Blower cycle question

[philaphire]

I'm wondering how insert blowers work and if mine is working correctly. I've talked to some folks with other brands who say that once the stove heats up, their blower turns on and runs continuously. Mine on my Avalon Rainer will cycle on and off never running more than a minute, with intervals between turning on ranging from a couple minutes to as many as 10+ minutes (depending how hot the stove is). The stove usually runs in the 400-500 degree range.

THANKS

 

[TresK3]

Sounds to me like you may have a problem...

We don't have your exact unit, but our stove is made by one of Avalon's sister companies (Fireplace Xtrordinaire), so I would imagine similar technologies were used. Once our FPX-33 elite gets to temperature, the blower kicks on and stays on until the firebox cools off. I'd call the dealer and check with them. You may still be under warranty.

We also had blower problems (of a different sort) when our stove was first installed. Perhaps Travis Industries should look into their QC.

Good luck

 

[begreen]

Sounds like it's short cycling, the fan should stay on. 400-500 sounds a little cool, but it depends on thermometer location. Where is the temperature being read? If the stove is run at 500-600 degrees does it stay running?

The other thing is to be sure that cold air is not collecting behind the stove. How is it getting combustion air? Is there a block off plate above the stove? If all is in order, it could be that the temperature snap switch has shifted, or is defective.

 

[philaphire]

thermometer is right on the top middle of the cooktop surface of the stove. You can kinda sorta make it out in my avatar. I haven't run it much at 500-600 degrees mostly because the house temp hasn't warranted running the stove much hotter than I do. Stove is located on ground floor of split level and takes in whatever air is down there. Should note that there's a crawl space behind the room the stove is in and the air in there is certainly on the cool side. There is a block off plate. You say the temp snap switch may have shifted - I did have trouble getting that tight under the stove. Could it be that it's not snug enough against the bottom? I mean, there's no visible gap but I was able to move it around a little.

 

[begreen]

Yes, this could very well be the issue. According to the installation manual, the snap switch must be in firm contact with the left convection tube. It should wedge tightly in place. If not, they recommend bending the legs to make it a bit more tall so that it wedges firmly in place.

2. Place the blower assembly near the appliance and insert the snap disk into the lower left convection chamber (see the
illustration on the following page). It should wedge into position in back of the stiffener on the left side. It does not fit
tightly, remove it and bend the metal legs to make it taller. The round disc must be facing upwards and come in contact with
the bottom of the firebox for the blower to operate correctly.

 

[philaphire]

When I installed the blower, I thought to myself that if I bend it real snug, the switch will "scrape" against the stove since it will be so tight to put it into place. This is why I didn't have it super snug - was I being too careful and rubbing the switch against the top will be okay? The more I think about it, the more I can see this being the issue because if there's the littlest amount of space, surely that will cool off the switch.

 

[begreen]

No worry, scraping a little against the stove won't hurt the switch.

 

[philaphire]

okay, now my new problem is that everytime I go to plug the blower back in, it blows the circuit. The "hot" prong of the blower plug has a nice little chunk out of it....any ideas?

EDIT: pinched wire on the blower (called dealer) must have happened on the pullout/in - so I ran my fingers through everything and the blower is back running AND I should say that it hasn't stopped since! THANKS Be Green!

 

[begreen]

Yes, you just inadvertently shorted out the circuit. Examine the wiring instructions carefully. My guess would be that either a wire got pinched or one of the snap switch lugs is touching the chassis. It should be visually evident.

 

[Gooserider]

okay, now my new problem is that everytime I go to plug the blower back in, it blows the circuit. The "hot" prong of the blower plug has a nice little chunk out of it....any ideas?

EDIT: pinched wire on the blower (called dealer) must have happened on the pullout/in - so I ran my fingers through everything and the blower is back running AND I should say that it hasn't stopped since! THANKS Be Green!

If you have a chunk out of the blower plug, you really ought to think about replacing both the plug AND the outlet it is plugging into - this should not be a big issue in terms of time or money if you can DIY. (It's a pretty straightforward task, about as easy as electrical stuff gets)

If the plug is damaged, the outlet almost certainly is as well, though it doesn't show because the contacts are hidden. The arc damage is going to cause a higher than normal resistance in the connection, which potentially could cause excessive heating and eventually lead to a fire.

It is far safer to swap out the outlet and avoid any issues.

Gooserider