My Harman P61A install

[ZBrooks]

Do you hear it when the distribution fan is off? Like when in maint. Burn when running in room temp manual?

I'll have to pay attention to this. I have been in RTM from day one.

I'm wondering if it has anything to do with the height of my 4" vent outside. Right now, the vent termination is only about a foot higher than the T. Tomorrow, I hope to get the 5' vertical piece installed. The dealer (different one) that I've been going to didn't have a wall bracket in stock when I bought the pipe.

 

[P38X2]

Have you verified the dist blower manufacturer? Just loosen the 2 side shield screws on the CB side, pop the shield off and stick a mirror behind there.

I'm almost certain you and I are hearing the same noise. I leave mine on high 99% of the time and it's just the typical P series whoosh. However, there are times when I have company over and I'd like to turn it down a bit but can't because the howling starts.

 

[Mt Bob]

Still could be harmonics in the motor,but could also be blower wheel,piece of metal sticking out somewhere in the air path through the stove,or a small gap in the air path that did not get sealed.Anyway,you have a warrenty,and it is a $100.blower,I would think harman will not have a problem sending a guy out.

 

[P38X2]

The more I pay attention to it the more I realize it does it on high as well, but the noise becomes drowned out by the increased whoosh of air. The fan has been noisy since day one https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/farewell-loyal-p38-hello.115693/

I'm gonna stop by my dealer's tomorrow and listen to another P68 and see if it's different, and also pick their brains a bit.

I'll keep you guys updated.

 

[ZBrooks]

Have you verified the dist blower manufacturer? Just loosen the 2 side shield screws on the CB side, pop the shield off and stick a mirror behind there.

Fasco.

 

[P38X2]

Still could be harmonics in the motor,but could also be blower wheel,piece of metal sticking out somewhere in the air path through the stove,or a small gap in the air path that did not get sealed.Anyway,you have a warrenty,and it is a $100.blower,I would think harman will not have a problem sending a guy out.

To me, it definitely sounds electronic in nature, or in other words, is starting with the motor "working", and is being amplified somewhere down the chain. Maybe it's the nature of the beast with the Fasco motor.

Another bit of info I found was in this thread https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/blower-motors-and-speed-contorl-question.63376/
JT mentions the Dayton version of our blower unit uses a Fasco motor. Hmm. Seeing that thread was from early 2011, perhaps the motors were always Fascos and only the stickers changed?(while the entire blower assembly is in fact made by Dayton)

Just checked mine on high again and it's not making the noise, only in the middle range, as before. This "new" old info kinda puts a damper on getting the $61 eBay Dayton unit as a replacement to solve the problem.

Regardless of the origin of the noise, I feel adding a silicone gasket between the blower and stove could make a significant difference.

 

[P38X2]

OK, my dealer said to bring it in and they'll compare it to a NIB blower and take care of me if necessary. Dealer said Harman switched to Fasco's due to ongoing issues with the Dayton and that Fascos's are noticeably quieter. We'll see.

ZBrooks, I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

[ZBrooks]

Thanks.

I'm starting to think we won't know what is really causing this until someone gets a look at the internals of the fan itself. I don't think the motor itself is the issue. I think you're on the right track with "being amplified somewhere down the chain." Maybe the angle at which the motor is mounted, similar to how you have to hold a glass bottle just right to make it sing when blowing air across the top of it. If we turn the fan on high, maybe too much air is flowing at that point for the tune to continue.

Do you have 4" or 3" vent? How much vertical pipe do you have outside? I'm going to hook up the 5' piece today, even if I have to hold it with leather gloves while my wife listens inside.

 

[P38X2]

My vent is horizontal. 45° off the stove and then straight out. Maybe 36" in total.

Pulled the blower and brought it to my dealer. It actually made the sound there, which you know how bringing something that's faulty to any dealer usually goes.

Replacement going in now. It was tested at the shop and was supposedly much quieter.

 

[P38X2]

Replacement installed. MUCH quieter

ZBrooks, if this ends up being your issue, and the dealer is willing to warranty the part but not the labor, for whatever reason, and you chose to take the DIY route, it's a simple swap out....as long as you use a special "trick" The mounting hole on the side opposite the motor must be snipped so it's a notch, rather than a hole. This allows you to thread the bolt most of the way in and simply slide that side of the flange under the head of the bolt. Kind of the same way the side shields are attached.

Unplug the stove if you do this.

You'll need a small mirror(to see the bolt that's buried), rachet, 3/8 socket, 10" extension, some nippers to cut the 2 wire ties and 2 new wire ties. Take a photo of how the wires are tied so you'll be able to put them back the same way. There are 3 spade fittings you'll need to remove and re-attach. Green is the ground and is easy to get to. The other 2 are kinda tough if you have big mitts. White to white and black to blue...or at least it looked blue in low light. Do the other 2 first and you can't go wrong.

Took me 10 min to remove, once I rounded up the tools, and 5 min to reinstall. Piece of cake as long as you notch the bolt hole in the flange.

Thanks very much for mentioning the noise in your first post. I always thought it was just how the Fasco's sounded, and would've just lived with it. I don't wish you to have any issues with your stove, but I hope our issue is identical as the fix is quite easy. Again, the new blower is MUCH quieter. No funky sounds whatsoever.

 

[ZBrooks]

Is the new one a Fasco, as well?

 

[P38X2]

Is the new one a Fasco, as well?

Yep

 

[ZBrooks]

Yep

Thanks for the info. I'm going to guess that your dealer had a spare motor in stock. Glad it worked for you!

Time to call my dealer now.

 

[P38X2]

Thanks for the info. I'm going to guess that your dealer had a spare motor in stock. Glad it worked for you!

Time to call my dealer now.

Thanks. I'm fortunate to have a great dealer in my town.

Best of luck in your resolution.

 

[ZBrooks]

Thanks. I'm fortunate to have a great dealer in my town.

Best of luck in your resolution.

I just installed a new blower and it is MUCH quieter! The funky harmonics are gone. The dealer didn't give me any issues, either.

 

[P38X2]

I just installed a new blower and it is MUCH quieter! The funky harmonics are gone. The dealer didn't give me any issues, either.

Glad to hear everything worked out. Happy burning.