NOISY fan on my new gas insert

[sabrinab]

Good morning,
My new Fireplace Xtrordinaire has a really noisy fan-- not the blower-- that sounds like a blower and I know that it is not silent, but the fan makes a "CH, CH, CH" nose that gets faster as you turn up the blower, and it is louder than the blower except when it is at 100% and then it's just way too noisy in that room to be in the room.

I also have a Vermont Castings insert and that one has a silent fan (I never noticed how quiet it was until this bad boy showed up)--- and you just hear the blower on the VC.

I had the repair guy out to fix a chip in the bricks that happened during install and he said, "I don't hear anything" () My plummer said, "Something is wrong with the fan." as soon as he fired it up after hooking up the gas. The installer said that it needed time to "break in" and "that's just normal noise... and I can't hear a thing." Everyone else CAN hear it... am I nuts? Did this guy just not want to fix it? Should this be so noisy?

THANKS!

 

[DAKSY]

You're throwing the words blower & fan around indiscriminately & I'm having a hard time trying to figure out what you're saying. Fans don't make noise. Blowers do...That's why they're not called fans!
Is it the blower that is making that "Ch-Ch-Ch" sound?
Is it a squirrel cage type or a computer (square housing) fan type?
Can you pull it out of the insert & see if the blades are hitting the housing?
Got a pic of what the "noisemaker" looks like?

 

[sabrinab]

The blower makes regular blower noises. It's the fan, a drum like cylinder mounted deep in the rear right corner that is making the ch, ch, ch noise. I've looked in there when it is running and when it is not and it isn't hitting anything. The technician poked at it and said, "Is that better... but it was the same." But it can't be right if it is making noise-- right? I am not the only one that hears it.

 

[jtp10181]

So... it has a fan and a blower? That doesn't make any sense... anyway, the squirrel cage blowers/fans (whatever you want to call it) our inserts use are near silent. All you hear is air moving. They will make the noise you describe if their housing is bent and either cage rubs on the housing or the shaft could also rub on the house as it exits the motor (which would be hidden from view).

Here is a pic http://www.amazon.com/Fireplace-Blower-GFK-160A-Regency-R7-RB168B/dp/B000IGED2W

 

[DAKSY]

Your best bet is to DISCONNECT the AC, pull the unit out of your insert & bench test it. That way you can see what's making the noise. Could be a bad bearing or a bent axle, but until you can watch it in action, there's no way to tell...
Good Luck.

 

[Fire Bug]

Good morning,
My new Fireplace Xtrordinaire has a really noisy fan-- not the blower-- that sounds like a blower and I know that it is not silent, but the fan makes a "CH, CH, CH" nose that gets faster as you turn up the blower, and it is louder than the blower except when it is at 100% and then it's just way too noisy in that room to be in the room.

I also have a Vermont Castings insert and that one has a silent fan (I never noticed how quiet it was until this bad boy showed up)--- and you just hear the blower on the VC.

I had the repair guy out to fix a chip in the bricks that happened during install and he said, "I don't hear anything" () My plummer said, "Something is wrong with the fan." as soon as he fired it up after hooking up the gas. The installer said that it needed time to "break in" and "that's just normal noise... and I can't hear a thing." Everyone else CAN hear it... am I nuts? Did this guy just not want to fix it? Should this be so noisy?

Hello,
I have a Heat & Glow FB Grand Insert with the Model #160 factory blower and I have the same nose that you are describing with your unit. I have a vibration sound that just gets louder as the blower speed is turned up. It's been this way from the day it was installed.
I was told my a H&G;Technician that is could be caused by the squirrel cage touching the housing of the fan, or something like a wire touching the squirrel cage. Possibly, even the door on the back of the firebox that blower goes in vibrating.
I also have a Jotul DV 600 Firelight Gas Stove that is equipped with a blower unit that is the most quiet I have heard even after four years of use.

Thanks,
John

THANKS!

 

[sabrinab]

Thanks for all of the notes... I realize my "mis speak/ mis write" now. It's the squirell cage motor that is making the racket on the blower. I have checked it from the front as best as I can and don't see anything catching or dragging on the blades-- I think it's just a noisy motor. I would have to pull the entire unit out to get to it. The unit is under warrenty and we did pay for install, so I think that they need to fix that. As I said, I have another unit and the blower makes 0 noise-- you only hear the air moving. I wouldn't have purchased this make/model if it had been making this noise in the showroom. It's frustrating that I had the tech here and he said he heard nothing. Everyone else who is over hears it right away. *sigh*

 

[stovetechri]

ive done service calls for the fpx fan noises. The dealer should fix this. ive found wires clinking in there. bad bearings. or the housing just needed a shim because the brackets are not bullet proof. if the noise gets worse or faster when you turn the fan up, its the fan. it also makes a fan noise, some people run it on medium because they dont like the blower/fan noise, but it blows air and on high you can hear it. i would replace the fan if i coulnt find a wire or way to shim the noise away

 

[sabrinab]

THANK YOU Hooray, you know what I am talking about!
It indeed DOES get louder and faster when you turn the fan/blower up. How would I shim it? It's really hard to get to from the front and I hate to mess w/ pulling it out b/c of the tight gas line.

 

[stovetechri]

I would get a service guy to come out. you still dont know if the bearings are bad. There 110v going through the temp sensor. I would unplug the unit bypass the temp sensor. Plug in the unit and turn the fan on high. Using somthing long (preferably not metal) push on the fan to see if a simple metal shim would benifit. now there's 110v wires down there so have someone capable to to it. ive got a tickle more that a few times, it doesnt feel good. If theres a foreign object in their you might not see it. only a bench test will do. service guys dont like to take the fan out so demand its removal.