Harman Accentra freestanding distribution blower stuck

[jackman]

Help. The distribution blower is stuck. I can see the blower start to budge but it simply won't spin. It doesn't spin freely at all. I tried blowing it out but that didn't help. In test mode it won't spin either but there are no blinking status codes. The stove is working fine in every other way.

I called my service dealer but they can't come out to repair it for another 6 weeks. Apparently they are understaffed and overloaded with work from the recent cold snap here in the Pacific northwest. They have the part in stock and asked if I felt confident enough to replace it myself but I'm not sure I can handle the job. I'm a pretty handy DIYer (retired computer guy) but the back of this thing looks scarey to me. BTW, I don't do any of my own auto repairs if that gives you any clue. Does anybody have any instructions on how to do it?

I set up a fan in front of the stove to keep the heat from building up around the stove so I can hold out until next month if necessary. In the meantime all advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[hearthnleisure]

Buy the part from your service guy but keep the appointment.
Bring it home.
Unplug stove.
Pull off the two panels on the back of your stove
Remove bolts that hold the blower in place (2 bolts I think)
Compare old blower with new, you may have to take a mounting bracket off of the old one and reattach to the new.
Wire the new blower the same way as the old blower, that is unless your stove is currently set up with a hi/low toggle switch next to where your control board is. If it does, ask for a wiring diagram with your new blower and make the necessary changes.
Plug in stove and hit up the test mode.
Cancel your service appointment.

I wouldn't have a lot of faith in that fan that you are running keeping the stove cool enough. If you have to wait, it would probably be a good idea to have another fan pointed into the back of the stove with the panels removed to keep everything back there from overheating, but I still don't like the idea of the inside of the stove having all that heat without your blower there to cool off those heat exchangers.

 

[Lousyweather]

oh, c'mon....give it a go! Give a man a fish he eats for a day, teach him to fish...well, you get the picture.

6 weeks is quite an extended period for a repair, but its funny how these things don't break till it gets cold, isn't it? The problem with repairs is that for 6 months of the year there just isn't that much work......try to get folks to get their cleanings done during the off months many folks say.....right....easier said than done.....even dropping the price for a cleaning considerably doesn't seem to get it done during the "off" months...so you can imagine the issues when folks wait till it gets cold AND units break down!

 

[jackman]

Thanks for the replies. I'm still searching around the web for some kind of service manual but still haven't found anything. I suspect they're a trade secret only available to the dealers. A Chilton's guide for pellet stoves would be a nice thing to have.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

It is a simple blower you shouldn't have any trouble replacing it.

Power off and unplug.
A panel or two needs removing.
A few blots need turning.
Two or three (maybe four wires need unhooking).
Reverse to install new blower.
Easy peasy.

Then you get to conduct the smoke test and hopefully no magic smoke comes out of the new blower .

 

[frankie]

Smokey is correct. I had mine out in the summer. It is simple. A new one by me is $185.00

 

[jackman]

Thanks everyone for all the replies and encouragement. I replaced the blower today ($188.50 from my dealer) and all is well again. It took about 2 hours. The part was nearly an exact replacement. I did have to replace the mounting bracket (see photo) as was suggested above by hearthnleisure which required a torx screwdriver which I fortunately had. The wiring matches up perfectly.

I'll give it a week or so and then cancel my appointment and spend the money I saved for Christmas. Happy holidays and thanks again everybody for all the great help.

 

[Lousyweather]

good job! glad you got it working

 

[johnchap]

well now it is my turn to locate this blower and do the same , last season my harman insert toasted the blower and that took a little doing for me .. heavy little bastard and had to go gentle turning into the "face" (set up blankets and strategic 4x6 beams to rest it on) ... well the sunroom is shutdown until further notice but the other stoves are cooking .....