Avalon owners...Not happy with the new blower

[Jfk4th]

Well, I just started using the new blower on my Olympic and I am a little disappointed. You can only use the blower when it reaches a certain temp, it is about 500F on the stove top. I wish it had the option of "always on" so I could turn it on around 375 or 400F, many other companies blowers have this. I can't believe a good company like Travis Ind does not have this option. It is a powerful blower, maybe a little louder than the Summit, but overall I like how the Summit blower comes on and off and can stay on all the time. Maybe I am just complaining a little but if I had to do it again I would buy a different blower and rig the back of the blower so it would fit and work on my Avalon

Anybody know how I can rig this blower so it will come on when I want it to? Any old links


Nice thing is that is cold again and I can use this beautiful stove, bonus time I call it!

 

[Jfk4th]

Any place on the sensor specifically? or just a black wire and a white wire connecting to the 2 wires already there, probably a dumb question but I am dumb when it comes to electrical stuff :lol: Just run the wires to a light switch bought at any hardware store?

 

[jtp10181]

You have a speed control rheostat right? It probably has an OFF position. If the temperature disc is accessible you can just take the wires off either end and wire nut them together. This will bypass the temp disc totally and you now have full control with the rheostat. Another option would be to make a parallel circuit with the temp disc and add an off/off toggle. Then with the toggle off it would run off the disc, but if you turn the toggle on it would bypass the disc.

 

[BrotherBart]

Don't forget that the blower is set up that way for a reason. To make sure the firebox is up to temp before the blower starts cooling it off. So that the burn is efficient. I have total control over my thermostat on the blower but it is set to not start the blower till the stove is north of 500 degrees.

Travis was smart to do it that way. EPA testing regs say that if the stove has a blower option or is standard the blower has to be turned on high throughout the test cycle. The way they did it the blower won't come on before the stove is up to temp.

 

[Jfk4th]

You have a speed control rheostat right? It probably has an OFF position. If the temperature disc is accessible you can just take the wires off either end and wire nut them together. This will bypass the temp disc totally and you now have full control with the rheostat. Another option would be to make a parallel circuit with the temp disc and add an off/off toggle. Then with the toggle off it would run off the disc, but if you turn the toggle on it would bypass the disc.

Have a pic of the temperature disc so I know what I am looking for? Pretty please :lol: Or a parallel circuit, I like that idea best. Told you I was a dumb dumb for wires....

I think the Olympic would do just fine when the temp is at 400F, I guess I am impatient and know when my Summit hits 400 it is OK to use the blower, the Avalon is close to that stud of a stove

 

[fossil]

We have the factory blower kit on our Lopi Liberty. Operates just as you describe. I have the knowledge, skill, material, and tools to bypass the thermostatic control...but I'm not going to. As a Mechanical Engineer with a heavy emphasis in thermodynamics/heat transfer, I understand why the system was designed to operate as it does. Some smart guys and gals built it that way, and I don't believe I'm any smarter than they are. Doesn't make any sense to me to turn on the blower before the stove's ready for the blower to be turned on. Rick

 

[RedRanger]

I`ve been observing my new inserts performance and it is the same,blower kicks on at 500. I have no problem with that because it only takes about 25-35 minutes to reach that temp if you are using nice dry wood.

 

[R&D Guy]

If you don't want to mess with the wiring, then try moving the snap disk to another hotter location. Nice thing about the snap disk is that you don't have to remember to turn the blower off.

 

[Jfk4th]

Good points from all, I would still like to do both with the blower, keep it on and flip and switch and let it come on when the stove wants. I feel a little better after last night realizing that the blower stays on even when the temp falls well below 325F. This is perfect for me this time of year when I just want to throw 4 splits in, hesat the stove up, crank her down and be good for a while, taking the chill out of the room with the blower

 

[begreen]

Many of the snap disks used in this type assembly have a different turn off temp than its turn on temp. I agree, move it to a slightly hotter location and try it there noting the temp it comes on at and the temp it goes off at.

 

[savageactor7]

The blower we purchased had a similar temp control that would automatically turn off with a cold stove. But the one they delivered had the simple on/off with a rheostat ...and I like it that way. The stove gets hot enough that we only turn the blower on on the very coldest days. Now that I've read a few posts from those with problems with the temp controls I don't think I'd ever intentionally buy one of those. Good luck with yours though JFK.

 

[Henz]

yes, I always wondered why my Olympic blower doesnt come on for quite some time whe nI first start it up. I agree, it comes on after the stove is good and hot because once it does, the stove will cool down alittle until your room temps increase abit. I ahve learned that you should push in the top bypass quicker and it takes much less tiem to have the blower kick on. Truthfully during the real heating season, my blower never has time to get to the point when it shuts down. meaning, jsut because it comes on when your surface temps seem high, doesnt mean that they must remain high in order for the blower to work. I may come home after a day and there will only be slight coals left in my stove, I can actually touch it and it just feels relatively warm, but the blower is still on

 

[webbie]

Painting snap disk black will help it turn on quicker.

