Drolet Eco-45 Combex Blower (Again!)

[TTSProd]

So, I installed my new Drolet Eco-45 In October 2012. The combustion/exhaust (Combex) motor quit working in December 2013 so I replaced it, thankfully the part was covered by warranty. Now here we are a little more than 2 years later and the Combex blower is on the verge of failure again, it won't start spinning on its own... I have to reach into the air intake with a chicken stick and give it a spin to get it going. I've ordered another one and this time, I have to pay... 300 bucks! With all the work I have done on this thing I know where all the nooks and crannies are and I keep it immaculately clean but it doesn't seem to help. It seems every year now it needs expensive new parts. Last year was the convection blowers @ $60 a piece.

This is my first pellet stove so I'm wondering... is this normal? Am I doing something wrong? Am I expecting too much? Do any of you have to replace parts with this kind of frequency?

Ken

 

[heat seeker]

Have you lubed/oiled the motor? Many have oil ports that should be oiled yearly. It sounds like the lube in your bearings/bushings has gotten gummy. Don't rely on the manual to tell you - get an eyeball on the motor itself and look for oil ports. If it has real bearings, they can be cleaned and lubed or replaced inexpensively.

 

[TTSProd]

Thanks for the suggestion heat seeker!
Unfortunately the combex blower motor (FASCO) does not have any oil ports. I'm afraid that if I oil the bearings directly, it may mask the problem for a short time and as soon as I'm out of town for work it will crap out leaving my girlfriend without heat. That's what happened last year with the convection blowers... I'd oil them, but a day or two later they would be squealing again. The manual claims the bearings in the combex and convection blowers are sealed and require no oiling. I've decided to go ahead and replace it and then I'll see if I can repair the old one so I'll have a spare.

Ken

 

[heat seeker]

It's always good to have a spare on hand, so I like your plan. I have spare motors and an igniter on hand.