Hi Guys...Have a JotulF600 Stove with a Blower attached in back..Lately it has been squealing while running. Still works great but that squeal just has to go...Any thoughts on what it is and how I can fix it??? Thanks..
Have you cleaned it lately? I’m guessing you’ll need to remove it and partially disassemble it to be able to lube any bearings.. looks like an expensive unit.. if you can’t easily access the back of the stove, you might buy a spare so you can swap out as needed? Blower maintenance is something I try to do in the summertime so I don’t get surprised with a squealing blower during the dead of winter...maybe you can get a cheaper one on eBay.
I have to be honest.. The unit is 7 years old now and it has never been cleaned or shown any maintenance. I'm thinking of buying a can of spray air and just blowing the crap out of it and see what happens until the spring when I can take it off..
Would be great if that worked.. We still have a long winter ahead of us.. Check YouTube also, Some videos on blower maintenance there. Good luck.
You know, I hadn't thought of canned air....until now. Having a similar issue for the last couple weeks or so. I pulled the stove out and used the shop vac on it, but it still wants to make annoying noises and vibrate. Canned air.....here I come!
I had a blower start squealing on the wood / coal furnace we had at the old farm. I learned to oil the motor's bearings, at each end, and that did the trick. There were tiny holes I'd put a couple drops of 3 & 1 oil in. Might help...
Mine was vibrating a bit, but I adjusted the lid on top of the blower section and now its much quieter. Squealing sounds like it's in need of some some fine lubrication
I just last night replaced the bearings in my blower on the NC-30. I had a squealing noise, and lubing didn't do the trick, because it has sealed bearings. Replacing them quieted it right down.
There are videos out there on how to grease sealed bearings. Seems simple but if the bearings are cheap enough I'd just replace them also.
I just had to 3&1 lube my blower bearings tonight. I know they need to be replaced, but until I do that, or simply replaced the entire blower assembly, this will do. I found a couple of places that don't charge stupid amounts for a new fan. These are pretty much universal blowers. 103581-01 103581-02 103581-03 103581-04 Fireplace Blower Fan Kit for Desa FMI Vanguard Vexar Fireplaces This one is even better priced Fireplace Blower Outlet.com
My blower is taken down and cleaned/lubed every year at the end of the season. Ive seen how nasty mine is after 1yr, I cant imagine 7!!! The air it pushes out has to be taken in, and think of all of the dust/ash/soot at that spot.
Am keeping an eye on my blower, I know it's brand new but on an insert it's used constantly so I wonder the life expectancy of a typical blower. I've been burning 24/7 since Sunday and while sometimes when the burn cycle is low it shuts off for a bit but not much so it's running almost constantly maybe a couple of hours break per day.
Year five of hard running for the AC-16 hair dryer on my Englander 17. It occasionally makes a wonky squealing sound so I'm thinking it's just a matter of time. Look into a company called Fasco, they seem to make a lot of fans for different stove manufacturers and you might find the same one for quite a bit cheaper. Obviously if it's just a bearing (and replaceable) that's probably the cheaper route but food for thought. Using my AC-16 fan for example, could be replaced with a Fasco 50747-D401 Centrifugal Blower 115V Fasco # 50747-D401 add a power cord and it would cost me less than half the $$$ of ordering the fan from the stove manufacturer.
Year 5 on my Lopi Freedom Bay. Its going to fail eventually, its mechanical... however with anything Mechanical if you take care of it, it will last longer.
Be prepared for a huge mess. I pull the blower of my Lopi 2-3 times a year and blow it out with the air compressor.
