VC winter warm small replacement fans?

[olskool53]

Does anyone know where I can get replacement fans for a Vermont castings Winter warm small insert? VC wants $333??? If anyone knows of a aftermarket# or where i can get a set in less than 8 weeks please let me know.

 

[VTSR5]

This seems promising...(broken link removed to http://www.purdyelectronics.com/products/interfan/axialac.cfm)

When I last had my WW Small out, I noticed the fans were made by Pfaff of Germany.

EDIT: Correction, not Pfaff but Papst -- http://www.ebmpapst.us/search.asp

 

[olskool53]

Thanks! Spoke to the VC dealer this afternoon .............They want $333 per fan WTF? I'm going to take these to my local electric motor shop and see what they can do??

 

[VTSR5]

Thanks! Spoke to the VC dealer this afternoon .............They want $333 per fan WTF? I'm going to take these to my local electric motor shop and see what they can do??

Ridiculous! I paid not much more than the price of two fans for my whole insert. Then again I have to replace the cat, the refractory, the secondary air control...VC is clearly a company in distress, and with a very short term outlook on spare parts strategy. Sacrificing tomorrows cash flow and customer base in order to pay this months bills, apparently. Not building much customer loyalty and good will there, I would say. Still, the build quality and performance of my WInterWarm Small is something to be admired. I am amazed at what this little insert can do.

You have to replace both fans? Still too loud, eh? Bearings shot? I wonder if it is possible to inject a little grease into the motor bearings with a fine syringe? That might buy you a little time.

 

[VTSR5]

Thanks! Spoke to the VC dealer this afternoon .............They want $333 per fan WTF? I'm going to take these to my local electric motor shop and see what they can do??

That's list price, and it's an outrage. I suspect the dealer's markup to list is something like 100%. A rant/plea for mercy/customer loyalty arguement might work that price down into a more reasonable range. For one thing, these fans are not in stock at the dealer, so the dealer has no working capital tied up in them. For another thing, the dealer should see that this is an absurd situation with VC parts and may be taking a longer view.

Worth a shot I think.

 

[olskool53]

I agree with you 100%, I certainly wont be buying a VC when its time to replace! The worst part is you need to run the fans with this insert because it radiates very little heat without them.

 

[VTSR5]

Does anyone know where I can get replacement fans for a Vermont castings Winter warm small insert? VC wants $333??? If anyone knows of a aftermarket# or where i can get a set in less than 8 weeks please let me know.

Mine were made by Papst. Check their site here: http://www.ebmpapst.us/search.asp

Next time I have the insert out, I'll note the Papst part number if I can find it.

This is a correction to an earlier post where I had the company name wrong.