# Buck 27000 Rheostat ???



## Buck 27000 (Jan 29, 2014)

My 3 speed motor just went out on my 27000!  I have done some research and they offer the rheostat update, I've noticed the single speed fan has an rpm of 1550, but people on this site are saying that this setup will not move air like the 3 SPD motor does, I checked and the rpm on the 3spd high is 1500rpm. I don't understand how this is possible. I bought the rheostat I'm kind of 2nd guessing myself on installing it on my new motor. Kind anyone give me any insight on this situation?


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## tfdchief (Jan 29, 2014)

My experience and my son's experience has been that the best thing to do is replace with exactly what you had.  It works.  They have gone to a 3 disc thermostat instead of the original bi-metallic switches, but the new disc thermos work fine.   You will get some "hum" with the rheostat and it is not automatic.


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## Buck 27000 (Jan 29, 2014)

Well my understanding of the rheostat is it works with a thermostat that makes it automatic , and it kicks the rheostat on at the preset engine speed you . I've read your post about it but they are very vague about why it doesn't work for you.


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## tfdchief (Jan 29, 2014)

Buck 27000 said:


> Well my understanding of the rheostat is it works with a thermostat that makes it automatic , and it kicks the rheostat on at the preset engine speed you . I've read your post about it but they are very vague about why it doesn't work for you.


Yes the thermostat is automatic, but the fan speed is not.  With original equipment, the thermostat starts the fan on low, as temperature increases, it moves the fan speed to medium and finally to high.  The stove has convection chambers completely surrounding the fire box and the automatic 3 speeds was designed to keep the fire box from over heating as the fire is burned hotter.  In fact the manual says that if you lose power (no fan) that you should open the doors and burn like a fireplace (introducing cool room air in large volumes) to keep from overheating the unit.  With the rheostat, the thermostat turns the fan on and off at whatever speed it is set.  There is no chance for the speed to increase automatically as the unit heats up, which I think was a required design feature of this stove.  With the original equipment you really had 3 separate thermostats, each controlling one of 3 fan speeds.


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## gzecc (Jan 29, 2014)

I replaced my motor and the all the electonics with the parts the dealer (www.servicesales.com )
It has 3 speeds, works very well.


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## Buck 27000 (Jan 29, 2014)

My thing about the 3 SPD is as it cool, it drops down  so rather than keeping the flow of hot air coming as the fire temp drops with the fan pushes less heat where as with the rheostat  it will be a steady flow  down threw the temps I personally feel that this will keep the back of my house warmer than a  regular setup, it's more work tending the stove adjusting the knob but I'm not that lazy yet! I do have a good question for you what is the overheat zone on the 270000?


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## tfdchief (Jan 29, 2014)

Buck 27000 said:


> I do have a good question for you what is the overheat zone on the 270000?


Good question, but I think that Buck back in the late 70's and early 80's had it figured out with their 3 speed fan and 3 temp thermostat.  I have burned the 26000 since 1982 and am still going on the original bio metalic strip thermostats and 3 speed fan (replaced the fan once only because the original was making noise) and I have experienced it cycling trough the burn cycle and changing the speed thousands of times and even when I forgot it and it was really crankin, way hotter than I wanted, and it has never allowed my old Buck to get to hot.  Evidenced by the fact that it shows no warped areas or any evidence of overfire after all those years.  I think Buck did a good job of engineering this stove and that is the reason I recommend staying with "original".  Mine is inserted in my fireplace so the only place I have to check temps is the front.  The top that does stick out is cooled by the convection across the top chamber, so not a good indicator.  I use two surface thermometers on mine, one on the glass (Buck's wire mesh glass cover allows me to put one there) and one on the cast door in the upper right corner.  When I get it cruising, the glass therm is generally at 500 and the door therm at 400.  Sometimes I go higher than that, but when I do, it is really crankin and putting out massive heat.  Oh, direct answer to your question, manual doesn't say.  Just to open up the doors if you lose power and have no fan or it will overheat.


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## Buck 27000 (Jan 29, 2014)

I've already bought everything for the rheostat setup and since I'm not rich I'll have to ride it out. I'll have to let you know it works out I hope it works as well as it should, thank you for input and advice I'll make it work


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## tfdchief (Jan 29, 2014)

Buck 27000 said:


> I've already bought everything for the rheostat setup and since I'm not rich I'll have to ride it out. I'll have to let you know it works out I hope it works as well as it should, thank you for input and advice I'll make it work


Hope I have helped.  The rheostat will work, you just have to realize that YOU are setting the speed of the fan and thus the cooling of the insert.  If it were me, when I leave the stove alone, I would turn the rheostat up as high as it will go just in case the stove decides to take off, you are covered.  When you can tend the stove, you can manually adjust it based on observing the temps on the stove.


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## tfdchief (Jan 29, 2014)

Let me know how it goes


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## gzecc (Jan 30, 2014)

Hope it works for you. I'm sure it has been done in the past. The time I replaced my 28000 with new components, I remember how nice it was hearing the insert changing speeds so nicely. Don't forget, it comes on and off by itself too. Your going to have to let it run, if your not home, and the fire goes out.


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## Buck 27000 (Jan 30, 2014)

Well I'm a barber and my shop is .5 miles from my shop and when it's cold my fire never goes out, but when the fire goes down below 140 the rheostat will kick off so I won't have to worry about it running when the dies out


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## gzecc (Jan 30, 2014)

Buck 27000 said:


> Well I'm a barber and my shop is .5 miles from my shop and when it's cold my fire never goes out, but when the fire goes down below 140 the rheostat will kick off so I won't have to worry about it running when the dies out


 
Thats good. Let us know how it works.


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