Whitfield Quest WP4 convection blower

[stellep]

What is the opinion of the forum?

Should I replace this:

With this:

I'm curious about the current and speed.

Thanks gang.

 

[Ssyko]

most of the stats on the replacement are nice the only thing that concerns me is the amperage. you original motor takes 90 amp at its highest rate. the replacement although it has higher rpm its max amp is 1.5. It could overload the control board circuit,its hard to say, i've bumped almost all my motors up in 3 stoves just going with slightly higher HP and ball bearings. but i'm an experimental kinda guy. id try it!

 

[Mt Bob]

Ya,I'm with Ssyko,probably be fine,but you may not like the outcome,you may have much lower temps coming from the stove,which can lead to the stove running too cool,leading to hard caked on deposits.I'd try it if you are unhappy with the airflow into the room,fairly easy swap,let us know.

 

[stellep]

Sysko:
Yes the control board is my worry.

Bob:
It's not an airflow issue, but a replacement issue. If I could get the exact replacement, that would be the best But, it's a 20 yo part.



.

 

[Ssyko]

if you search and find a fasco 2 speed motor that matches yours (they do make them just diff numbers and serials) the price will be about the same as an OEM. they Know we all search for them and they are just as bad as the OEM's they build for. Like you say 20yrs old i bet it draws more than .90amp after that many years. id go for the one you picked

 

[stellep]

Yes. I thought that this motor was as close to the OEM as I could get, because the brand was the same and it was sold as a replacement.. Other brands are questionable. I can always run at low speed, which is what I do anyway. That current is under the original max.

My main concern is sacrificing the control board for a motor and then getting into a (see Bugs) situation.

I can't swap the part until it warms up here anyway(7F right now). But I don't want to run out the return window either.

Maybe Stovensen will have something, and then I will decide what to do.

Thanks for all the opinions.

 

[Stovensen]

My main concern is sacrificing the control board for a motor and then getting into a (see Bugs) situation.

The control board in your regular Quest is very different from those in Bugs' Advantage and my Quest Plus. For electronics geeks a lot of interesting details could be analyzed here, but that would fill the thread. I promise to stick to the thread subject

I searched the internet and found some relevant pics of regular Quest control boards:


As we can see, at least two slightly different versions were made through the production years ( 1994-2000 ), but the speed control of the convection blower is the same on all versions: A 10 amp Zettler relay toggles between the two stator windings, when you press the speed hi/lo button.
Increasing the amp-draw from 0.90 A to 1.5 A should be in a safe distance from the max. rating of 10 A of the Zettler relay, but as Bob states, the increased airflow could cool the stove too much. You'll have to try it out. Good luck. Keep us posted.

The datasheet for the relevant Zettler relay is attached below, so you can study all the specs.
Edit: I just noticed that the Zettler relay on the board is a heavy duty type ( AZ-941-1CT-48DE ). This is good news in that the relay max. contact rating is 16 A and not 10 A.

 

[stellep]

Ha. The new blower fan is a slightly different design. Perhaps this compensates for the different motor speeds to keep the airflow the same.
Let you know.

 

[stellep]

Update:

When the convection blower started making noise, I added a drop of oil in each oil port.
On one port, the bearing stopped making noise.
After a day or so, the noise came back, so I ordered up another blower as backup.

Then I tried the oil treatment again. Same thing.
Tried a third time. Same again..

At this point, I have oil flushing through the bearings onto the stove floor. I did this before on the combustion motor, so I should have known better.
So, I cleaned up the oil.

Because of the unusual cold here, I decided to wait to swap out the blower.

After a few days of use, the blower is silent and running better than ever.

With the less than 0°F predicted here on the weekend and 12-15 inches of snow, I'll roll the dice on returning the replacement blower and put it on the shelf. I'll expect it to work without cooling too much, when I need it. I couldn't find a better motor when I looked anyway.

Hey, the original is a Fasco motor. It could last another 5 years.

 

[Stovensen]

After a few days of use, the blower is silent and running better than ever.

Congrats, so eventually some of the Mobil 1 synthetic engine oil you used must have found its way through the oil felt to the bearing surface. But beware, engine oil for cars contains several additives and I've read that one additive in particular ( the anti sludge detergent ) could somehow restrict ( gum up ) the capillary effect that is transporting the oil from the felt wick through the porous sintered material that the oilite bearing is made of. If the capillary effect gets blocked totally, the bearing surface will dry out and whining sounds may be generated. This situation will wear the bearing prematurely.

Before joining this forum in 2010 I also used ordinary automotive engine oil for the convection blower ( the combustion blower requires no oiling in my stove ). This cannot have harmed the motor, since it's still running like a new motor after 20 years of use.
Anderol 465 is the oil recommended by the experts on this forum and also the manufacturer Fasco. You can buy it here:
https://www.eastcoasthearth.com/pro...ing-oil-for-pellet-stove-motors-1-7-oz-bottle

 

[stellep]

Sorry for the confusion.
In Bug's thread, I described oiling my troubled combustion motor with Mobil 1 some years ago. That extended its life for 5-6 years.

For this convection motor I used the Anderol 465 that I got to oil the replacement (2nd) combustion motor. The second replacement (3rd combustion motor) that is in the stove now, requires no oiling.

When I went to order the replacement for the Fasco convection motor, I could not read the specs on the label. The specs were hidden by black paint overspray (not done by me). I had already oiled it.

When I carefully removed the overspray, I noticed the the oil spec for the motor was SAE 20 (see first post).

So, there is Anderol on the bearings now.

I think I got this right

 

[Stovensen]

The tonegenerator in a Hammond organ is an extreme example of lubrication based on capillary action. More than 100 Oilite bearings are lubed through just as many oil wicks transporting oil to each bearing. All these wicks are connected to a central oil reservoir.
This is the oil recommended for the Oilite bearings in a Hammond organ. A highly refined oil ensuring maximum capillary action:

 

[stellep]

Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to replace the intermittently noisy bearing in the Hammond.
How often do you change the oil filter in that thing?

 

[Stovensen]

Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to replace the intermittently noisy bearing in the Hammond.

LoL, that might take the rest of my life Especially if it has to sound right after reassembly.