I doubt that the blower was heavily engineered....more like "this works", if my inside knowledge of stove design and manufacturing means anything. There can be lots of benefits to lowering the "on" temperature...for instance, a masonry hearth holds a lot of heat which soaks through to the convection chamber......

Just painting it or the area around it - or slightly modifying the air flow right around it (so it does not cool as fast with the convection air) might do the trick. You can also replace the snap disc with a lower temp one.

These discs are usually one wire - just an in and an out.

 

[Jfk4th]

Painting snap disk black will help it turn on quicker.

I doubt that the blower was heavily engineered....more like "this works", if my inside knowledge of stove design and manufacturing means anything. There can be lots of benefits to lowering the "on" temperature...for instance, a masonry hearth holds a lot of heat which soaks through to the convection chamber......

Just painting it or the area around it - or slightly modifying the air flow right around it (so it does not cool as fast with the convection air) might do the trick. You can also replace the snap disc with a lower temp one.

These discs are usually one wire - just an in and an out.

Might try this Craig, thanks. I am only looking for the blower to come on at 375-400F, just not at 500F. I do like the fact that it stays on when the temps are a lot lower, still pushing out heat. I will try painting first and see if this works good enough, although I like idea of a having a toggle so I could turn it on anytime or just let the stove do it

 

[burntime]

I like the idea of a toggle. My hampton has both settings. The nice part is if you wake up in the morning and do not need a ripping fire you can just turn on the blower to get the heat from the residual ash/coal in there. Sometimes it blows for 2 plus hours. A simple 2 way switch can be wired in to fix.

 

[Lasher]

I have an older Olympic that I replaced the blower this winter during my rebuild. The old blower has high/low/off swith. With the new blower I brought it had the sensor and variable blower setting.

When I first installed the new blower, I pushed the sensor into the hole like the directions stated. But the hole size was a little smaller than the opening inside the insert. So basically, the sensor would not press directly onto the stove bottom. I did the best I could and ran the insert. Like yours the blower would not come on until my stove top temps were over 500. I know that heat rises and that the bottom of the stove would take long to heat up. But I lived with it.

Then after a few weeks, the blower would turn on, then off 10 seconds later. Wait 30 seconds and turn back on for another 10 seconds. Seems as if the blower was cooling the sensor down when it came on, causing it to shut off, then heat up and turn on. Now this was after a good fire was going and stove top temps were over 600. I tried playing with the sensor, moving it, trying to make it fit better and what not. Meanwhile, my insert is going great (I am trying all this with the insert going). So I had enough and bypassed the sensor.

I am trying to remember what I did exactly, but I think I uncliped the sensor and did something to the clips that allowed me to not cut any wires. I believe that the sensor is a break in the electrical line. So if you connect the two wires together (on either side of the clip) the blower would work. In other words, the sensor stops electricity from passing thru.

Now my blower is under manual control. I wait until my stove top temps get to 400-500 and then turn the blower on. Right now I am burning crappy wood (1st year) and I only get 3-4 hours of heat from a load, so my fan is on when I wake up with a cool/cold stove. But the constant on/off that was happening is gone. Plus when I start to burn better wood next winter, the blower would be on 24/7 anyways because I would be able to have a hot fire throughout the night.

 

[Jfk4th]

Sounds good, thanks
I might just try connecting the two wires but I really want to be able to do both, always on and then sometimes just let the fan kick it on too, not having to worry about shutting it off or I should say forgetting to shut it off. It is a great blower just Avalon should have given me the option of both that's all

 

[Lasher]

I do not think it would be that hard to get both. Which is why I did not hack up the wires when I bypassed the sensor. All you would need to do it install a switch on the wire before the sensor. Flip the switch one way and bypass the sensor, flip the switch the other way and use the sensor.

The newer style blower does not match my insert ash shelf. The newer blower is wider. So I am going to tranfer the blowers from the new grate front to the old style. I think I will put a switch in to have the sensor option like you mentioned.

 

[stanleyjohn]

I guess my harman Insert blower might be considered a cheapie.Just a varible speed control and on/off!no temp sensor.At night before i go to bed i turn the blower down to a low speed so it wont be heard all night.Im thinking of adding a timer to turn off the fan in the early mourning.

 

[gpcollen1]

Where did you get your blower from? I am only in need of one motor but will probably just replace the unit if I cannot replace the parts?

As others have mentioned, that snapdisk is not governed by stove top temps but by the temp of the stove where the disk touches. Getting the right spot to locate this took some playing but you have to be sure it is out of the path of air from the blower. This took me a few tries. Eventually I put in a toggle too so I could turn it on on demand.

 

[Lasher]

I got my blower unit from Dave's Stove and Spa in Southington/Plantsville. Since they were the closest Avalon dealer that is where I went.

Just and FYI...when you go to the parts counter in back, the information you get all depends on the person working. There was on guy that did not have a clue on anything, from parts to prices. Then he had to leave during the conversation and another parts guy helped me. Knew parts/prices and was a big help.

I will play with the sensor over the summer. I need to transfer the blower motors from one shroud to another (to the original smaller one) and I will probably put in a toggle switch.

 

[kevin85]

Dean's Stove and Spa