Ideas to muffle the blower

[mnowaczyk]

I figure there is a laundry list or "top ten" things you can do to muffle your blower or decrease how annoying a loud blower can be. We haven't "needed" the insert, and we chose not to run it unless it's really cold because the blower is so loud. Our TV is right above the fireplace, and we have to crank up the tv to hear it. (Ironically, the way the acoustics seem to work in our house, the tv is easier to hear upstairs than downstairs when the blower is on.).

So what are some basic tips for muffling the blower noise:

A) Make the blower quieter:
-- new blower with low rpms
-- grease the blower
-- replace bearings in the blower
-- check and see if a washer will decrease play in the blower bearings
-- use a rheostat fan speed control to slow down the blower when in use.

D) Make sure the stove isn't resonating the fan vibrations too much:
-- silicone or some other dampener on metal grills.
-- perhaps consider a way to mount the fan to the blower that assures there is no direct contact between the fan and the stove, like heat resistant rubber grommets or wads of high-temp silicone in the blower screw holes.

C) Work on the acoustics of the room:
-- use carpeting in front of the fireplace?
-- canvas pictures on the walls around the fireplace?
-- place speakers for the tv / stereo closer to the seating areas of the room to eliminate the need to turn up other audio sources so much.

D) Wear earplugs

Every time I shut off the blower, it is like peace has come to the household.


Are there any ideas?

Any of the above an obvious one or best practice? Like oiling the blower? Maybe put an order of priority on the above items?

 

[Beer Belly]

The only thing I can suggest, is to keep it on low while you're in the room, and then full speed when you turn in for the night. We have ours on high all the time (no TV in the living room), except when we have company (very rare), then it's on low, or off.

 

[begreen]

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-NC7-BLK-Canceling-Headphones/dp/B001EYU3L2

 

[Hogwildz]

Mine is variable speed, and can turn it to a lower speed, less noise. Same issues with acoustics as you have.Large cathedral ceiling and loft upstairs. Much louder elsewhere in the house than in the living room(tv that is).
I just turn it up, to hell with it.

 

[pgmr]

E) Mount a fan remotely and pipe the air to the insert. Could be mounted in the basement, if you have one.

 

[mellow]

Computer case fans have come a long way in reducing noise, depending on the insert maybe you can hack a couple of them together and get rid of the squirrel cage fan.

As for a solution to monitor your stove temp and adjust your fan speed check out the (broken link removed to http://inveninc.com/products.htm)controller.

 

[CenterTree]

I also hope to find some useful info in this thread. One of the reasons we don't use our pellet stove as much anymore is due to the excessive fan noise while trying to watch TV.

 

[begreen]

That's the reason I finally pulled our pellet insert. Well, that and I pulled down the fireplace shortly after too.

 

[LLigetfa]

Lots of good advice although some of it doesn't apply to a blower that is mounted in the stove. One thing folks often overlook is to simply clean the vanes. It's amazing how much the buildup can throw it off balance.

I opted not to go with a squirrel cage blower in the stove. What I have is a remote 650 CFM duct blower installed down in the crawlspace. I used foam rubber and a rag coupling to isolate vibrations. It is variable speed and moves cold air to the stove. The air gets prefiltered so as to keep the vanes clean and to muffle some of the sound. The air then passes through a labyrinth and a second filter before it reaches the stove.

Even with all that, it is noisy enough that I considered replacing the blower with a quieter model, maybe something with a DC motor.

 

[bsruther]

I put a fan speed controller switch on my blower and it's now whisper quiet on the lowest setting.

 

[Nick Mystic]

That is the biggest joy we've experienced since swapping out our insert for a free standing stove: glorious quiet! Noise doesn't bother my wife all that much, but I am much more sensitive to it. I don't even like running our ceiling paddle fan in our bedroom during the summer due to the noise it makes. Good luck on finding a solution to the annoying blower noise.

 

[mnowaczyk]

I like the remote basement fan solution. The only thing is that I imagine this would require me to use the ash trap as the outlet for the fan, and I doubt I would be able to get that solution just right. The whole insert is already so tight in the fireplace that I'm not sure how I could assure a positive connection via the ash trap and also line it up perfectly with the insert. It is something I think I will investigate though .

I like the idea of being able to use an oversized fan if I want too. Access to the fan while the fire is burning would be great too.

Here's a foolish one:
Maybe even pipe the dryer vent into it for moisture and a downy fresh smell LOL. Just kidding. Fire hazard and clogging the stove vents.

Radiant heat pipes through the stove would kick ass. I know I've read about some guys doing that here. Some compression fittings and an extra circulator pump couldn't be all that hard to hookup. I think that would be a fun project.

Back to the remote fan idea...
Taking air from the basement seems strange. It's also never good to create a vacuum in a basement due to the risk if radon. So it wouldn't be too hard to create a floor fan inlet down to the basement fan inlet. Heck, maybe if done safely it could even have a dust/ash trap on it doubling as a vacuum cleaner in front of the stove. Maybe not.

Hmm...
It would be nice to have the ability to hear nothing but the wood burning.

 

[brenndatomu]

Lots of good advice although some of it doesn't apply to a blower that is mounted in the stove. One thing folks often overlook is to simply clean the vanes. It's amazing how much the buildup can throw it off balance.

I opted not to go with a squirrel cage blower in the stove. What I have is a remote 650 CFM duct blower installed down in the crawlspace. I used foam rubber and a rag coupling to isolate vibrations. It is variable speed and moves cold air to the stove. The air gets prefiltered so as to keep the vanes clean and to muffle some of the sound. The air then passes through a labyrinth and a second filter before it reaches the stove.

Even with all that, it is noisy enough that I considered replacing the blower with a quieter model, maybe something with a DC motor.

I agree! Check too see if there is any dirt buildup on the blower wheel, a little bit goes a long way! Pull the blower off, blow it out with compressed air. Out of balance blower can make a HUGE ruckus! I just cleaned the blower wheels on my sisters Regency I2400 insert, she was astonished how much quieter it was, vibration was gone too...