Old Enviro EF2, should I replace motors or just wait until they fail?

[bcarton]

Last year, I bought a very old (1996) EF2 that looks like it has all original parts. As old as it is, it ran like a champ all winter long, dead reliable. I've thought about replacing the motors over the next few months, just to make sure I don't have a breakdown in the middle of winter.

The auger motor, of course, is the most difficult to get to if it fails. I'm not sure I could get that stove pulled away from the wall to work on it by myself, so I'm thinking I would tackle that first. After that, I'd replace the exhaust and room blowers, spreading the cost out over the next few paydays.

I have no idea what this stove sounds like compared a new one, or whether it's noisier than normal. It is definitely noisy, I just don't know how it compares to stoves with new fans.

Good plan, or waste of time and money? Am I being too worried about it?

 

[chrisasst]

You could atleast get them just in case. Is this your only heat?

 

[Ranger72]

My Whit was manufactured in 1990. Still has the original motors, I just keep them clean and lubed. Run then until their performance falls off. Or change then if your wallet is deep. Haha

 

[johneh]

Buy and have replacements in your part stock so if one
happens to die you have the part and the down time is short .
My ef 3 is still running on the original motors but I have spares in stock
it's a 2002 .

 

[bcarton]

Not my only heat source, but I sure won't run the electric heat to make the house as warm. I can get parts within a couple days, I'm mostly concerned about whether I could manage disconnecting the vent to get to the auger motor. I'd rather deal with that one at my leisure instead of under duress.

 

[heat seeker]

You could change the motors, for peace of mind, and keep the old ones for emergency spares.

 

[stovelark]

x2 with heat seeker. Or just have spares ready to go. My EF3 is only 7 years old, but I have spare parts standing by. Of course, working at a stove store is a big help... Enviro parts are a bit costly but they do have a good reliability history, espec the EF series..

 

[Bkins]

Maybe take the time, now, to learn how to get things apart as you clean and lube the motors. Then you won't feel as axcious when the time comes that your stove needs a new part. I'm not big on replacing stuff just because. Now car or truck brakes I would be singing a different tune....