Squeaky austroflamm fan

[Danschneid]

The fan in my austroflamm Integra pellet stove is squeaking very loud. It happens pretty much all the time. I have tried to clean the fan but can't get at it real well. I want to know if I should remove to clean and lube bearings. Any suggestions on how to remove fan or to lube while fan is still in place. I have all the panels removed but can't loosen wires to remove fan. Please help.

Daniel

 

[skibumm100]

Insert? Both of the fans on the insert are fairly easy to remove of you have the insert out of the fireplace. I take the five or six small screws out of the flat plate for the combustion fan and remove it. I leave the wires attached when I clean it. You don't need to remove the whole housing.

For the convection (room) fan just remove the two screws on each side and slide it out. You need to remove the two spade connectors at the motor end.

Make sure the stove is unplugged before doing either. Safety first.

 

[Danschneid]

Insert? Both of the fans on the insert are fairly easy to remove of you have the insert out of the fireplace. I take the five or six small screws out of the flat plate for the combustion fan and remove it. I leave the wires attached when I clean it. You don't need to remove the whole housing.

For the convection (room) fan just remove the two screws on each side and slide it out. You need to remove the two spade connectors at the motor end.

Make sure the stove is unplugged before doing either. Safety first.

Thanks for the info. I remove the two spade connectors on one end, however, the other end has two wires that cannot be disconnected. I don't have the unit out of the fireplace and can't pull out the fan without bringing the cables with it.

 

[Danschneid]

Thanks for the info. I remove the two spade connectors on one end, however, the other end has two wires that cannot be disconnected. I don't have the unit out of the fireplace and can't pull out the fan without bringing the cables with it. View attachment 140596

I removed all the wires, and the unit is removed from the fireplace. I see a total of 10 screws to remove the fan. 4, I can reach easily, 6 seem impossible to reach and remove. Any suggestions?? Thanks.

Daniel

 

[skibumm100]

That looks different than my insert. I assume yours is a freestanding stove. The fan should only have (2) wires to the motor. My convection fan is only held by two screws on each end. There has to be a way to pop it out of there. Maybe someone with a freestanding Integra can chime in.

 

[Danschneid]

Thanks for all the help so far. I have the fan out now and need to lube it up to stop the squeak. Where exactly do I put the oil to stop the squeaks? I don't quite see the bearings or a rubber cover.

 

[skibumm100]

Hmmmm.... Mine has a rubber cover over the bearing on the end opposite the motor. I pop off the rubber cover and oil the bearing with Mobil 1 (cause that's what was handy in the garage) and put the cover back on. The motor end is tougher. You would need to pull the motor off to get to the bearing or use a toothpick with drops of oil on it and sneak it in between the the motor and the fan and hope for the best. The right way would be to pull the motor off but I've never done that and didn't want to chance breaking something without a spare.

 

[Danschneid]

Thanks for all the help. I fixed the squeaky fan and everything is back together. I just threw some oil on the bearings and it's as good as new. It was also in need of a deep cleaning. Thanks again.

Daniel

 

[skibumm100]

Sounds like you're ready for winter. Good job.

 

[RKBAGUY]

That doesn't look like an Integra fan assembly to me. Are you sure that's what you own? Can you post a photo of the stove? , In any event, if you're set and the squeaking stopped, don't worry about it.

 

[skibumm100]

It's not an Integra insert. I thought maybe it was a freestanding?

 

[Mt Bob]

Looks newer,like a rika insert.On freestanding you can have that blower out in 3 minutes.Wires to motor can be cut and inline connectors added so you do not have to pull all the wires through the stove.The other wires he was talking about would go to the overheat switch on the other side of the motor.On that side is a rubber mounted brass bushing,new ones are availible.The motors themselves have bushings(never seen one with bearings) and can be oiled.The old ads about austroflamms having all ball bearings were wrong.You should be pulling and cleaning that blower at least once a year,more if you have pets.The dirt buildup on the fins lowers the stove efficiency immensley.If your motor bushings have went bad(loose),try replacing the rubber mounted bushing(other end of blower wheel),take to where you have an air hose and spin wheel up with air gun.Balance by bending wheel with your fingers,you may be pleasantly surprised,and save some money for a few years.

