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Bixby's convection fan stopped by itself.

Discussion in 'Pellet Stoves, Pellet Fireplaces, Pellet Furnaces' started by climber, Mar 3, 2018.

  1. climber

    climber

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    The convection fan of my Bixby was lazy lately, worked with audible interruptions and eventually stopped. It was making a chirping sound now and then. Sounded like a bad bearing to me. The stove is very clean inside and was well-maintained.

    When I noticed there was no airflow from convection vents, I just shut the stove down to avoid overheating. In a few hours I turned the stove on (the lowest setting), opened the side and saw the fan rotating slowly so I could easily stop it with a finger. Occasionally the fan would stat running if I turned it with a finger as well. Sometimes it would start by itself, run slowly and stop again. Never moved to high RPM mode.

    What's wrong? How can I make sure the problem is the fan itself and not some other electrical components? I can remove the fan if necessary. Thank you for any helpful information.
     
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  2. gbreda

    gbreda

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    First off, welcome to the show !!

    I dont know anything about your stove but is sure sound to me like the motor is kaput. Are there any oil ports that you can put a few drops into? Maybe that might help it along.
     
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  3. gbreda

    gbreda

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    OK, I assume you have the Bixby MaxFire

    Looking at the motherboard, it appears that the convection fan runs on 120c ac. That being said, IF YOU ARE HANDY AND COMPETENT WITH ELECTRICAL you MiGHT be able remove the fan and make up a connector to a lamp cord to see of the motor works. this should out it at full speed when plugged in to a wall outlet.

    EDIT_not sure what the capacitor is there for on the convection fan circuit. Maybe some members with more electrical experience can chime in here

    upload_2018-3-3_20-36-32.png
     
    Last edited: Mar 3, 2018
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  4. climber

    climber

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    Gbreda,
    Thank you for welcome and the schematic. I will try that. It looks like the capacitor is on the motor.
     
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  5. gbreda

    gbreda

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    How many wires are going to the motor? If its only 2 then you will likely be in good shape as long as they are marked. You dont want to blow the capacitor.

    Although I really do think your motor is dead.
     
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  6. gbreda

    gbreda

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    Last edited: Mar 3, 2018
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  7. climber

    climber

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    Thank you for advice and links. I will see when I pull the motor out of the stove tomorrow. Will update tomorrow.
     
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  8. CleanFire

    CleanFire

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    G, This may help explain it:

    Why Does an AC Motor Need a Capacitor to Start?
     
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  9. gbreda

    gbreda

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    Last edited: Mar 4, 2018
  10. ivanhoe

    ivanhoe

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    X2 :handshake:
     
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  11. Eric VW

    Eric VW Moderator

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    Welcome @climber:handshake:
    Any update?
     
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  12. ivanhoe

    ivanhoe

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    X2 :handshake:
     
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  13. gbreda

    gbreda

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  14. climber

    climber

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    Thank you.
    Took the fan assembly out of the stove and tested it with 115 V AC. Ran well but a bit noisy. Never stopped and did not heat up as it did onside of the stove. The bearings are probably need to be replaced, but there may be some other problems with stove electronics as well.
     
  15. gbreda

    gbreda

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    Was the capacitor in the circuit you used? After reading the ling from cleanfire, wonder if the cap could be bad?

    Also, are there any oil ports? That might get rid of the noise and help the bearing/bushings. I just repaired a garage door opener by replacing the worn plastic drive gears. After it was done a bushing was squealing like a pig-hit it with spray graphite and all has been quiet since.
     
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  16. Eric VW

    Eric VW Moderator

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    Was thinking the same thing about the cap(s)...:yes:
     
  17. climber

    climber

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    Sure, I have tested it with its own capacitor attached. I do not think those bearings are serviceable. They are most likely greased, sealed ones.
     
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  18. Eric VW

    Eric VW Moderator

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    Hope you can fix it up on the cheap!:thumbs:
     
  19. ohbix

    ohbix

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    Climber, you can replace the bearings in the fan. 608zz. I've used bearings from the local electric motor shop; but they were poor quality. Ordered skf bearings and those lasted the longest. If you do this, it's best to have the snap ring tool (cheap thru harbor freight). I managed it using a leather awl, but it was not easy.
     
  20. Lousyweather

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