I recently had the pleasure of replacing both convection blower fans in my 11 year old Heat & Glo Northstar. The ones it had in there were super noisy for years, and finally developed a squeal that we simply couldn't live with. Searching the internet found that there are a couple options depending on the specific serial number for the Northstar. Serials PRE 0091535936 need one type of fan, mine was 00916.... so needed a different type. Not wanting to screw this up, I called the nearest HnG dealer and explained what I was looking for. Armed with the serial number, they found the correct model fan and shipped it with a promise that if it wasn't the right one, I could ship it back and they would swap me for the other model.
Replacement wasn't bad. Removed the fire brick to an old towel, laying it out so as to show where each brick came from. Turns out most of the bricks are the same size anyway so it wouldn't matter. The door in the bottom of the stove removed with two screws and a flathead screw driver to pry it out of the sealant around the edges. From there, shut off the power, remove the thumb screws holding down the old fans. Pull the fan half way out through the door and disconnect the spade terminals for power. Remove the fan to the garbage can. I found one of the two to be nearly completely seized and it wouldn't coast when turned by hand. Installation of the new fans was reverse of that process, connect the terminals, lower the fan through the door, reattach the screws. I scraped off as much old sealant as I could from around the door with a glass scraper razor blade, then applied some high-temp silicone sealant and closed it up. Reinstalled the fire bricks, and that was it. In and out in about an hour.
The new fans are MUCH quieter than before, quieter than the old ones were when new. Hopefully this holds as they age, but I'm encouraged.
I leave this here so the next person with noisy fans might also take the plunge. It's well worth it to be able to watch a quiet movie with a nice fire burning in the same room!
Replacement wasn't bad. Removed the fire brick to an old towel, laying it out so as to show where each brick came from. Turns out most of the bricks are the same size anyway so it wouldn't matter. The door in the bottom of the stove removed with two screws and a flathead screw driver to pry it out of the sealant around the edges. From there, shut off the power, remove the thumb screws holding down the old fans. Pull the fan half way out through the door and disconnect the spade terminals for power. Remove the fan to the garbage can. I found one of the two to be nearly completely seized and it wouldn't coast when turned by hand. Installation of the new fans was reverse of that process, connect the terminals, lower the fan through the door, reattach the screws. I scraped off as much old sealant as I could from around the door with a glass scraper razor blade, then applied some high-temp silicone sealant and closed it up. Reinstalled the fire bricks, and that was it. In and out in about an hour.
The new fans are MUCH quieter than before, quieter than the old ones were when new. Hopefully this holds as they age, but I'm encouraged.
I leave this here so the next person with noisy fans might also take the plunge. It's well worth it to be able to watch a quiet movie with a nice fire burning in the same room!