 

[skibumm100]

Looks newer,like a rika insert.On freestanding you can have that blower out in 3 minutes.Wires to motor can be cut and inline connectors added so you do not have to pull all the wires through the stove.The other wires he was talking about would go to the overheat switch on the other side of the motor.On that side is a rubber mounted brass bushing,new ones are availible.The motors themselves have bushings(never seen one with bearings) and can be oiled.The old ads about austroflamms having all ball bearings were wrong.You should be pulling and cleaning that blower at least once a year,more if you have pets.The dirt buildup on the fins lowers the stove efficiency immensley.If your motor bushings have went bad(loose),try replacing the rubber mounted bushing(other end of blower wheel),take to where you have an air hose and spin wheel up with air gun.Balance by bending wheel with your fingers,you may be pleasantly surprised,and save some money for a few years.

I hadn't thought about the Rika. Sounds like it's a little different. I stand corrected....thanks Bob. I was surprised how little pet hair was in my convection fan. We have three cats and one of them has a really thick coat and sheds like crazy. I figured the fan would be plugged but it wasn't that bad. i still cleaned it and lubed it anyway to start fresh. My auger motor is making a racket for part of the auger revolution. I need to check to see if my auger is tweaked.

 

[Mt Bob]

I hadn't thought about the Rika. Sounds like it's a little different. I stand corrected....thanks Bob. I was surprised how little pet hair was in my convection fan. We have three cats and one of them has a really thick coat and sheds like crazy. I figured the fan would be plugged but it wasn't that bad. i still cleaned it and lubed it anyway to start fresh. My auger motor is making a racket for part of the auger revolution. I need to check to see if my auger is tweaked.

I am just an old mechanic that happenes to run an integra,for quite some years,and help maintain some austros out hereIn the last 2 years I have researched pellet stoves,repair/eff/costs because money has gotten tight,I also service some friends stoves(some really old englanders outhere!)Some info-the(most)austro auger bushings were oilite.The replacements could be oilite or sintered iron.The auger itself is almost industructable,except for the wear on the bushing surfaces.I have only replaced one upper auger bushing(not mine) but the lower bushing wears out because the motor hangs off it at a 45 degre? angle.But you have to remember this design and programming is from 1988.I (and people out here) have tried different auger motors,The really cheap ones do not last,probably because of the angle of the motor,the weight and the fact that the motor is made to run in a certain position.I a;so found out if you do not run the rear cover,the auger motor lsts longer(probably because of heat).But if you have an insert,jason munson still can get the heavy duty high heat auger motor,which I reccomend.It will be a different manf. but equivent.Been rambling enough,but will touch on your/others convection blower--keep them clean.Austros were designed to run at 3/4 or less,is one of the stoves that reccomends do not run on high for a long peroid.The eff. comes from how the convection fan can push the air into the room.If you run an integra on high constantaly you will warp the firebox plates and possibly warp the stove enough to break the welds on the stainless steel tubes,do not do it.Got more info about moding your user board,but getting tired,talk to you later.Bob

 

[skibumm100]

Thanks Bob. I actually just installed the rear cover on mine. It didn't have one when I bought it and I scavenged one from my buddy's old dead Integra. He actually boogered his auger and mounting bracket up so bad he took it out of service. He had a jam up and put a pipe wrench on it to free it and bent it bad enough where he said it was never right after that. If the bushings are oilite bronze they should last a long time. I love that stuff.

I have not had reason to run mine on high. In fact, I usually never run it past 3/8-1/2 way on the dial. It puts out enough heat at those settings to keep the house warm. I will probably slide it out and see why the auger is making noise and check for binding with the motor removed. Good time to check the lower bushing, too. Then I'll leave the back cover off before sliding it back in.

I'm interested in the board mods when you have some time to elaborate. I have two boards now so I can try some tweaks without feeling like I'll put my stove out of commission.

Sorry about the hijack Danschneid.....

 

[RKBAGUY]

I'm interested in the board mods when you have some time to elaborate. I have two boards now so I can try some tweaks without feeling like I'll put my stove out of commission.

To further hijack the hijack, after looking more closely at the picture on my PC (rather than my phone) it became more clear that it was an Austroflamm fan.

I've also been wondering about upgrading the logic board. Seems there are different versions of the EPROM, the latest being v3.5 which I seem to recall reading somewhere had elevated combustion fan speeds. I have an Integra insert with v2.3 and it seemed to me that the airflow through the pot wasn't what it ought to be (though I didn't have an OAK last year), so I'm wondering if it might be a worthy upgrade.

 

[skibumm100]

One of mine is a V2.4 from 07/93.The other is older.

 

[Mt Bob]

The latest eprom has higher combustion speeds at low setting,and clean cycle works very well.I added potentiometers with shafts to the user control board,ran the shafts out the front and added small knobs.That way I can make adjustments quickly.Really not ness but had time.Also have seen upper auger bushings go bad.