Rattly fan in wood heater.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

So, we rely on a wood heater to heat most of our living areas and the barrel fan is quite rattly at high & medium settings. Loud enough to keep me awake at t'other end of the house.

I reckon it's likely just a build-up of lint on the blades causing an imbalance, which on most other similar units I've had would be an easy fix. A quick clean with a vacuum/venetian blind brush.

Sadly, I suspect that this unit was built and installed about 10-15 years ago (we're in a rental of about that age) and surprise, surprise... no access panel under the firebox.

It looks like the fan was installed into the plinth and then the firebox & flue installed on top. I really don't want to strip the whole thing out just to vacuum a fan.

So, does anyone have any possibly workable ideas? (Probably not, but it doesn't hurt to ask.)

[ajw]

Can you get some compressed air in there somewhere? Might make a bit of mess, but could also solve the problem.

cheers,

ajw

[crowie]

G'Dat Skew,

If it's a "two pole" fan motor like ours [Red Embers Fire Place], yes you'll have to remove it to clean all the accumulated dust on the fan fins.

With ours, while it's out of under the firebox, I've lubricated the sintered bronze bushings on the motor ends.

Cheers Peter

[auscab]

I have the same problem. It’s an Aussie made Nectre . On the no 1 setting it’s ok but 2and 3 don’t get used because of the racket . And I can’t find a way to access it without removing the heater . I can get my fingers up in there ( power un plugged ) and can feel the fan and it’s sort of springy like it’s hanging in there on two leaf springs or a sheet of metal . So I wedged some timber in there to stop the housing from bouncing around and that helped . It made the no 1 setting quite enough so we just use that . The Nectre is a great heater apart from the fan access . I’ve easy had a good 15 years of hard work out of it now. I’ve replaced the heat baffle in it probably 6 or 8 times . And the fire bricks twice . And re sealed the glass and the door rope once .

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

All sorted. [Phew!]

It turns out that there is an inspection plate on the front of the plinth, but I couldn't access it as the numb-nut installer fitted the plinth backwards so it actually faced the back wall. That also explains why the controls were so damned awkward to reach. Apparently when installed correctly, the electric cord is 3" too short to reach the power outlet and that numb-nut took the easy route out.

First I climbed onto the roof and gave the chimney a good sweep... primarily to avoid any issues when I lifted the flue but also because it was needed. I sweep it every year before Winter, but we've burnt quite a bit of softwood as kindling this year and creosote was beginning to "tinkle' down the flue.

While I was up there I loosened the retaining screws at the top of the flue and then the retaining ring for the double-skin in the ceiling above the heater. I did this so I could lift the chimney assembly off the heater top before disassembling, but then I had an idea.

The heater body is held to the plinth with a couple of bolts on each side, so I removed the bolts and used jacks with bearers to hoist the heater body up an inch or so. I used chocks at both ends of the bearers for safety while I worked underneath.

This allowed me to slide the plinth out enough to get my hand - and a mirror - down for a proper inspection of how it was constructed. The barrel fan is connected to the firebox with a couple of wing-nuts. Backed them off and the whole thing dropped free. That's when I got my first good look at the plinths "back" panel and realised everything was a***-about.

With the fan loose, it was a simple matter to slide the plinth out, turn it around the right way, spend some time vacuuming up all the expected mess and fit a slightly longer cord.

Re-installation was pretty much the reverse procedure with the obvious exception of the plinth orientation..

We now have a MUCH quieter fan, even on max speed, and as a bonus the fan control is easy to access. I now also know that the heater is a Jindara ('cos I can see the badge! ) and not - as I thought - a chaiwanese knock-off of one.

[auscab]

All sorted. [Phew!]
We now have a MUCH quieter fan, even on max speed, and as a bonus the fan control is easy to access. I now also know that the heater is a Jindara ('cos I can see the badge! ) and not - as I thought - a chaiwanese knock-off of one.

Good outcome Skew.

I hardly believe what just happened here.
I read your post and got my torch. Searched the front of my heater base and found it has a removable panel!!!
4 Philips head screws 2 on each side.
FFS! Ive been looking around the back side where the fan is the times I have tried to solve the noise problem.
The rest Ill do tomorrow. Its a mess in there.
Thanks.

Rob