VC Montpelier insert fan turns off then on

[bostoneddie]

Hi all,

I have had a Vermont Castings Montpelier wood stove insert for a little over ten years, in that time it has worked flawlessly. Last few times using it, when it reaches temperature the fan kicks on automatically, but then only runs for a minute or so and then turns off. Several minutes later, it will then kick on again and stay on normally.

Have searched the web and Hearth forums and it sounds like the snap disc regulates this, but I'm not sure what to do about this specific problem. Should I go ahead and replace the disc? Any other parts that might be involved? Or is this not even an issue and I should just try cleaning the fan assembly out or something basic first? Greatly appreciate your help, thanks.

 

[DAKSY]

Start with the thermo disk. Make sure it is seated securely against the firebox. It might be barely making contact- enough to actuate it, but if the bracket gets hot and the metal expands due to heat, it can disengage the contact. Once it cools, the disk will make contact with the firebox & reactuate it.

 

[bostoneddie]

Start with the thermo disk. Make sure it is seated securely against the firebox. It might be barely making contact- enough to actuate it, but if the bracket gets hot and the metal expands due to heat, it can disengage the contact. Once it cools, the disk will make contact with the firebox & reactuate it.

Thank you! Sounds very logical. I'll plan to open it up and take a look at the thermo disk.

 

[bostoneddie]

So with great difficulty I got the blower out and checked the thermo disk. Not easy to get a good picture but the disk is tension mounted in a sheet metal housing that holds it in proximity to the firebox. I can’t tell if it is making solid contact when in place but the mounting all appears to be tight and solid. I put it all back together (and that was not easy, it kept hanging on the sheet metal around it).

Any other suggestions at this point? I am kind of inclined to just leave it alone and if it truly fails then just replace the blower unit, maybe with an aftermarket unit. Really appreciate the help, thank you.

 

[bostoneddie]

Well, I'm just going to finish the thread for anyone who may come across it in the future: I took the blower assembly out (not easy) and the thermo disk appeared to be mounted solidly, couldn't find anything wrong. I cleaned out a lot of dust from in and around the blowers and put the assembly back in. Next burn, blowers came on normally and stayed on, so it appears that cleaning and repositioning was enough to solve the issue. If it didn't work, I would have taken the assembly back out and switched the wiring to bypass the thermo switch (have found a few threads on here describing that process and it sounds fairly easy).

Thanks very much to those who offered support, it's always nice to find people willing to offer their knowledge to help a stranger.