BIS Tradition blowers keep dying

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Cincinnatux

Cincinnatux

Member
Hearth Supporter
Dec 16, 2009
15
Cincinnati, OH
We've had a BIS Tradition for 6 years now and the blowers have been regular points of frustration. Not only are they ridiculously loud, but they have died on us three times in those six years. The first time it appears to have been a failure of the bearings (the fans began to screech as they slowly ground themselves to death). The second time I was able to restore function - the electrical contacts had fallen out. Today I noticed that the fireplace wasn't making much noise so I shone a flashlight into it and saw that only one blower was spinning. I cannot see anything wrong with the other blower.

I have not seen any evidence that this is a recurrent problem with BIS fireplaces; anyone have suggestions for what might be going wrong here? At $400 a pop, these things are insanely expensive for what they are, especially since their construction seems so cheap.
 
This have been a somewhat common problem, and our best solution was to source a aftermarket fan. It's a little bit more work as your just getting the raw blower, but the savings are worth it. The aftermarket fan seem to last just as long as the factory fans, so it's not like they will fail sooner
 
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If this were my fireplace I would examine the motors and if possible, figure out how to lubricate the felt that surrounds the bearings. Sometimes this requires carefully taking apart the motor or drilling an oil hole at the outside of the bearing. Or replace the outer bearing of the tangential blower. That is typically where they freeze up.

Replacement blowers
(broken link removed to http://www.fireplaceblowersonline.com/uzy5_fireplace_blower_fan_kit_for_security_fireplaces-details.aspx)
 
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Thanks for the feedback! I'll be taking apart the front of the unit tonight when I get home from work, when the unit is mostly cooled off (it is our primary heating source for the house, so it will not get totally cold until March). I'll definitely look into alternate blowers. This is a low-tech problem, so there should be a bunch of different options.
 
I found another thread from 2013 that was eye-opening for me and would be relevant for anyone else reading through this one.

In sum:
1. UZY blowers seem to be under-designed with regard to protecting their motors from heat.
2. The manufacturer sells enough units to people who don't rely on fireplaces to heat the home that many of these motors do fine in practice and, thus, the manufacturer is unlikely to improve the design - especially since it usually takes 2 seasons of hard use to kill a blower and the warranty only covers them for 12 months.
3. Annual maintenance should include using an air wand to blow ash/dust out of the fan housing.
4. Electric motors should never be wired to dimmer switches.

My takeaway is that I need to find a solution that better insulates the motor against the heat. I know my firebox gets HOT because I run it at capacity for months at a time and it does a marvelous job of heating my house in icy weather.
 
Hey I also have a BIS Tradition in my home and it is my primary heat source. Last winter my blower went to squeeling like you mentioned. I feel fortunate mine lasted as long as it did. Because I also run mine hot and hard for months at a time. Did you end up finding a cheaper alternative? And also I never felt like the blower seemed to function as well as I thoight it should
 
Attached Hearth link is very detailed directions on how to change the ball bearings once the fan(s) start to go bad.
 
Hello everyone, I am on my 3rd blower in 3 years. We use it from October to April pretty steady.

I just found this company from Montreal that makes replacement blowers that are heavier duty construction. I have sent them an email to ask about cost and warranty.

Has anyone heard of them?

Website is www.monmettech.com

Tx u
 
Haven't heard of them. Give them a call and ask if these are ball bearing motors and ask about bearing lubrication.
 
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