Pet Hair And Room Air Blowers

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.

BrotherBart

Modesterator
Staff member
It just occurred to me that I need to ask you folks something. I just installed the 25-PDVC in the basement. The Woodpile Panther, my black female outdoor cat, sleeps down there in cold weather. I have seen first hand what hair from my wife's indoor cat does to a computer power supply or a wood stove blower. Am I gonna have problems with hair buildup in the room air blower of this sucker?
 
Probably a good idea to check it periodically. I have a dog, and need to clean some hair off the blower inlet every 3-4 weeks, but it never got completely clogged.

Does your PDVC have the wire mesh over the air inlet like my 10-cpm does?
 
When we bought our used Harman Invincible insert we saw it operating in the peoples house. The blower was making a squealing sound and not a lot of air was coming out unless turned on high and even then not a whole lot. Upon inspection at home the blower squirl cage was just loaded with animal fur to the point of not working well. I think the people didn't want to put money into the stove to get it fixed. I pulled gobs and gobs of fur off/out of the cage. They had 2 dogs and a cat and it was clear from looking around the house that cleaning wasn't a priorty.

To answer your question, yes you will need to clean it but I would think doing your yealy cleaning would be enough.
 
I try and brush it off periodically throughout the season. Probably dont need it that much.

When I got my Old Englander last year, it was CAKED with hair. Didnt blow anything at all.. A little compressed air and a little oil on the motor and now its like Hurricane...

I would check it before season because it has not been ran in awhile. After that, you could make it through the season without touching it (if needed). I have 2 dogs and a cat myself and I only remove it once a year to do a Full Cleaning. Otherwise it gets a quick hit with a paint brush and the shop vac really quick a couple times during season..

Looking forward to your comments this Winter BB. I love the heat from my PDV. Its an old one (much thicker plate steel than a new one/ its about 16 yrs old) Its one of the few pellet stoves I have seen that gives off great radiant heat. All analog/nobs. Can turn on and off the convection blower at any time. Never shut it all the way off when running, but can turn it down pretty far and feels almost like a wood stove. Its an Oldie but a Goodie.
 
BB,

My Enviro is in the living room and my 5yr old Retriever sheds like she is contracted to make blanket wool.

About every other time I do the weekly cleaning, I vacuum off the rear grate on the stove.

I do notice a bit of fluff on the Convection impeller when I deep clean but no more than I would expect if you had carpeted floors and a few blankets around.

Just another joy of pet ownership. I love my dog, don't get me wrong,...but I could do with out the tumbleweeds of fur when the seasons change. :)

---Nailer---
 
You could put a screen over the intake, something with a 3/16" or so mesh, which wouldn't block airflow but would catch most hair and dust. I just cleaned a friend's stove that wasn't blowing room air at all. The room air intake was totally blocked with dust, having a similar screen. In their defense, the intake is well hidden, and they were not instructed to clean that area, nor does the manual say anything about it.
There is also a filter material that is about ½" thick, very porous, vaguely resembles fiberglass (but is not!) that we used in the shop. It works very well. We held it in place with Velcro™, and it was easy to replace.
I will be putting some on my stove this week.
 
heat seeker said:
.....There is also a filter material that is about ½" thick, very porous, vaguely resembles fiberglass (but is not!) that we used in the shop. It works very well. We held it in place with Velcro™, and it was easy to replace.
I will be putting some on my stove this week.

If you're talking about something like the filters that go on hot air heat system, be careful. I tend to think that the reason stove manufacturers haven't done that already might have to do with fire, etc.
 
Ummm….good point! I'll try it to see if it burns. A metal screen seems to be a better idea to me now.
 
Thanks folks. This pellet burning is gonna be a new world for the cord wood burner and I will be asking a lot of these questions. Learning by your experience is a lot better than going around getting my own the hard way.

Besides, it is all your fault. If you guys hadn't been talking about the cheap sales on those pellets last Spring I would have probably put that thing on Craigslist this month. :lol:
 
Cat loves to sleep around the pellet stove - little more than normal dust bunnies in the fan.
Normal cleaning should be fine (1-2 ton).
 
Status
Not open for further replies.