New pellet user - Blower speed question

[mervmaster]

Hi everyone

I was gifted a nice harman accentra 2 pellet stove the other day. The previous user said the distribution blower seemed weak and may need replacing before long.
I got it installed, and it burned fine but the blower didn’t move at all, so I pulled it out and gave it a thorough cleaning. It started blowing once the stove got up to temperature.

Next day: stove burning nicely, but no blower again. I gave it a little nudge and it started blowing. The high and low speed range switch also served to turn the blower off when set to H and let it run when set to L. This problem went away a few minutes later.

I’m ready to believe that the blower is on its way out, but Im using it in my shed so I’m not that concerned for perfect performance.

my real question here is this: is the blower speed controlled by a thermostat, or are is the speed just high/low? My shed isn’t insulated, so the stove will never be able to keep up past maybe 55 degrees, but more blower would be nice- if it’s possible. I’m new to pellets so this might just be how it is.

Thanks In advance!!

-Merv.

 

[Washed-Up]

Blower speed is controlled by the exhaust sensing probe located in the tailpipe where the exhaust piping attaches at the bottom rear of the stove, removing the esp and cleaning it may help...

http://pdfstream.manualsonline.com/7/7c8136e6-c814-4e2c-9a2b-ea42a999317c.pdf

 

[jackman]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your nice gift. Follow the suggestion from Washed-Up. The distribution blower is important to keep the stove cool. If it's not running the stove may overheat and damage the casting. If it is still not working properly I would replace it. There's numerous threads on this forum and YouTube for how to do that. Here's one that I started: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/harman-accentra-freestanding-distribution-blower-stuck.119024/

 

[mervmaster]

Blower speed is controlled by the exhaust sensing probe located in the tailpipe where the exhaust piping attaches at the bottom rear of the stove, removing the esp and cleaning it may help...

http://pdfstream.manualsonline.com/7/7c8136e6-c814-4e2c-9a2b-ea42a999317c.pdf

thanks for that, I checked it and it’s nice and clean.

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your nice gift. Follow the suggestion from Washed-Up. The distribution blower is important to keep the stove cool. If it's not running the stove may overheat and damage the casting. If it is still not working properly I would replace it. There's numerous threads on this forum and YouTube for how to do that. Here's one that I started: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/harman-accentra-freestanding-distribution-blower-stuck.119024/

Thanks! The replacing part should be easy. What I want to avoid is replacing a blower that is working just cause I’m ignorant about how fast it should be running.
I’ll check out your thread thanks.

 

[jackman]

...What I want to avoid is replacing a blower that is working just cause I’m ignorant about how fast it should be running.

In that case what you can do is disconnect the distribution blower wires and hook them up to a test power cord and plug it into an outlet. I used a cord that was cut off an old appliance and connected alligator clips. It should run at top speed without difficulty. Be careful you don't short the test leads.

 

[mervmaster]

In that case what you can do is disconnect the distribution blower wires and hook them up to a test power cord and plug it into an outlet. I used a cord that was cut off an old appliance and connected alligator clips. It should run at top speed without difficulty. Be careful you don't short the test leads.

I’ll give it a whirl tomorrow. Any idea which terminals take power/neutral? There are three terminals and one ground which is guessing is high low and common plus ground.
Thanks.

 

[jackman]

Here's the electrical diagram that is in my manual. Yours may be different depending on the year of the stove.

 

[Ssyko]

ac is not polarized leave the green wire unhooked from the test cord is all.

 

[mervmaster]

Here's the electrical diagram that is in my manual. Yours may be different depending on the year of the stove.

ac is not polarized leave the green wire unhooked from the test cord is all.

wow fantastic.

I should have asked this right off, but is there a correct rpm for the fan? Or certain Cfm air flow it should have? Not like I’ll be able to measure either. I’ll have to judge it against how it looks when the stove is running I guess.
Thanks again for the info everyone.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Sounds to me like the motor bearings have lost their lubricant and it's time to oil them with light machine oil. Much cheaper than a new blower. All blowers (room air and combustion blower motors need regular attention and bearings lubricated. If the run dry and you keep pushing them (nudging the fan), at some point they will fail and need replacement or a new assembly. It's the pay me now or pay me later scenario and the later pay is ALWAYS more expensive.

Every unit requires maintenance, some more than others by maintenance all the same. Plug and play don't play with a biomass appliance, well, it does for a time, then it (stove) will fail.