention to the depth of the open space below the squirrel cage and the stove frame (while shorting this doesn't place a strain on the blower it sure can make a mess of the amount of air the blower can produce, closing up the outlet on the other hand can lead to burning the motor up).

Now you understand one of the many reasons you want a clean exhaust pipe and no damper on that side of things.

Dribble drivel ....

 

[Don2222]

You can find the high temperature sheet silicon material on Amazon. You can also use flat window gasket and even rope gasket.

Sounds like things are a bit tight or a bit sloppy in the blower. You can also use another blower as long as you match the cfms, the outlet size of the current blower, and no more than the current electrical load placed upon the controller.

I up-sized my blower CFMs while matching the outlet size (but not the hole spacing on the blower flange, that required two new hole), reducing the electrical load on the controller and lowering the blower rpm. Much quieter and better on the electricity consumption.

I don't know why FASCO used two cooling fans but they must have had a reason.

While you are reading my dribble make certain you pay attention to the depth of the open space below the squirrel cage and the stove frame (while shorting this doesn't place a strain on the blower it sure can make a mess of the amount of air the blower can produce, closing up the outlet on the other hand can lead to burning the motor up).

Now you understand one of the many reasons you want a clean exhaust pipe and no damper on that side of things.

Dribble drivel ....

Thanks for your comments Smokey, much appreciated!

They are sending me a brand new blower for free, but if you look at the video on their blower replacement they show NO gasket on the new blower! ! ! LOL That is kind of shotty to me!

I do like your comments because I checked the convection blower mounting flange when I heard the vibration noise and it was very tight there and no noise improvement when putting my hands on the flange. So it really seems like the squirrel cage housing and the motor housing that is making all the noise and vibration which is NOT good!

Also, the USSC web site shows no more of these stoves in stock and no parts for them on their parts page! Which makes me wonder about the future of these Model 5660 stoves made in China? ? ?

 

[DexterDay]

Does US Stove have a transferable warranty? ?

As for there being no gasket. Lots of stoves dont have gaskets for the convection blower. A small leak there will hurt no one. That little amount of air that leaks is likely to help move the hot air around within the back body of the stove. Not something I would fret over.

Did you try the Flat Gasket? It may reduce some of the noise/vibration. Because its thicker, it will absorb some of the vibrations.

Is it still cooler there at night Don? Only around 60°-70° at night here.. 80's during the day.

 

[Don2222]

Does US Stove have a transferable warranty? ?

As for there being no gasket. Lots of stoves dont have gaskets for the convection blower. A small leak there will hurt no one. That little amount of air that leaks is likely to help move the hot air around within the back body of the stove. Not something I would fret over.

Did you try the Flat Gasket? It may reduce some of the noise/vibration. Because its thicker, it will absorb some of the vibrations.

Is it still cooler there at night Don? Only around 60°-70° at night here.. 80's during the day.

Hi Dexter
As far as a transferable warrenty, if you know give the serial # and know approx when it was purchased then yes.
I just called Ally at US Stove. The butterfly valve for the Intake air no longer comes with the stove but they are shipping one out to me free of charge.

Yes, I know the convection gasket is no big deal but I am looking for something because no gasket may vibrate more. The new convection blower I replaced on a Magnum Baby Countryside came with a nice rubber type gasket. That works great so I maybe taking Smokey's suggestion and find some silicone rubber gasket material. Then I can do a better job servicing stoves and keep the vibration down to a minimum.

It is a little cooler at night but the house does not need any heat. If I slept in the shed I might need some. I would liek to try sleeping in the shed loft sometime. LOL

 

[Don2222]

Hello

Just sent for sample of some Elephant Bark for room blower gasket. It is good to 176 Deg F.
http://www.floormatcompany.com/elephant-bark-5mm-thick-recycled-rubber-flooring-rolls-p-533.aspx

 

[Don2222]

Hello

I just recorded the startup vibration and noise of the US Stove 5660 OEM Convection Blower

This guy has the same blower.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/convection-blower-cross-reference.82212/

See 3 You tube Segments below and let me know what you think?